Mertz Ends Magical Week in Hounds' Win
June 7, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh native Robbie Mertz capped a magical week with a goal and an assist to lead the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to a 2-0 victory over Detroit City FC tonight at Highmark Stadium.
Mertz assisted the opening tally for the Hounds (4-5-2) by sending a cross to Perrin Barnes for his first professional goal. In the second half, Mertz thumped home a finish at the back post and performed a cradle rocking celebration in honor of the biggest moment of his week, the birth of his first son on Thursday.
The Hounds were exceptional defensively, holding Detroit (4-3-5) to one shot over 90 minutes in front of a white-clad crowd of 5,007.
First half
The Hounds were on the front foot from the outset, and Mertz was at the center of the action. His curling free kick in the early stages forced Detroit goalkeeper Carlos Herrera to tip the ball over for a corner kick, and his fancy footwork in the 20th minute allowed him to find Jackson Walti for an open shot at the 18 that was saved.
In the 37th minute, Mertz got his head up on the left side and cut the ball onto his right foot, lifting a diagonal pass to the back post. Barnes timed his run perfectly, jumping inside of the defender and beating Herrera to head the ball powerfully into the net as he tumbled to the ground.
Second half
The Hounds didn't rest on their one-goal lead, and Danny Griffin dragged a shot from inside the box just wide of the left post in the 54th minute.
In the 66th minute, Barnes worked the right side to find space for a cross as Griffin made a near-post run. Griffin was able to flick the ball onward across goal with his head, and Mertz was at the back post to put the ball home with a defender trying to hold him back.
Not only was it a huge goal, given the circumstances, it was Mertz's 20th as a member of the Hounds. With 20 goals and 21 assists for his hometown team, he is just the third player to reach 20/20 for the club, joining David Flavius and Kevin Kerr.
Charles Ahl nearly had a third for the Hounds after getting free in the box, only to be denied by an excellent kick save by Herrera. Detroit had a good chance in the final minutes when Jordan Adebayo-Smith pounced on a turnover, but Guillaume Vacter and Walti recovered in time to knock Adebayo-Smith off balance as goalkeeper Eric Dick - who earned his 20th shutout with the Hounds - collected the ball with players colliding.
Modelo Man of the Match
Robbie Mertz was supremely influential in the Hounds attack, even beyond his goal and assist. He finished with three chances created and seven total crosses, and he connected on 80 percent of his passes overall.
What's next?
The Hounds go back on the road for their only away match of June, an Eastern Conference matchup with Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14. Indy (2-3-5) will be playing on 10 days rest after defeating Birmingham on Wednesday, 1-0.
Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-1-2) - Eric Dick; Guillaume Vacter, Sean Suber, Luke Biasi; Junior Etou (Illal Osumanu 69'), Jackson Walti, Bradley Sample (Bertin Jacquesson 69'), Perrin Barnes (Max Broughton 87'); Robbie Mertz (Charles Ahl 69'); Danny Griffin, Augi Williams (Aidan O'Toole 87')
Detroit City FC lineup (4-2-3-1) - Carlos Herrera; Alex Villanueva (Haruki Yamazaki 76'), Darren Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant; Jay Chapman, Marcello Polisi (Dominic Gasso 77'); Darren Smith (Connor Rutz 65'), Ben Morris (Jeciel Cedeño 46'), Rhys Williams; Sebastian Guenzatti (Jordan Adebayo-Smith 65')
Scoring summary
PIT - Perrin Barnes 37' (Robbie Mertz)
PIT - Robbie Mertz 66' (Danny Griffin)
Discipline summary
DET - Michael Bryant 45+2' (caution - tactical foul)
PIT - Robbie Mertz 48' (caution - reckless foul)
PIT - Danny Griffin 84' (caution - reckless foul)
DET - Dominic Gasso 85' (caution - dissent)
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- Mertz Ends Magical Week in Hounds' Win - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
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