BREAKING DOWN THE HOUNDS: Rowdies Return as #USL Foes

Since May 20, the Riverhounds have gone five games without a win (0-2-3), they’ve only scored two goals, and continue to watch a revolving door of players manning the back line.
On Thursday night, the Hounds have a chance to put an end to this slide against 2nd place Tampa Bay Rowdies for their first-ever USL match-up.   Two years ago, the Rowdies came to Highmark Stadium for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round match, as the Hounds sent them back to Florida with a dramatic 1-0 win on a Rob Vincent goal in the 90th minute.
RELATED:   HOUNDS ADVANCE IN OPEN CUP, BEAT ROWDIES ON GOAL IN 90TH MINUTE 
During this stretch, the Hounds have plummeted from 4th place to 11th place in the 15-team USL Eastern Conference standings.
Making matters worse, the Hounds suffered their worst defeat of the season, 3-0 at Louisville on Saturday.  It was a game that Head Coach Dave Brandt and his troops would like to put behind them.
But a win tonight can really do wonders for the Hounds.  A three-point boost heading into a 12-day break between games would catapult the Hounds back over the playoff-line and provide a second win against a top three team in the standings.
Another loss, and with 12 days between games, Pittsburgh could find itself sinking further and further down the ultra-competitive (and mostly mediocre) tight league standings.
My game notes and live file for Thursday’s game can be found at DK Pittsburgh Sports.