City Islanders and Pittsburgh Riverhounds Kickoff 2016 Keystone Derby Monday
Published on June 30, 2016 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg, PA - The first leg of the K&L and Pennsylvania Lottery Keystone Derby Cup will finally take place between City Islanders FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds almost three months after the game was supposed to be played.
The two cross-state rivals will renew their rivalry with the first of three matches on Monday, July 4 in Pittsburgh at Highmark Stadium. Last season the team's played a series of almost unbelievable games that ultimately saw Pittsburgh raise the first ever Keystone Cup.
Both teams have been used to coming into their matches fighting for a playoff spots. This season, both teams are going to be using this game as a turnaround and a precursor for the remainder of the season.
City comes into the game on one of their worst stretches of play in franchise history. They will look to get back to their winning ways after dropping six USL games in a row. The team has been in place to get points out of all of those games, but has come up short either by giving up late goals or digging too big of a hole to make a comeback.
Teammates Aaron Wheeler, Jose Barril and the duo of Paul Wilson and Craig Foster have led the attack in the past few games. Most recently, Foster broke through in the last game with an early strike. Meanwhile, Wheeler, the team's leading scorer, has been using his size and skill to make and impact of corner kicks and set pieces.
Pittsburgh is in next to last place and have only two victories on the season. Pittsburgh's win last week against FC Montreal was their first in five tries. They went their first seven games without a victory.
Their attack is led by two scorers who have notched five goals a piece. City's back line and Nick Noble will have to deal with Romeo Parkes and Corey Hertzog who lead the way with 10 points each. No other player has more than one goal so far this season.
Last season's derby was dominated by multiple goal comebacks, last minute goals and even more drama. There is no reason to expect anything different this season. Pittsburgh will host two of the three games this season. After Monday, the Isles will return out west on Sunday, July 17 for the second game. The two teams will then face off at FNB Field for the first time on Saturday, August 27 at 7 p.m.
After returning from Pittsburgh City will host two more games at Clipper Magazine Stadium to take on the Richmond Kickers on Friday, July 8 at 7 p.m. and Toronto FC on Sunday July 10 at 6 p.m.
For tickets and more information on City Islanders visit www.cityislanders.com or call 717-441-GOAL (4625). Be sure to follow the team on all social media channels and you can watch the game live on the USL Website.
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