Preview: Hounds vs. Rhode Island FC
Published on July 23, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
PITTSBURGH - With another home match on tap, the Hounds have a chance to fire their way into the top four of the Eastern Conference when they host Rhode Island FC on Saturday in a rematch of last year's conference final.
Coming off a 3-1 win over Louisville in which Trevor Amann wowed the national TV audience with the fastest hat trick in U.S. pro soccer history, the Hounds are striving for a second straight 90-minute effort and back-to-back wins for the first time since defeating Detroit in the league and Greenville in the USL Cup to end April.
With nine goals across all competitions after earning USL Championship Player of the Week, Amann has taken over the top spot in that category from Albert Dikwa. However, the duo shared the field for their longest stretch of the season to show a new attacking wrinkle in the win over Louisville, and those early returns seem to indicate a dual striker formation could be a viable weapon coming out of Rob Vincent's notebook.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Robbie Mertz scored in the second half to give the Hounds a 1-0 triumph at home in the Eastern Conference Final. That scoreline is par for the course between the two teams in a series where the Hounds hold a 4-1-1 all-time advantage and have five clean sheets, yet they have only scored six goals themselves in the six previous clashes.
Rhode Island is led by veteran striker J.J. Williams with six goals on the season, while Jojea Kwizera - the scorer of the lone goal in Rhode Island's one win in the series - is right behind him with five. Along with playmakers like Noah Fuson and Clay Holstad, the visitors pack plenty of punch, and their plus-6 goal differential is fifth-best in the league despite the team's .500 record.
Fans again will want to arrive early to enjoy $1 IC Light until kickoff, starting at 5 p.m. in the Tailgate Zone and continuing in the stadium when gates open at 6 p.m. Special souvenir soccer boot mugs also are on sale at $1 beer and draft beer locations, and they can be purchased with a beverage poured or separately as an empty souvenir mug.
The match will be aired live on KDKA+ with a replay scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. ESPN+ will stream the action, and Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 will have the call in Spanish over their airwaves. Tickets for Saturday's match are still available through Ticketmaster and at the F.N.B. Stadium Box Office.
Match info
Riverhounds (7-6-2) vs. Rhode Island FC (5-5-4)
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: F.N.B. Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds +175 / Draw +210 / Rhode Island +150
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtag: #PITvRI
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