Preview: Hounds at Loudoun United FC

April 17, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release

On a short turnaround after Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup win in Columbus, the Hounds have no small task in front of them with their third straight road match Saturday afternoon against Eastern Conference leaders Loudoun United FC.

The Hounds' historic dominance in the series - 13-1-1 in 15 matches - is unlikely to faze this year's Loudoun side, which is already shaping up to be the club's best in its third year since becoming independent and breaking the shackles of D.C. United reserve team status.

A week after facing Charleston striker Cal Jennings, the Hounds will be tasked with slowing down the Championship's other current scoring co-leader Abdellatif Aboukoura, who has five goals in six matches to open 2025. Aboukoura has the benefit of service from veteran midfielder Florian Valot, who also leads the league with his four assists thus far.

Loudoun has 11 goals overall this season, ranking them first in the East and tied for the top spot league-wide, and their only two losses have come on the road against Louisville - one in the league and last Tuesday in the Open Cup. That should have the hosts feeling confident for head coach Ryan Martin, who is in his seventh season and is now the second-most-tenured coach in the Championship behind Bob Lilley, despite being a few weeks shy of his 42nd birthday.

For the Hounds, health is the biggest concern. Trending in the right direction are Bertin Jacquesson and Charles Ahl, both of who have returned to training on a limited basis. But after Junior Etou left Tuesday's win at Columbus early and with multiple players having already logged 180 minutes since last Saturday, Lilley has those concerns to weight against the need to get a result on the road.

One of those 180-minute players - and the one most likely to run that number to 270 - is captain Danny Griffin. Griffin is on his best scoring streak as a professional with three goals in his past four matches, and when he sets foot on the field in Virginia, it will be his 157th match for the Hounds, tying him for fourth all-time with club Hall of Famer Gary DePalma. The Hounds also have a team milestone looming after victory in Columbus was the club's 299th win in all competitions.

Fans will be able to catch Saturday's match, an early start at 4:30 p.m., live on KDKA+. The match will also be streamed on KDKA.com for in-market viewers and ESPN+ nationally, and KDKA+ will show a re-airing of the match on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Match Info

Riverhounds (2-2-1) vs. Loudoun United FC (5-1-0)

Date: Saturday, April 19

Time: 4:30 p.m.

Location: Segra Field, Leesburg, Va.

Odds: Hounds +300 / Draw +250 / Loudoun -125 at FanDuel

TV: KDKA+

Streaming: ESPN+

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtags: #LDNvPIT and #Grittsburgh

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