July 18, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
PITTSBURGH – The Hounds will try to make it two in a row Saturday when they host Hartford Athletic in a nationally televised contest that could be key to both teams’ playoff push.
The match will be a later-than-usual start at Highmark Stadium – 8 p.m. – for the national audience on ESPN2, and it comes on the heels of a much-needed scoring outburst in the Hounds’ 5-0 romp last week over Oakland Roots SC.
Junior Etou was named the USL Championship Player of the Week after scoring the first and last goals in the win for his first career two-goal game, while Robbie Mertz, Sean Suber and Kenardo Forbes all tallied their first of the season – in Suber’s case, the first of his career. That scoring has Hounds fans feeling better, but the defensive effort was just as impressive against Oakland, limiting the visitors to only two shots the entire match, neither one on goal.
Given the success against Oakland, the Hounds will likely deploy a similar lineup against Hartford, though the return of captain Danny Griffin is imminent and could shuffle up a midfield that has been manned capably by Mertz, Jackson Walti and Bradley Sample, the latter of whom assisted two of the Hounds’ first three goals last weekend.
Hartford, meanwhile, is sure to have at least one lineup change with goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro suspended after getting sent off in their match last Friday against Charleston. It was a costly red card, as the Battery rallied to earn a 2-2 draw, allowing the Hounds to pull ahead of Hartford in the standings.
The Hounds now sit four points outside of the playoff line, and Saturday’s match is a chance to pull closer, but to do so will require a better outing than the first meeting of the year between the teams. Hartford top scorer Michee Ngalina scored both goals that day, and the Hounds fell for just the second time in 14 all-time meetings with Hartford on June 15 in Connecticut.
Saturday’s game marks the return of the always popular $1 beer night, but with the later kickoff time, fans are advised on slight changes to when the 12-ounce Iron City Light will be served. The Tailgate Zone will open at 5:30 p.m. with food from Sooo Delicious Kitchen and Bruster’s Ice Cream, and $1 beers will be sold until 6:30. Gates will open at 6:30, and the $1 beer special will continue inside the stadium until 7:30.
The match will also be a “White Aht,” with the team debuting their all-white…
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