Pittsburgh Riverhounds battle to a draw with MLS’ Toronto FC reserves
By Larry Snyder
It was a hard-fought draw on an overcast Friday between the Toronto FC Reserves of Major League Soccer and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium in Station Square. The Toronto FC Reserves (2-0-1) were unbeaten, while the Hounds have gone 3-0-4 since the beginning of May, and they battled to 1-1 final before 3,104 members of the Steel Army.
The match was part of an agreement between the MLS and USL Pro, in which each USL Pro squad will play a home-and-home series against the reserve team of one MLS program. The Hounds will travel to Toronto for the return leg on Saturday, July 27. The games count in both the USL Pro and MLS Reserve League standings.
Pittsburgh got on the scoreboard first in the ninth minute of play. Forward Jhonny Arteaga served a ball as Jose Angulo was slashing toward the goal mouth. Angulo headed the ball past Toronto goalkeeper Quillen Roberts for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Toronto would get on the scoresheet in the 72nd minute of play. Forward Andrew Wiederman sent a hard shot from inside the right edge of the penalty area that bounced off Riverhounds defender Andrew Marshall’s leg and into the top left corner of the goal.
Pittsburgh finished the match with a 10-5 lead in shots on goal while Toronto committed more fouls (15-12).
During the first-ever MLS game held in Station Square, the Hounds raffled off an autographed soccer ball to collect funds for Prevent Child Abuse America. The PCAA is an organization aimed at preventing our nation’s youth from physical, sexual, educational or emotional abuse and neglect. At the end of the evening, Pittsburgh raised over $450 for PCAA.
On Saturday, the Riverhounds (3-4-5 overall) will host the defending USL PRO champion Charleston Battery at 7 p.m. The Battery (7-3-2) shut out the Hounds 2-0 when the two teams met April 27th at Blackbaud Stadium. After the game, there will be a fireworks display provided by Pyrotecnico that will light up the Pittsburgh skyline along the Monongahela River.
Riverhounds Reinforcements: On Tuesday, Riverhounds’ goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap was named to the USL PRO Team of the Week for Week 12 of the season. Gilstrap’s steady performance helped the Hounds earn a point against the Toronto FC Reserves.
Arteaga is second on the team in goals scored with two along with two assists in 11 games played this season.
In celebration of Father’s Day weekend, the Riverhounds are currently promoting the “No. 1 Dad of Pittsburgh” contest. The winning father will receive an Infiniti JX for a weekend provided by Cochran Infiniti, a family pack of tickets to an upcoming Riverhounds game and a $100 GetGo giftcard. Visit Riverhounds.com for more information.