Editor's note: The below match recap is provided by MLSsoccer.com.
Columbus Crew SC spoiled the Philadelphia Union’s shot at a top seed in the Eastern Conference.
On Sunday at MAPFRE Stadium, in the penultimate week of the 2019 regular season, Youness Mokhtar opened his MLS account and Pedro Santos scored a goal of his own to lead the Crew to a 2-0 win over the visiting Union in a game that featured a 41-minute halftime weather delay.
Mokhtar’s first MLS goal in seven games with Columbus came in the 69th minute as the team’s summer signing finished off a high-paced counterattack and slotted one past Andre Blake. Santos scored just four minutes later, sneaking a long shot through traffic on a follow-up to a corner kick.
There were few scoring chances for either team in a rainy first half. The biggest development in the opening 45 came when Union captain Alejandro Bedoya exited, for Warren Creavalle, shortly before halftime with a strained quad.
After the Crew’s Eloy Room and Blake both made big saves early in the second half to keep the game scoreless, Jamiro Monteiro had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 64th minute but hit a point-blank shot over the crossbar.
Columbus Crew SC plays for the Trillium Cup next week in the final match of the 2019 season, traveling north to take on Toronto FC.
MATCH NOTES
- Goalkeeper Eloy Room recorded his first Crew SC shutout in MLS regular-season action during tonight’s home contest against the Philadelphia Union, making three saves in the process. In 2019, Room has made 11 regular-season appearances (all starts), recording 30 saves and five wins in Black & Gold. Notably, tonight’s shutout marked the first shutout for Crew SC since a 1-0 home win against the New England Revolution (April 6).
- Youness Mokhtar recorded his first Crew SC goal in regular-season action during tonight’s home contest against the Philadelphia Union. The midfielder’s goal came in the 69th minute when he received a pass from Pedro Santos and then connected with the lower left corner of the net. The midfielder recorded 24 touches, attempted 11 passes and finished with a passing percentage of 90.9. Since joining Crew SC on July 19 of this year, Mokhtar has made seven regular-season appearances (four starts), scoring one goal.
- Midfielder Pedro Santos registered a goal and an assist in tonight’s 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union. The midfielder’s assist came in the 69th minute, when he played a ball to Youness Mokhtar, who cut inside the box and sent the ball into the left lower corner. Santos’ goal came in the 73rd minute, when he volleyed a deflected ball into the back of the net. With his goal and assist in tonight’s match, Santos has now provided either a goal or an assist in each of Crew SC’s last six regular-season home matches dating back to a home match against Seattle Sounders FC (July 6). Remarkably, during the 2019 MLS regular season, the Black & Gold are undefeated in matches that Santos provides an assist, holding a record of 5-0-0. In 2019, Santos has made 32 regular-season appearances (29 starts) scoring 11 goals (two game-winning goals) and providing six assists (four game-winning assists).
- With its win in tonight’s home match against the Philadelphia Union, Crew SC notched its 200th regular-season home victory since the beginning of the 1996 MLS season, posting a record of 200-101-81 over that span. Notably, the Crew is now one of only six MLS clubs to have won 200 or more regular-season matches at home, behind only the LA Galaxy (220 wins), FC Dallas (211 wins), the New York Red Bulls (209 wins), D.C. United (204 wins) and Sporting Kansas City (203).
- With its 2-0 win in tonight’s match, Crew SC extended its undefeated streak to five consecutive matches, dating back to a 3-1 home victory over FC Cincinnati (August 25). Over that span, the Black & Gold have posted a record of 3-0-2. Notably, with the result in tonight’s contest, Crew SC also extended its undefeated home finale record to 6-0-0, dating back to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on October 26, 2014.
- Next up, Crew SC travels to face Toronto FC at BMO Field for its final match of the 2019 regular-season on Sunday, October 6 (4:00 p.m. ET / SportsTime Ohio, FOX Sports GO / 97.1 The Fan and streaming online via the “Listen Live” button at 971TheFan.com / Spanish audio on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
