
They were better, but still not yet over the finish line at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC finally scored a goal at home in 2021, but Miami FC escaped the South Side with a 1-1 draw in front of 3,115 fans on Saturday night.
First-year Hounds attacker Russell Cicerone netted the lone home tally in the 10th minute, the USL Championship veteran’s team-best fourth of the year. Pittsburgh had gone its first 190 minutes of play at Highmark Stadium without a goal, including a frustrating blank slate in a 1-0 loss to Austin Bold FC last Sunday.
“I think we played with more urgency,” said Hounds head man Bob Lilley. “I think execution could be better, but I liked the energy.”
Although the performance was an unquestioned step up for a team still finding its footing, former Pittsburgh fan favorite Cristiano François knotted it up before the half, making the Hounds (2-3-2, 8 points) winless through their first three home dates for the first time in the four-year Lilley era.
Lilley and wing back Jordan Dover each participated in their 100th matches for Pittsburgh, but there would be no storybook ending for the Hounds, who remained one point behind Miami (3-3-1, 9 points) for fourth place in the eight-team Atlantic Division. The top four teams will qualify for the USL Championship playoffs.
“I liked the fight,” Lilley said. “These are the types of games where you’ll get three points if you keep putting out these performances. If we keep the standard there, we’ll start to get the results.”
“I liked the energy. I liked the fight. We kept the pedal down.”@RiverhoundsSC coach Bob Lilley had nitpicks about offensive execution and officiating decisions, but he was overall positive about his team’s output in a 1-1 draw vs. Miami.@pghsoccernow @SteelArmy @mongoals pic.twitter.com/DsGISqM0BI
— Matt Gajtka (GITE-kah) (@MattGajtka) June 13, 2021
The Hounds earned their sought-after home breakthrough just 10 minutes into the match, with Cicerone polishing off Alex Dixon’s cross-box feed.
“Each game we play, the chemistry is getting better and better,” said Cicerone, who was signed from now-defunct Saint Louis FC over the winter. “I think we were a little more on the front foot today than last weekend. A little more willing to play the riskier ball and try to get forward.
“At home, we need to start building those leads. We didn’t tonight and it cost us.”
Dixon did most of the work on the opening strike. In picking up his team-leading third assist, the 31-year-old galloped down the left flank and waited for the perfect opportunity to flick the ball through traffic.
Clinical on the cross & finish.
That’s No. 4 on the season for @R_Cicerone7, and a third assist on the year for @alexdixon19. What a start!#UNLEASH #PITvMIA pic.twitter.com/OQDmYbpWzb
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) June 12, 2021
“That attests to the chemistry we’re building,” Cicerone said. “(Dixon) is super-experienced in this league. He knows how to break things down. He’s an overall really clever attacking player.”
Pittsburgh continued to press as the first half moved along, but couldn’t find another shot on frame. Cicerone’s open bid for a second goal on 20 minutes was nullified by an offside whistle, nevertheless highlighting Miami’s struggles to defend the Hounds’ quick-passing attack.
However, the pacey visitors managed 60 percent possession in the opening half, a rate that ironically paid off in a bang-bang equalizer.
Pouncing on a loose ball at the midfield stripe, Ariel Martinez slotted a pass between defenders for François, who rounded sophomore keeper Danny Vitiello and finessed a shot through Preston Kilwein just two minutes before halftime.
48′ – @Cheetahcf7 TIES THE GAME AT 1! pic.twitter.com/otl5AaH8I8
— The Miami FC (@TheMiamiFC) June 12, 2021
“They had a lot of possession and we were a little bit tired,” Lilley lamented. “Didn’t deal with the first ball. Didn’t track the runner. Danny could’ve been a little higher and we could’ve cleared it off the line.
“Unfortunate that one breakdown costs us, but I liked our response.”
Each side generated a golden chance in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, but Miami’s Martinez pounded a shot over the crossbar from inside the 18, and Dixon was denied a top-shelf goal by leaping keeper Connor Sparrow.
Dixon nearly created the tiebreaker in the 87th minute, when he was bumped off an aerial pass inside the penalty area; there was no whistle from head referee Brad Jensen. A flashing header from Kilwein in the 90th minute also came close, but sailed just wide of the right post.
“We’re getting more bodies in the box,” midfielder Danny Griffin said. “With the amount of chances we created, it’s definitely clicking. It’s something we’re working on and getting better.”
“We had some great play that led to dangerous chances, but we need to start building those leads at home.”@R_Cicerone7 and @DannyGriffin04 talk positives and negatives as the Hounds stayed winless at home despite a more assertive performance.@pghsoccernow @SteelArmy @mongoals pic.twitter.com/UhZicfases
— Matt Gajtka (GITE-kah) (@MattGajtka) June 13, 2021
Albert Dikwa got his foot clipped inside the 18 during stoppage time, but again Jensen wasn’t impressed. The home crowd, Pittsburgh’s largest since the 2019 season, howled its displeasure as the result went final.
“I thought we were creating chances and we weren’t given any favors,” Lilley said. “Obviously I’m not right next to the play, and decisions are made (by the referees).
“I liked that we kept the pedal down at the end of the game. We tried to keep the tempo high. Much better intensity, in my opinion, than the Charleston and Austin games.”
In the final accounting, possession was nearly even, but the Hounds held advantages in shots (10-4), shots on target (4-1) and crosses (14-5) in their first-ever meeting vs. Miami.
“I think throughout the game, we were the more dangerous team,” Cicerone said. “There were times the game was pretty open and they were trying to make runs behind. They’re a really strong squad with a lot of attacking pieces.”
The Hounds will next play two consecutive road matches over the span of four days, traveling to face the rested Indy Eleven (3-3-1, 10 points) on Tuesday and then getting an early chance at revenge in Tampa on Saturday. Pittsburgh lost its season opener at the first-place Rowdies several weeks back, 3-0.
“I’m a process guy,” Lilley said. “If the guys are doing the right things, I think we’re going in the right direction. The challenge gets bigger, but I’ve felt like it’s probably what we need right now. We need to see where we are.”
PITTSBURGH POSTGAME
Jordan Smith, who handled tonight’s live file, joined me from the top deck of Highmark Stadium for a quick edition of Pittsburgh Postgame on Pittsburgh Sports Live!
Pardon the mayflies swarming around us … blame the Monongahela for that:
