Preview: Hounds at Oakland Roots SC
USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Preview: Hounds at Oakland Roots SC

Published on September 5, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


Having alternated draws and losses for the past four matches, the Hounds will try to break back into the win column in the final match of a three-game road swing when they visit Oakland Roots SC on Sunday afternoon.

The match at the Oakland Coliseum was originally scheduled as a Saturday night contest, but it was moved back a day when it was announced the Coliseum would be hosting an international friendly between Mexico and Japan during the original Hounds-Roots time slot. The result is a 1 p.m. start locally - 4 p.m. back in Pittsburgh - and the final match of the regular season to not fall on a Saturday for the Hounds.

The dual priorities for the Hounds entering the match involve both ends of the field. After giving up two goals last week to Tampa Bay that both came from corner kicks, the Hounds are looking to regain their defensive cohesion.

The group has just one shutout over the past seven matches, and not coincidentally, that came in the team's lone win, 2-0 over Rhode Island on Aug. 2. History shows the Hounds will regain their defensive form sooner, rather than later, as the last time the team went five straight regular-season matches without a clean sheet was the final five matches of the 2022 season.

On the attack, the aim is finding the finishing touch and turning possession into goals, which the team did so effectively when Robbie Mertz fed Charles Ahl last week for Ahl's second goal of the season and the fastest by the Hounds in a 2025 match at 1 minutes, 59 seconds. That would be their only tally in the 2-1 defeat at the Rowdies, however, despite having more final third entries (70-54), nearly double the touches in the penalty area (26-14) and four times as many crosses (36-9).

Oakland, meanwhile, finds itself three points on the wrong side of the playoff line in the Western Conference. The Roots' offense has been paced by Peter Wilson, the Swedish-raised Liberian forward who has seven goals and three assists, both the most on the team.

The Roots have been up-and-down all year, having not won or lost more than two matches consecutively since dropping their first three to open season. But they enter the match on a high, after defeating Monterey Bay FC last week, 1-0, behind a goal from ex-Monterey Bay player Morey Doner.

Fans once again will be able to check out the match on SportsNet Pittsburgh, which will pick up the action in progress after postgame coverage of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball concludes. The match will be live from the opening whistle on SNP's alternate channel, SportsNet Pittsburgh Plus, and it will be streamed live on ESPN+. Replays will be shown later Sunday and throughout the day Monday on both SNP and SNP+.

Match info

Riverhounds (7-8-7) vs. Oakland Roots SC (7-11-3)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 7

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.

Odds: Hounds +115 / Draw +210 / Oakland +230

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Streaming: ESPN+

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtags: #OAKvPIT and #Grittsburgh

Check out the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 5, 2025


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