Preview: Hounds vs. Hartford Athletic
March 20, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
PITTSBURGH - The Hounds are home at last, and the 2025 home opener will see a familiar opponent come to Highmark Stadium on Saturday night in Hartford Athletic.
While the game remains the night's main event, the pregame ceremony will be a special moment when Kenardo Forbes, the Hounds' most decorated player and the holder of multiple club and USL Championship records, is honored for his recently announced retirement. Fans are encouraged to be at their seats by 6:50 to celebrate the career of the team's longtime captain.
Hartford has been the Hounds' most frequent opponent since joining the USL Championship, and though the Hounds hold an 11-2-2 advantage in 15 meetings, the visitors boast one of their strongest rosters during that time with veteran defenders Jordan Scarlett and former Hounds center back Joe Farrell on the back line, and dangerous forwards in Michee Ngalina and Mamadou Dieng leading the way.
Hartford dropped its season opener at league newcomers Lexington SC, but then they picked up a first win on the season Tuesday by dispatching the amateur New York Shockers, 3-0, in the First Round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both Dieng and Ngalina found the net in the win, and with both having scored against the Hounds last season, the Hounds' defense knows they will need to keep an eye on that pair.
On the Hounds' side, coach Bob Lilley has pressed his team to make last week's 2-0 defeat at San Antonio an outlier, pointing to the better performance in the season opener at North Carolina as a better example. But in both cases, he wants to see the team be more efficient with passes in the final third of the field, as even the superior possession in the opener only yielded a single Augi Williams goal and a handful of other chances.
The team is slowly getting healthier, and the added depth should help the attacking group. Bradley Sample returned to full training this week, while Perrin Barnes was back on the field in a limited capacity.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the week will be the return to Highmark Stadium and the support of a Pittsburgh crowd for the team's 13th home opener in their South Shore home. The Hounds are 9-9-6 all-time in 25 previous home openers, but just 3-6-3 in home openers at Highmark Stadium. Those last two wins, however? Both came against Hartford in the home openers of 2019 and 2022.
Fans at the stadium will be able to enjoy a post-match fireworks show, the first of four in the team's Fireworks Frenzy series this season. In the stadium, the opening month's food specials take on a St. Patrick's Day theme, with the train grill on the East End offering Guinness burger - topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and Guinness caramalized onions - and special "Irish nachos" (aka loaded potato skins).
Tickets for the match are still available through Ticketmaster and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.
Fans catching the game from home will have no shortage of places to follow the action. SportsNet Pittsburgh will air the match live locally, and CBS Sports Golazo Network will carry the free stream online.
There are also major boosts for the Spanish-speaking audience, as for the first time, the Hounds will have a Spanish-language national broadcast with the match being carried on TUDN. And all season long, as part of the club's new partnership with Las Palmas Pittsburgh, home matches will be broadcast live in Spanish on Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2.
Match Info
Riverhounds (0-1-1) vs. Hartford Athletic (0-1-0)
Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds -145 / Draw +250 / Hartford +370 at FanDuel
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh (local); TUDN (national, Spanish)
Streaming: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtags: #PITvHFD and #Grittsburgh
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