December 26, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
This is the first in a series of features highlighting the biggest Riverhounds moments over the past 12 months.
The 2022 season saw the return of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after two years without being contested because of the coronavirus pandemic.
And, as often is the case, the cup draw set up a juicy matchup for the Riverhounds in the third round.
The Hounds traveled to face old nemesis FC Cincinnati, now a member of MLS, on Tuesday, April 19, at TQL Stadium, and the dedicated group of fans who made the trip from Pittsburgh were treated to a contest much tighter than one would have expected based on pre-match betting lines that rated the Hounds as a nearly 4-to-1 underdog.
It took extra time to settle the affair, and though Cincinnati eventually prevailed 2-0 on a pair of goals by Álvaro Barreal, a game effort by the Hounds illustrated once again how narrow the gap is between MLS and USL Championship teams.
The Hounds looked the brighter of the two sides in the opening half, outshooting Cincinnati 6-3, but the Hounds had to weather a storm after the break as the hosts tried desperately to find the net. Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite shined in only his second professional start – his first coming two weeks earlier in the second round of the cup – as he made five second-half saves, including a second-chance stop on Nicholas Markanich and a tip over the bar of a long-range blast by Barreal.
The highlight of the game came with seven minutes remaining in regulation after Waite made an initial save on Luciano Acosta. The ball made its way to Markanich on the right side of the penalty area, and the FCC player thought he had picked out the far corner of the open goal until Arturo Ordóñez raced back to the goal to head the ball safely away from the line.
Barreal broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 95th minute and doubled the lead four minutes later, as the Hounds seemed to run out of steam in a game that came just four days after playing a league road match at Las Vegas.
The defeat ended the team’s cup run and dropped the Hounds to 1-6-0 all-time against MLS teams. However, all six defeats have been by either a single goal or have come in extra time, despite the fact that five of the six games have been on the road.
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