Connect with us

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

FULL TIME: Riverhounds SC 2, Indy Eleven 0

FINAL: Riverhounds SC (13-6-4, 43 points) 2

Indy Eleven (6-12-4, 22 points) 0

Match Updates from Dan Angell

FULL TIME — PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS 2 (Cicerone 13, 52), INDY ELEVEN 0

90′ +4 Stat of the match: Zero shots on target for Indy Eleven tonight.

90′ +2 — SUBSTITUTION, Pittsburgh: Alexander Dixon comes on for Albert Dikwa. That’s the final change for the Hounds.

90′ +1 — YELLOW CARD, NEVEAL HACKSHAW, INDY: Couldn’t see the reason.

90′ — We will have five minutes of stoppage time.

88′ — NO GOAL, ELEVEN: Stefano Pinho sends a shot off the bottom of the bar that almost bends into the net from the crossbar, but it does not completely cross the line and the Hounds clear. The clean sheet remains.

86′ — YELLOW CARD, DANE KELLY, PITTSBURGH: Kelly breaks free but is a full step offside, and is then shown a card after sending the ball well over the bar in a delay of game.

85′ — Just like it has all night, the Hounds’ back four clears away an Eleven attack before anything can occur. Pittsburgh has been a step ahead throughout.

83′ — SUBSTITUTION, Indy: Former Riverhound and Pitt product Robby Dambrot comes on for Ayoze.

82′ — Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, Louisville and Tampa Bay are both level in their matches. Pittsburgh would be very happy with both results.

80′ — Other than Juan Tejada, nobody in blue has looked anywhere close to threatening the Hounds’ net. Pittsburgh have been the stronger side, but Eleven have really made this easy on them.

77′ — YELLOW CARD, AYOZE GARCIA, Indy: There, he had no choice: Ayoze drags down a Riverhound to prevent an attack, and a card was required.

76′ — Eric Tattersall continues to let them play unless he has no choice. Eleven go down in the box, but he’s again not interested, only giving the corner.

72′ — SUBSTITUTION, Indy: Alexander McQueen is on the pitch for Jared Timmer. Even down 10v11, it’s been rather comfortable for Pittsburgh.

70′ — SUBSTITUTION, Pittsburgh: Two more changes for Pittsburgh, as Nathan Dossantos and Mekeil Williams come on for Toby Sims and Daniel Rovira. Eleven waste a corner after the changes.

68′ — Sun is no longer a factor. Indy is trying to wait its moment to see if it can find a soft spot in the Hounds’ 10-man lineup.

64′ — SUBSTITUTION, Indy: Stefano Pinho comes on for Bryam Rebellon.

59′ — SUBSTITUTION, Pittsburgh: Kenardo Forbes and Dane Kelly are on for the Hounds, as Cicerone and Mertz come off. Forbes almost immediately makes an impact, setting up Rivera for a great look at goal. Even down a man, Pittsburgh is still pushing.

54′ — SECOND YELLOW CARD, MARC YBARRA: And just like last year, Pittsburgh will have to play the final half-hour in Indianapolis with 10 men. Ybarra drags down Solomon Asante after losing the ball, and it’s another obvious foul called. It’s his second yellow, and the Hounds are 10 on 11.

52′ — GOAL, RIVERHOUNDS: The Eleven’s defense is a step slow, and again, Cicerone makes them pay. Albert Dikwa slices through on the right side and finds Cicerone a step ahead of everyone. This one’s off his foot, and it’s just as straightforward as the first.

49′ — YELLOW CARD, INDY ELEVEN BENCH: The Eleven’s bench is cautioned after the foul against Arteaga. It’s not made clear why the card is given, but the guess is for going over the top disputing the call.

48′ — That attack was almost devastating for Indy. Arteaga shoves Jelani Peters down in the Hounds’ box going for a header and is whistled for a foul. Arteaga is already on a yellow; Indy was very nearly reduced to 10 on an attack.

46′ — Sun is setting over the west goal, which means the Hounds will have the sun behind them in the second half and Eleven will be facing the sun for the next 15 minutes or so. This seems poor planning on the hosts’ parts.

HALF — Hounds are back on the front foot as they head to the locker room at the break. They’ve been the better side for about 30 of 45 minutes. Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1 (Cicerone 13), Indy Eleven 0.

45′ +2 — Almost a miscommunication by the Indy back four, and Cicerone was in prime position to take advantage. Sean Lewis forced to take control and clear his lines.

45′ — There will be four minutes of stoppage time added on.

44′ — YELLOW CARD, MARC YBARRA, PITTSBURGH: Ybarra gets his timing wrong going for the ball and gets all leg, earning a rather easy yellow.

43′ — YELLOW CARD, MANUEL ARTEAGA, INDY: Arteaga’s difficult night continues, as he goes in hard on Daniel Griffin and gets booked for it.

41′ — Juan Tejada continues to pressure the Hounds’ back line, as he’s again just wide in going for goal. Pittsburgh’s got to lock him down or he’s going to find one.

39′ — That chance WAS a nice one. Marc Ybarra leaves one for Cicerone, who unleashes a laser toward goal. However, it heads right to Sean Lewis, who tips it over the bar to force the corner and keep it at 1-0. Hounds can’t do anything with the set piece.

37′ — Robbie Mertz looked like he had Albert Dikwa coming throught the center, but Dikwa had to pull up as he’d have been offside. That chance would have been a nice one.

35′ — Teams are back in action. Right now neither side is able to keep it; play is bogged down at midfield.

29′ — Bryam Rebellon is down for Indy, and the Hounds send it to touch. With the temperature at 87 degrees, we’re going to pause for a cooling break.

25′ — Referee Eric Tattersall is letting the teams play tonight both ways. A stricter ref might have given Cicerone a free kick just outside the Eleven box after getting shoved down, but Tattersall isn’t interested.

