Christian Pulisic proved the matchwinner on the day.
Pioli later said: We played the game we needed to. It was a very good first half, if we had converted more of our chances, then we wouldn't have suffered so much in the second. We weren't that sharp, naturally, but we controlled the match pretty well.
If we had been able to double our lead, it would've been simpler, but we worked hard with players who were on the pitch only two days ago.
This is a very important week for our season, so starting it well with a victory and a good performance is positive."
On Pulisic, he added: Christian did not play so much in the last seven or eight years, I think we are getting the best out of him. He is a great player, very intelligent and a good lad."