Game Day: Hounds at Oakland Roots SC
June 16, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
The Hounds' five-game winning streak in USL Championship play has propelled them to the top of the Eastern Conference, but it will be no easy task to stay there with a cross-country trip to face Oakland Roots SC in a late-night start on the West Coast.
This will be just the third trip to California for the Hounds since inter-conference play returned in earnest to the USL Championship last season, and both previous trips resulted in a draw - 1-1 at Sacramento in 2022 and 2-2 at Monterey Bay on May 5 of this season.
The Roots and Hounds have one prior meeting between them, in the 2022 season finale at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds won that match 3-1 with Kenardo Forbes closing out the scoring, and while the Hounds were only able to rise to the No. 5 seed with the win, it ended up being a good night for the Roots, as well, when other results around the league secured their playoff berth despite the loss.
Forbes again should be at the center of the action for the Hounds, as the midfield maestro just recorded his 60th USL Championship regular-season assist, and he is just one helper away from reaching 50 in all competitions as a member of the Hounds. Tola Showunmi, the recipient of Hounds assist No. 49 from Forbes, has scored in two straight matches and is hitting his stride at a good time with leading scorer Albert Dikwa still sidelined.
The Hounds' defense, meanwhile, remains second only to Sacramento with 11 goals allowed in 14 matches, but the team will be defending without regular goalkeeper Jahmali Waite, who is away with the Jamaican National Team. That means the start will fall to one of three options: Luis Zamudio, acquired this week on loan from D.C. United; Christian Garner, who has two starts in his first pro season; or Jonathan Gomes, Waite's No. 2 for the past three matches but still awaiting his pro debut.
Oakland also is shorthanded at the back due to Gold Cup call-ups, as defenders Neveal Hackshaw (Trinidad & Tobago) and Bryan Tamacas (El Salvador) both are unavailable for the hosts. Still, they have plenty of punch going forward, led by Polish striker Dariusz Formella and California native Johnny Rodriguez, each of whom has found the net five times this season.
The Roots enter the game in form nearly as good as the Hounds. While the Hounds are unbeaten in their past seven league matches, Oakland has lost only once in its last seven - on the road against West-leading Sacramento - and the Roots have just one home loss all season, a 2-1 defeat against Hartford Athletic that is their outlier on home turf.
The late West Coast start will not be televised locally, but fans anywhere in the U.S. will be able to watch the stream live on ESPN+.
Match info
Riverhounds (7-2-5) vs. Oakland Roots (6-4-3)
Date: Saturday, June 17
Time: 10 p.m.
Location: Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, Calif.
Odds: Hounds +200 / Draw +240 / Oakland +110 (FanDuel)
Streaming: ESPN+ (national)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter
Match hashtags: #OAKvPIT and #HOUNDTAHN
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