MAKE-SHIFT RIVERHOUNDS GET PUMMELED BY FC MONTREAL, 4-1

Pittsburgh Soccer Report’s John Krysinsky will have more on this match with a Thursday morning edition of #MTLvPGH Takeaways.  
Here’s the USLgame recap.
FROM USL/FC MONTREAL REPORTS
MONTREAL – FC Montreal tallied three first-half goals and the host side earned its first home win of the season, defeating the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4-1 on Wednesday at Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard.
The four goals are a season high for Montreal. Alessandro Riggi scored the opening goal in 32 seconds, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla followed with an 11th-minute tally and Anthony Jackson-Hamel pushed the lead to three in the 26th minute. Pittsburgh’s Corey Hertzog scored late in the first half to get his side on the score sheet, but Montreal’s Nevelo Yoseke responded with his first goal of the season 30 minutes into the second half.
The Riverhounds played the final 12 minutes of the match down a man when defender Chad Barson was sent off for a reckless challenge. The Eastern Conference’s last-place Montreal ended a seven-game losing streak, improving to 1-9-0 at home and 3-18-1 (10 points) overall. Pittsburgh dropped to 3-14-4 (13 points) overall and 1-6-3 on the road. The clubs split the season series as the Riverhounds had defeated Montreal 2-1 on June 18 at Highmark Stadium.
Scoring:
1’ – MTL – Alessandro Riggi (Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla)
11’ – MTL – Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla (Marco Dominguez)
26’ – MTL – Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla)
41’ – PGH – Corey Hertzog
75’ – MTL – Nevelo Yoseke
Three Things That Mattered:
1. Fast starts have not been FC Montreal’s forte, but the club captain Alessandro Riggi got his side off the ground running. In the opening minute, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla dished to Riggi on the left. He fired left-footed toward the far right post. The ball clipped the glove of Mauricio Vargas but it was not enough to halt the shot as Riggi gave Montreal a 1-0 lead just 32 seconds in. It was Riggi’s fourth goal of the season and 13th of his FC Montreal career after leading the club in scoring a year ago.
2. Tabla had a jam-packed opening half as he was involved in every goal. In the 11th minute, he found one of his own. Marco Dominguez played a deep ball from the right side and Tabla made a nifty spin move to lose his defender. He fired to the far left post and grabbed his fourth goal of the 2016 campaign. Then in the 26th, Tabla notched his second assist of the match, using the outside of his right foot to play the ball up-field to Anthony Jackson-Hamel, who notched his fourth goal of the year to push Montreal’s lead to three. The three first-half tallies easily are the most scored this year. In fact, Montreal had never scored more than one goal in the first half this season heading into the match.
3. Pittsburgh stopped the bleeding in the 41st minute, capitalizing on a poor back pass from Janouk Charbonneau as he was trying to find some help with his defense but instead helped Pittsburgh’s Corey Hertzog with an open run. Hertzog gladly accepted the gift, eluded goalkeeper David Paulmin and from a tough angle on the left and slotted it home to make it 3-1 heading into halftime. Hertzog leads the Hounds with eight goals this season.

John Krysinsky

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).