Game Day: Hounds at North Carolina FC
June 21, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
CARY, N.C. - The Hounds are seeking to come away with something from this stretch of three matches in eight days, and doing so will require getting a result at a place the team has had little success when they face North Carolina FC at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The two previous trips to Cary, in 2018 and 2019, resulted in losses for the Hounds, but that will have little bearing on this year's match, with only three players - Kenardo Forbes, Dani Rovira and Robbie Mertz - and head coach Bob Lilley still around from those contests.
Since then, North Carolina has gone through a coaching change, dropped down to USL League One, won a title there, and this year they returned to the Championship. They played the Hounds to a 1-1 draw at Highmark Stadium last month with Evan Conway's second-half header cancelling out the opening goal by Edward Kizza. The scoring reflected a shift in play, as the Hounds were dominant in the first half before North Carolina gained momentum after halftime, and after the match, Lilley expressed his frustration the Hounds hadn't put the visitors down multiple goals given their control over play.
Neither team has a player with more than three goals on the season. Kizza, Kazaiah Sterling and Danny Griffin share the Hounds lead, while Conway and Oalex Anderson top the chart for North Carolina. But while the Hounds are trying to snap a winless streak, North Carolina has been in better form with a 3-1-2 record over their last six, one of those being the draw in Pittsburgh.
Expect multiple changes to the Hounds' lineup with the team having played Wednesday night and facing a predicted kickoff-time temperature of 89 in Cary. The Hounds got some positive team news Thursday, as center back Pat Hogan was able to train and demonstrated no concussion symptoms after having to leave the match against Louisville with a gash on his head. Hogan being available is important for a back line that will be missing Luke Biasi, who is suspended after being sent off Wednesday.
Saturday's match will air live on KDKA+, and the live stream of the match will be carried on KDKA.com for local viewers and ESPN+ nationally. Fans in Pittsburgh who can't catch the game live will be able to watch a reply on KDKA+ at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Match info
Riverhounds (3-7-5) vs. North Carolina FC (4-5-5)
Date: Saturday, June 22
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.
Odds: Hounds +200 / Draw +240 / North Carolina +110 (FanDuel)
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter/X
Match hashtags: #NCvPIT and #HOUNDTAHN
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