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USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

3 Things: #PITvMIA

June 9, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


After the Riverhounds' two-game win streak was brought to a screeching halt by an inability to score against Austin Bold, it's back to the drawing board to find a way to get a first home win when Miami FC comes to town at 7 p.m. Saturday. The match at Highmark Stadium will be shown on 22 The Point and streamed on ESPN+.

Miami is another first-time foe for the Hounds, so there are definite question marks entering the matchup. But here a few areas that should play a big factor in whether or not the Hounds can get back in the win column.

1.) Blood in the water

The Hounds now have had two home matches where they have dominated possession (57.0 percent against Charlotte and 73.6 percent against Austin) and territory, but it has yet to yield so much as a goal, much less a result.

For all of the Hounds' build-up, what the team could use right now - and part of what Bob Lilley referred to as a "lack of urgency" - is someone to go in with a poacher's mentality and grab a dirty goal. The volume of crosses into the box and scoring chances has been more than sufficient to produce multiple goals per game, but someone needs to seize on a loose ball or simply create havoc in front of goal to get the ball over the line.

History shows that many of the Hounds' forwards have had that nose for goal through their career, so perhaps it will just take one goal Saturday to really start the feeding frenzy.

2.) Sailing in the Caribbean (and elsewhere)

Miami's team selection will be heavily impacted by the international calendar, as a handful of their players were selected for competitions and friendlies held this month.

The biggest contingent missing is Miami's Jamaican trio of Lamar Walker, Jahshaun Anglin and Speedy Williams. Williams, the Robert Morris University product, is the biggest loss from the Miami midfield, as he just logged 86 minutes for the Reggae Boyz in a 1-1 friendly draw against Serbia on Monday. Jamaica still has a game to come Friday, away in Nagoya, Japan, to face the Japan Olympic (U-23) Team.

Also away for Miami is Liberian forward Othello Bah, who is in Tunisia for a pair of friendlies for the Lone Stars. The team is likely to have back veteran winger Billy Forbes, however, as his Turks & Caicos Islands team was eliminated from World Cup qualifying by Haiti last Saturday.

A familiar face to Hounds fans, Christiano François, was not called up by Haiti during this break, which means he is almost certain to factor in the Miami side, considering international absences and the one-game suspension being served by defender/midfielder Bolu Akinyode.

3.) Response time

One of Lilley's laments after the two home losses was that it took his side longer than he would like to impose themselves on the match after conceding a goal.

Citing Loudoun's second-half response in what became a tougher-than-expected 3-2 win and the U.S. National Team's 3-2 extra time win over Mexico on Sunday as examples, Lilley expressed that he would like to see a more instant and desperate response from his players when the chips are down.

Granted, the ideal scenario also would be not to concede any goals, but Lilley said in his Tuesday press conference he would like to see that urgency be there from the opening whistle after a loss.

Usually, that is the case. The Hounds have lost consecutive games just twice under Lilley - in 2018 to Charleston and at North Carolina, and last season to Indy Eleven and at New York Red Bulls II - and never twice in a row at home.

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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.

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