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USL Miami FC

Da Silva's Late Winner Sends Miami Past Hounds

October 2, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Miami FC News Release


MIAMI - Miami FC rallied twice before a 90th-minute goal by Pierre da Silva lifted the hosts to a 3-2 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday night at FIU Stadium to move Miami ahead of the Hounds into second place in the USL Championship's Atlantic Division standings at the end of the night.

The game broke out to a remarkable start as Pittsburgh took the lead in just the third minute when Kenardo Forbes was played into the penalty area cleverly from the right flank by Alex Dixon and then proceeded to roof his finish from a tight angle in the right side of the box. It took just 54 seconds for Miami to respond as off the ensuing kickoff a long ball upfield by Sean McFarlane found Lamar Walker, who fired into the right corner of the net from just inside the top-left edge of the penalty area.

Forbes threatened again for the Hounds in the eighth minute as he controlled and delivered a shot from 25 yards that was tipped over the crossbar by Miami's Connor Sparrow, and a similar chance came to Dixon four minutes later with the same end result. The Hounds then had another chance in the 24th minute as Forbes clipped a ball over the top for Tommy Williamson in the left side of the penalty area, but his finish was swallowed up by Sparrow.

Miami almost grabbed the lead in the final minute of the first half as Ariel Martinez broke onto a pass by Billy Forbes into the left channel but had his low shot saved by Vitiello, while seven minutes into the second half a sweeping move up the left by the Hounds saw Williamson deliver a curling ball from the flank to Dixon in the right side of the penalty area, only for his shot to go wide of the far post.

Pittsburgh went even closer in the 64th minute as Williams played Cicerone into the left side of the penalty area for a shot that hit the right upright and came out before being cleared by the defense. Two minutes later, though, Forbes struck for his second of the night as Williamson cut inside onto his right foot to deliver a back-post cross from the left that the Jamaican playmaker nodded home.

Looking to at least maintain a three-point gap between themselves and Pittsburgh, the hosts again found a response with seven minutes to go as a crossfield pass from the right by Adonijah Reid found Othello Bah at the top left edge of the penalty area that the Liberian international rifled home just inside the left post. In the final minute, however, the South Florida side ensured it would end the night ahead of the Hounds as Christiano Francois played an angled through-ball for Da Silva in the left channel as the hosts broke forward that the former U.S. youth international deposited into the bottom-right corner of the net.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Christiano Francois, Miami FC - Francois delivered a perfect pass for his 30th assist in the Championship's regular season for his career and was dangerous on the ball, recording two shots and three key passes overall.

Scoring Summary

PIT - Kenardo Forbes (Alex Dixon) 3'

MIA - Lamar Walker (Sean McFarlane) 4'

PIT - Kenardo Forbes (Tommy Williamson) 66'

MIA - Othello Bah (Adonijah Reid) 83'

MIA - Pierre da Silva (Christiano Francois) 90'

Check out the Miami FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 2, 2021


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