Open Cup Preview: Hounds at Columbus Crew 2

Sports stats



USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Open Cup Preview: Hounds at Columbus Crew 2

April 14, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


The Hounds make their return to action in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday with a first-ever meeting against an MLS Next Pro opponent as they visit Columbus Crew 2 at Lower.com Field.

Though it is the first official contest against a team from the newest iteration of the MLS reserve league, the Hounds and Crew 2 got together for a preseason match this year back on Feb. 16. On that day, playing at snow-covered Highmark Stadium, the Hounds took a 1-0 win on a goal by then-trialist Jorge Garcia.

Garcia, who has been a regular in the Hounds 18 since signing in preseason, is among the players who could make the move from last Saturday's bench into to the starting lineup, as coach Bob Lilley will seek to advance while also keeping legs fresh with another USL Championship road trip looming this Saturday at Loudoun.

Though the Hounds and Crew 2 have yet to meet in a competitive setting, the ties between the two clubs run deep, including goalkeeper coach Jon Busch returning to the city where he led the MLS Crew to the 2002 Open Cup title. The Hounds and Crew - who first met in the Hounds' very first preseason match in 1999 - have met twice in the Open Cup. Columbus took a 1-0 win in 2019 at what is now called Historic Crew Stadium, and the Hounds scored a 1-0 win at Highmark as part of their 2023 quarterfinal run.

While the Hounds were seeded into the Third Round based on their league finish in 2024, Crew 2 had to win their way to this point of the tournament, a path they started by dispatching UPSL side New York Renegades FC in the First Round, 4-1. That set up another home game for Crew 2, and they were able to spring the upset on USL Championship side Lexington SC, winning 3-0 after a seventh-minute Owen Presthus goal and second-half tallies by Cristian Ortiz and Brent Adu-Gyamfi.

Fans wanting to tune into the match live will be able to do so by streaming it on Paramount+, and Open Cup coverage will go on before and after the round's matches on CBS Sports Golazo Network.

The winner of Tuesday's match will join the other Third Round winners in the Round of 32, when 16 MLS teams will be added to the field. The draw for Round of 32 matches will be shown live at 9:15 a.m. Thursday on CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy program.

Match info

U.S. Open Cup Third Round

Riverhounds vs. Columbus Crew 2

Date: Tuesday, April 15

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio

Odds (after 90 minutes): Hounds -115 / Draw +230 / Columbus +300 at FanDuel

Streaming: Paramount+

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtags: #USOC2025 and #Grittsburgh

Check out the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 14, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central