Riverhounds still can't score, still can't win

I’ll just come out and say it… I watched this game so that you didn’t have to (so any gifts of thanks will be greatly appreciated, but just a heads up I’m more of a chocolate person than an alcohol person). 

The Riverhounds saw their winless streak extend to ten games in all competitions, and ensured they would only score one goal in June, as they fell to Las Vegas Lights, 2-0, Saturday night thanks to a double from Khori Bennett.

Before the game even started, we were presented with a stat that quite frankly should have been seen as a warning for what we were getting ourselves in for, as it showed just how porous Las Vegas has been so far this season, with the commentators on TV even noting that it was a ‘weakness on weakness’ battle, noting how bad the Riverhounds have been in converting their chances:

ESPN+

A stat that appeared before Las Vegas Lights FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds

A stat like this could go one of two ways. Either the Riverhounds could add to the Lights’ misery, or the Hounds could sum up just how bad they have been in recent weeks by putting up a bagel against one of the worst defensive lines in the league… Sadly, you already know which way that went.   

The game started in a pretty even fashion with both sides putting their opponents back lines under pressure inside the opening ten minutes, but whenever the Hounds did make their way forward, it was once again the final touch that would let them down. Their first good chance came after a jinking run down the left flank from (surprise surprise) Junior Etou who managed to get right to the byline, but his cutback was easily dealt with as Las Vegas cleared the danger. 

Then ten minutes later, it was a run down the other side that created their opportunity, as Langston Blackstock put his cross right onto Robbie Mertz’s foot inside the area, but he could only scuff his shot with the goal at his mercy in a moment that pretty much summed up the Hounds’ luck up top so far this season. 

Lady Luck decided to shine on the Hounds just before the hydration break on the half-hour mark, as Las Vegas midfielder Valentin Noël had sprung behind the backline and was bearing down on goal, only for goalkeeper Jacob Randolph to come out and block his path, and whilst the referee decided to award a goal kick, replays seemed to indicate that he could have given a penalty instead without too many complaints. 

With five minutes to go until halftime, the Hounds’ good fortune ran out as they fell behind in rather harsh circumstances, Bennett breaking the deadlock but not after the ball had taken a wicked deflection on its way in that left Randolph with no chance at all:

This one you can’t really put any blame on anyone for, he was closed down relatively well, and Bennett’s shot wasn’t the most convincing and was probably heading right down Randolph’s throat, so the defenders did a good job of putting him in a somewhat difficult spot, but when you have a deflection that heavy that wrong-foots the goalkeeper, all you can do is hold your hands up and say ‘what can you do?’

The Hounds were quick out of the blocks to start the second half, and very nearly found their way back into the game with Enoch Mushagalusa, as his cross from the left-hand side of the box floated in the air for a bit and managed to strike the crossbar with goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena left completely beaten.

Then came the moment any team in the Hounds’ situation would have been crying out for, a penalty with a chance to get back into the game. Earned superbly by Mertz who charged into the box before being felled by Gennaro Nigro, it was up to Danny Griffin to step up and try to score the team’s first goal since the start of June… but alas for the Riverhounds, when things are bad, things are REALLY bad, with first Griffin from the spot and then the rebounding Mushagalusa both seeing their efforts stopped by Arozarena: 

A moment like that, especially given the drought the team have been on, always has the potential to send a team spiralling downwards, but the Hounds deserve credit for the way they responded, continuing to pile the pressure on with a couple of chances, most notably from Mertz who fired his shot across the face of goal from the right side of the box. 

Sadly though, with all the players moving forward to grab the equalizer, it was inevitable that the team would be susceptible to a goal against the run of play, and with just under five minutes to go of normal time, the home side put the game out of sight, J.C. Ngando drawing the Hounds one way, then slipping it inside for Bennett to grab his second of the night and put the game away: 

Speaking after the game to the Riverhounds media staff, Lilley didn't seem to be that downhearted about the overall performance, despite the run that the team are on:

"I thought it was a pretty positive start to the game. We had some good transition moments that we were winning balls and slicing through their midfield line pretty consistently in the first half. We drew some free kicks, some corners and got into their box, but we're not getting shots off when we have those chances. We had the water break, and unfortunately, gave up a goal shortly after that."

For Lilley, it wasn't that the Hounds didn't create chances, it's that the team just didn't convert when they did:

"As a whole, everyone is waiting for someone to step forward. The play on the whole was good, but it was a breakdown on the front end whenever we created chances. ... We should have had the first goal based on the chances, but we're not turning good moments into concrete chances. In football, if a quarterback has enough time, the receiver usually gets open. We're not getting open in the box when our guys get in behind. Our passes find the defenders more than they find our own guys."

If that all sounds familiar, that's because it is. It's the same line that has been brought out after each one of these performances in recent weeks, and quite frankly, I'm getting just as tired having to type it out as you are having to read it. You'd think that he would be tired of saying it too, but until things turn around it sounds like it's all he has to offer. 

The Riverhounds will now take to Highmark Stadium for the whole month of July as their 'Summer Of Soccer' gets underway next weekend against Monterrey Bay, where Lilley and the team will have to face the fans. If they continue to put in performances like the one they did in Sin City, then the few boos that you heard after their game against North Carolina FC last week will grow louder and louder until you'll be able to hear them over at PNC Park (where the patrons might just assume they're for Rowdy Tellez).

Now ask yourself, did you imagine that would be the case at the start the season? I didn't think so.