A sluggish start to the 2023 USL season did not faze the Riverhounds. Despite starting 2-2-4, they rebounded to finish 19-5-10 with a plus-21 goal differential en route to earning the Eastern Conference's top seed in the playoffs and the Players' Shield for the best record in the league.
The Riverhounds are in a similar position to begin this 2024 season. They lost their first three matches and scored just one goal in that stretch but recovered to go on a four-match unbeaten streak entering Saturday's 7 p.m. first touch against Miami FC at Highmark Stadium. The Riverhounds are 2-0-2 with a plus-four goal differential over their last four matches. They played to scoreless draws against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and at Rhode Island FC before winning at the defending champion Phoenix Rising FC, 3-1, and against Detroit City FC last Saturday, 2-0, at Highmark Stadium.
That win against Detroit will be regarded within the Riverhounds' record book. The Riverhounds set a franchise mark for attendance for a regular-season match at 6,099:
π€π@RiverhoundsSC @highmarkstadium @RyanRShaffer1 pic.twitter.com/epyFCGdoPc
β Greg Pai (@GregPai1) April 28, 2024
Head coach Bob Lilley and the Riverhounds are seventh in the USL Eastern Conference standings with eight points. With a win Saturday, the Riverhounds would have more points through eight matches this season (11) than they did through eight matches last season (10). They face a struggling Miami FC, which at 2-5-1 has a minus-four goal differential and is 1-4-0 in their last five matches.
The USL standings are loaded at the top. The Charleston Battery are 6-0-3 and lead the conference with 21 points. Louisville City FC (6-1-0) is second with 18 points, and Detroit City FC (5-1-0) is third with 15 points.
The Riverhounds have momentum, but they are entering a tough stretch of three matches in eight days. They welcome FC Tulsa to Highmark Stadium Tuesday for their debut in the U.S. Open Cup, and they are at FC Tulsa May 11.
Forward Edward Kizza paces the Riverhounds with two goals on a team-high nine shots. Four Riverhounds have scored one goal. Forward Langston Blackstock and midfielder Robbie Mertz, an Upper St. Clair graduate, have registered eight and seven shots, respectively, but have not scored. Goalkeeper Eric Dick has saved 18 of 25 shots faced but has posted three clean sheets in the Riverhounds' last four matches.
The Riverhounds were aggressive in their attack in their win over Detroit City FC Saturday. Nearly half of the match's opening 15 minutes were played in the Riverhounds' attacking third of the field. That pressure helped generate two goals within the opening 35 minutes. Dick had to make one save in the match, and that didn't come until the 56th minute. That was Detroit's lone shot on target. Detroit recorded six shots and touched the ball just eight times inside of the Riverhounds' box Saturday.
The last goal the Riverhounds allowed was in the 28th minute of their match at Phoenix April 20. Since, they have posted three shutout halves plus stoppage time defensively. Captain Danny Griffin has come away with a team-high 44 duels won and Luke Biasi has won on 14 of 15 tackle attempts. Abdul Illal Osumanu has intercepted nine incoming balls, and Griffin, Biasi and Kenardo Forbes each have intercepted eight.
