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USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Game Day: Hounds at New Mexico United

July 16, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


After back-to-back home wins and three straight victories overall, the Hounds are back on the road to face New Mexico United for the first time at 9 p.m. tonight at the high altitude of Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, N.M.

Both teams enter tonight's contest with 33 points, as the Hounds sit in fourth place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference and New Mexico is in fourth place in the Western Conference.

The Hounds are traveling to the state of New Mexico for the first time and will take the field for their first game in the Mountain Time Zone since 2014 but it is the team's second Western Conference road trip of the season, having already played in Las Vegas back in April. With three important points on the line, the Hounds turn to the momentum from their last three victories in hopes of finding more success tonight.

Contribution from up and down the Hounds' roster has allowed the team to come away with these victories. Defender Jelani Peters is coming off his first career two-goal game and a Team of the Week selection after scoring only once last season. Kenardo Forbes continues to rack up assists and is entering tonight's game with a career total of 52 after two against Miami, putting him into a tie for the USL Championship lead with seven. The Hounds' leading goal scorer, Russell Cicerone, has six goals and two assists in his last 10 games for a season total of eight goals.

In their last three games, the Hounds have only allowed one goal, and that came in stoppage time of the 4-1 win last Saturday over Miami FC. A strong defense will be needed in what could be a low-scoring affair with New Mexico, which only has one loss in its last 12 games and has not allowed three goals in a game yet this season.

Tonight marks New Mexico's fifth match in 14 days, and in that stretch, the team has two wins and two draws. Justin Portillo holds the lead for most goals with six for United, including the game-winning penalty Wednesday in a 2-1 win over Tulsa, while Daniel Bruce leads in assists with four.

The Hounds are reuniting with New Mexico's Neco Brett, who led the Hounds in scoring in each of Bob Lilley's first two seasons as head coach. Brett's 34 goals in all competitions with the Hounds is the second-most in team history, but tonight, the Hounds hope to shut down United's striker and come away with a win.

The match will be shown on 22 The Point and streamed via ESPN+.

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