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USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Preview: Hounds vs. Charleston Battery

October 10, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


PITTSBURGH - The latest edition of the oldest rivalry in the USL Championship comes with extra meaning for the Hounds, as the team tries to stay in the playoff hunt by getting a result at home Saturday night against the Charleston Battery.

As the teams in front of the Hounds burned through their games in hand midweek, the task they face became clearer. The Hounds sit in 10th place, trailing Birmingham and North Carolina by three points for the final postseason spots in the Eastern Conference. Ninth-place Loudoun remains in the mix, a point behind eighth, and all four of those teams now have three matches remaining.

For the Hounds, that means getting something from Saturday's match is vital with next week's match at Loudoun setting up to be a potential elimination game for both teams. And though the Battery have been the league's toughest team to beat with only five losses in 2024, the Hounds were up to the challenge in June when they took a 0-0 draw in South Carolina in the teams' first meeting of the year - and XXth overall.

The Hounds' biggest challenge will be slowing high flying Nick Markanich, whose 28 goals are already a USL Championship record. Far from a one-man show, MD Myers has 13 goals for the Battery, and their defense is among the league's best with exactly 31 goals allowed in 31 matches, tying them for second in the Championship behind only the Hounds. The Battery have little to play for in the standings, however, as they are already locked into the No. 2 seed out of the East behind Players' Shield winners Louisville.

On the other side, the Hounds will be trying to maintain the scoring momentum they built last weekend in a 4-0 win at Miami, where Bertin Jacquesson netted a hat trick and Edward Kizza popped his team-leading ninth goal of the season in off the inside of the post. The Hounds have averaged two goals per game and have not been shut out since Jacquesson's arrival on loan a month ago, and with everything to play for in the postseason chase, the team will be pushing for goals and a win with the Highmark Stadium crowd behind them.

Coach Bob Lilley will have a full compliment of players to choose from, as goalkeeper Eric Dick (concussion) and midfielder Kenardo Forbes (illness) returned to training in full this week after missing the Miami match.

At the stadium, it will be a celebration of the spooky season with a celebrity appearance by Judith O'Dea, star of the Pittsburgh-produced zombie classic "Night of the Living Dead," highlighting a horror-themed night.

Tickets for the match are still available through Ticketmaster and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office. The match will be shown live on KDKA+ and streamed live on the KDKA website in Pittsburgh and on ESPN+ nationally. Fans can catch the game the next day with a re-airing on KDKA+ at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Match info

Riverhounds (9-10-12) vs. Charleston Battery (17-5-9)

Date: Saturday, Oct. 12

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Highmark Stadium

Tickets: Ticketmaster

Odds: Hounds +170 / Draw +240 / Charleston +135 (FanDuel)

TV: KDKA+

Streaming: ESPN+

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtags: #PITvCHS and #HOUNDTAHN

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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