Pittsburgh Riverhounds Use Relentless Attack To Collect Another Home Victory

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ odds to make the USL Pro playoffs aren’t great, but they keep doing what they can to improve them.

After dropping a discouraging match in Arizona last Saturday, the Hounds returned to the form that allowed them to howl back into postseason contention in the first place, dispatching the FC Dallas Reserves 3-1 on a steamy Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.

The Riverhounds (8-12-5, 29 points) had won six of eight before their southwest setback, but Sunday’s critical victory gave them a 7-3 record since the start of July. Pittsburgh is one point behind eighth place – a.k.a. the final playoff position – with three matches to play this season.

Rob Vincent, Kevin Kerr and Michael Green netted goals for the Hounds, with Matt Dallman earning a pair of assists, giving him six on the year. Dallman has been playing mostly on the back line this summer, but his output Sunday reminded of last season, when he led the league with 12 assists.

“We have outside midfielders who like to get up in the middle like forwards, so that creates a lot of space for me,” Dallman said. “It was effective today. I’m not having the year I did last year as far as assists go, but it was nice to get those (two) today.”

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In a match they essentially had to win to stay in the playoff chase, the Riverhounds came firing out of the blocks. With outside backs Dallman and Sterling Flunder pressing upfield, Pittsburgh was able to create several scoring opportunities in the first half.

The Hounds scored the first two goals, leading to a fifth consecutive home win after an 0-6-2 start on their South Side stomping grounds.

“We knew we had to win,” Dallman said. “The only way to do that is get as many people forward as we can. I think we’re playing well because we have to at this point. It’s a lot like last year, with us stringing great performances together at the end.”

Flunder helped nudge the Hounds ahead in the 20th minute, when he took a lead pass on the left flank and fed to Jason Johnson, one of two starting forwards for Pittsburgh. Johnson quickly dropped the ball back to Vincent just outside the box for a perfect drive into the top-left corner of the net.

Vincent started the play that led to Pittsburgh’s second tally in the 33rd minute, as he found an open Dallman streaking down the right touch line. Sensing an opening to pounce, Dallman fired a cross that Dallas keeper Richard Sanchez could only deflect away. The ball bounced perfectly for a poaching Kerr, who hammered into the left side of the goal.

“We love to have our outside backers overlap and join the attack,” said Riverhounds interim coach Niko Katic. “When Dallman and Flunder overlap, it’s easier to get numbers into the box. When you do that, you can move the ball around and get yourself better chances. That’s the style of soccer we like to play around here.”

Riverhounds defender Sterling Flunder (right) marks his man against FC Dallas Reserves. He helped create Pittsburgh’s first goal of a 3-1 victory. (Photo: Matt Gajtka)

Goalkeeper Michael Lisch has been a major part of the Riverhounds’ second-half renaissance, but he made a rare blunder just before the half to give the visitors a breath of fresh air. Dallas went short with a corner kick, with Kellyn Acosta serving what appeared to be a harmless ball into Lisch’s grasp.

However, it clanged off his hands and directly to Cobi Span for what will probably stand up as the easiest goal of his career.

“He’s a good goalie,” said Green of Lisch, who has taken over the No. 1 role in the second half of the season to good success. “He knows (he could’ve stopped it). We just had to pick him up.”

Lisch responded with a pair of point-blank saves in stoppage time to keep it 2-1 at intermission. Sanchez matched him by making his best stop of the day on Johnson’s redirect early in the second half, but the Dallas keeper couldn’t prevent Green from nodding home Dallman’s perfect free kick in the 54th minute.

“We’re not good enough to take our foot off the gas,” Katic said. “We told them at halftime that they had to pick up their marks in the box and go about it in a professional way. We did that in the second half and it worked out. Green scored a beautiful goal and we played much better.”

Defending USL Pro MVP Jose Angulo returned to action as a substitute after battling a leg injury in recent weeks, buzzing around the net as the Hounds pressed for more offense late. Pittsburgh would love to have Angulo’s dynamic goal-creating presence in the final three matches, two of which come next weekend on the road.

The Riverhounds face the Charlotte Eagles on Friday, one of two teams occupying the league’s final playoff spot. They travel to Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday before returning to Highmark Stadium on Sept. 6 for the season finale against Arizona.

“Every game we play, we tell the guys, ‘Just give us a chance to make the playoffs in our last home game,'” Katic said. “Hopefully we can go down and get the job done, then come home in front of a beautiful crowd against Arizona.

“That’s all we’re hoping for. Just the chance.”