After harsh season, Hounds look to turn page

Only a few days removed from the conclusion of the Riverhounds’ 2017 campaign that provided a few bright moments in season with more harsh lessons of reality of the grind of a long, pro soccer season, head coach Dave Brandt was making every effort to sort through a large pile of papers that covered his desk.

“There’s lists of agents. There’s players reports. There’s a list of all the prospects we’re looking at, that we’re scouting,” Brandt said as he was sorting through it all. “There’s a lot here, and a lot to do.”

Only an hour before, Brandt had just wrapped up steady, two-day rounds of post-season exit interviews with most of his players. Some he will see again, some others who will have played their last games in Pittsburgh.

“There are guys that we’ll bring back. There’s guys that won’t be back,” Brandt said. “There are things that we’re going to do tactically that are going to need to be applied. But, at this point, we’re not even quite there yet.”

Brandt and the players he will be bringing back, will have to wrap their heads around what went wrong in the final stretch of the season.
For more of my in-depth examination of the Hounds, my one-on-one session with Head Coach Dave Brandt, along with my ‘Keys to 2018’ and more, be sure to read this feature and more of my coverage of the club on DKonPittsburghSports.com 

Photo credit – Long Hong – DKPS