3 Things: #TBRvPIT
June 17, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
After picking up where they left off by taking a third consecutive road win Tuesday in Indianapolis, the Riverhounds now will return to the scene of their only road loss and only multi-goal loss of the year when they fly down to St. Petersburg, Fla. to face the division-leading Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The Hounds were unimpressive in that season-opening match, a 3-0 loss on May 8 in which they recorded just one shot on goal, but expectations will be higher as the team begins the second quarter of its 2021 schedule.
As for what to look for, here are three things to keep an eye on in the return trip to Al Lang Stadium:
1.) Forget May
It's easy to want to go back to the first meeting and dissect the many things that went wrong, but it would behoove the Hounds to take a few general notes and forget it.
In the six weeks that have passed since that first regular-season match, the Hounds have shown significant improvements. Only once since then have they allowed more than one goal in a match, and the intensity over the past two matches has spiked after the disappointing home loss to Austin.
There are certainly plenty of tactical angles to address ahead of facing a 6-1-0 team, but the Hounds have moved up the divisional standings by focusing on self-improvement. If that remains the case for Saturday, the Rowdies will feel like they're facing a completely different side from the first match.
2.) Eyes on Guenzatti
Tampa Bay's target man up front, Sebastián Guenzatti, remains one of the USL's most lethal forward threats, and his five goals put him one off the league lead entering the week.
With former Hounds forward Steevan Dos Santos out the past three matches with an injury, even more of the Rowdies attack relies on Guenzatti to be a playmaker and create space for the other scoring options, such as young striker Jordan Adebayo-Smith.
The Hounds generally have done well the past month against opponents' top threat, but it will take a team effort to stay compact and tight to their marks at Tampa Bay. Fortunately, the team was able to rest Mekeil Williams until late in the Indy match, and Jordan Dover got the full night off.
But even with some fresher legs reentering the squad, one mental lapse of not staying with a runner can be all a player like Guenzatti needs to make an impact, so the Hounds must stay alert.
3.) Turn them around, Part 2
A regular reader of the 3 Things feature might remember the call for runners to use the wings and get behind the Rowdies' back three ahead of the season opener.
Well, it certainly didn't happen then.
But in the time since, Alex Dixon has provided a consistent threat to break beyond the defensive line, while Dover, Dani Rovira, and even last game's unique wing back pairing of Preston Kilwien and Josh Gatt have had moments where they were dangerous getting into the overlap channels out wide.
Tampa Bay's back three of Forrest Lasso, Aaron Guillén and Jordan Scarlett has been remarkably consistent this year, as the team has allowed just four goals in seven matches. If the Hounds are to score goals and steal a point or three in Florida, they will need to make that trio retreat to its own goal line and not let them operate comfortably facing forward, which they did far too often in the season opener.
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