May 9, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
Match info
Riverhounds vs. New England Revolution
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32
Date: Tuesday, May 9
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Odds: Hounds +550 / Draw +330 / New England -250 (FanDuel)
Streaming: U.S. Soccer Federation YouTube
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter
Match hashtags: #NEvPIT, #HOUNDTAHN and #USOC2023
(May 8, 2023) – For the second year in a row, the Hounds will get a crack at an MLS team on the road when they face the New England Revolution in the Round of 32 of this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The match is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Facing the co-leaders of MLS’ Eastern Conference will be a tall order for the Hounds, who are 1-6 all-time against MLS opponents, which includes an 0-5 record away from home. But all six of those losses for the Hounds have either been by one goal or in extra time, the latter of which was the case in the Third Round last year when the Hounds fell 2-0 at FC Cincinnati after 120 minutes.
The game pits the all-time wins leader of the USL Championship, Bob Lilley, against Major League Soccer’s wins leader, Bruce Arena, in a one-of-a-kind matchup. Lilley has 337 wins as a pro coach – many pre-dating the modern USL Championship – while former U.S. National Team coach Arena has 318 victories in the pro ranks, all in MLS after a long, successful run at the University of Virginia. Even the two clubs have plenty of history, as the first-ever meeting between the two sides is the only Round of 32 contest pairing a USL team and an MLS team that both have been in existence since the 1990s.
Team selection will be a question mark for both sides. The Revolution are on three days’ rest, while the Hounds had four days of rest but traveled from Monterey, Calif. to Pittsburgh to Foxborough in those 96 hours.
Albert Dikwa has been the man on fire for the Hounds. The Cameroonian striker shares the USL Championship lead with seven goals after scoring twice in the Hounds’ 2-2 draw at Monterey Bay FC. Conversely, New England is led by a pair of players with just three goals – Bobby Wood and Giacomo Vrioni – but the Revolution have gotten balanced scoring and been stifling defensively, allowing just nine goals so far on their way to a 7-3-1 league record.
The Hounds do have a trio of players who spent time in the…