20′ — Tejada again with a dangerous ball that’s deflected past the line out of reach of keeper Jahmali Waite. Hounds handle the corner well. Indy has woken up; Pittsburgh needs a second marker.

18′ — Very fortunate for the Riverhounds that they still lead, as Juan Tejada found space for a cross down the left side and got it to fall perfectly to Manuel Arteaga in front of the goal. However, Arteaga skies his shot, and the Hounds breathe a BIG sigh of relief.

13′ — GOAL, RIVERHOUNDS: Not sure what the Indy Eleven defense was doing there, but the Indy back four just waited for Daniel Rovira to come into the box and gave him space from here to Terre Haute. Rovira took his time and found a wide-open Russell Cicerone for an easy header. Well deserved goal for Pittsburgh.

9′ — Bad giveaway from Daniel Griffin creates the first thing resembling an opportunity for Indy Eleven. Good work at the back from the Hounds to ensure nothing comes of it.

5′ — Hounds have definitely bossed the action in the opening minutes. The ball hasn’t spent much time in the Hounds’ half of the pitch, and when it has, Pittsburgh has been in possession.

1′ — Hi folks, this is Dan Angell providing updates from Carroll Stadium. The Riverhounds will be going toward the west goal in the first half and are in the gold kit, while Indy Eleven are in blue. We are underway.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Starting Lineup:

Indy Eleven Starting Lineup

Match Preview

Hounds hope to keep their July momentum rolling into a new month, as they carry a six-match unbeaten streak with them to visit Indy Eleven for the teams’ second meeting of the year.

The first clash of the year was par for the course in Pittsburgh-Indy matchups. The Hounds scored a 1-0 win on a 79th-minute goal by Albert Dikwa off the bench, and it was the fourth consecutive meeting between the teams to finish 1-0, dating back to 2020.

In 10 all-time meetings, the Hounds have a 5-3-2 record, but 9 of those 10 games was decided by one goal or fewer. This will be only the second time the Hounds have played at Carroll Stadium on the IUPUI campus after a 10 win there in 2021; the team’s first three games at Indy were played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Colts.

The Hounds come into the game with a clean injury report. Dane Kelly returned to action last week after missing the team’s trip to Hartford with a lower-body injury, which means Bob Lilley will have his full roster to choose from. The Hounds are one player lighter after the mutually-agreed release of defender Robby Dambrot, who shortly thereafter signed with Indy and could be eligible for selection despite only arriving in training this week with the Eleven.

The trend lines for the two teams couldn’t be more different entering the game. While a result for the Hounds would give them their first seven-match unbeaten run since Aug. 19-Sept. 19, 2020, Indy is in the midst of a nine-game winless stretch during which they have been shut out five times and only scored multiple goals once. But with Indy now trailing Miami by nine points for the final playoff spot in the East, the hosts will just as motivated as the Hounds, who need to keep winning to maintain their top-four position.

The Eleven still have dangerous attacking options in top scorer Stéfano Pinho, Manuel Arteaga and playmaker Solomon Asante, and given first-year head coach Mark Lowry‘s track record — most recently in El Paso — it could only be a matter of time before the team’s half-dozen in-season acquisitions, such as Asante and goalkeeper Sean Lewis, mesh with the existing group and the team turns a corner.

Preventing that falls to a Hounds defense that did not allow multiple goals in a game during their 5-0-1 July, which ended with Jahmali Waite posting a four-save shutout for his fourth clean sheet of the year last week against Tulsa. The Hounds have mixed in both a back-five and back-four look during this run — opting for the latter against Tulsa — and with a full squad, Lilley will have his share of tactical options to deploy in Indy.

Game Notes

Exactly one month after meeting in Pittsburgh, the Hounds travel to Indy riding a season-best six-match unbeaten streak in which they have gone 5-0-1.

  • The last four meetings between these two teams have finished 1-0, with Indy winning twice in 2020 and the Hounds winning the only 2021 matchup and the first meeting this season.
  • This will be the 150th game for head coach Bob Lilley in all competitions with the Riverhounds. The club’s all-time wins leader is 79-32-38 overall as he continues his fifth season in charge.
  • Hounds forward Albert Dikwa continued to build on a career season with the only goal of the team’s win over FC Tulsa last week. It was Dikwa’s seventh goal of the season.
  • Forward Russell Cicerone is showing the form that made him the team’s top scorer in 2021. Over his last 13 games, he has seven goals and three assists, including the game-tying goal July 23 against Hartford. He leads the Hounds with nine goals on the season.
  • Cicerone, Dikwa and USL Championship all-time leading scorer Dane Kelly (seven goals in 2022) are all on pace for double-digit goals. It would be the first time since the Hounds’ inaugural season in 1999 that the team had three players with 10 or more goals.
  • Defender Shane Wiedt scored his second goal in three weeks by blasting home the game-winner at Hartford on July 23. Between Wiedt and fellow defender Jelani Peters, the Hounds have four goals by defenders in the past four weeks.
  • Hounds captain Kenardo Forbes remains the all-time USL Championship assist leader, and he ran his record total to 53 with a patient set-up on Wiedt’s game-winner in Hartford.
  • Midfielder Danny Griffin has played all but 17 minutes since the beginning of the 2021 regular season, starting every league match during that time. He has not missed a league game since turning pro with the Hounds in 2020, appearing in 71 straight USL Championship contests.
  • First-year pro goalkeeper Jahmali Waite tied his season high with four saves last Saturday against Tulsa on his way to his fourth clean sheet of the season.
  • Recently released Hounds defender Robby Dambrot, who had one goal in five matches for Pittsburgh, was signed earlier this week by Indy.
  • In 149 all-competition matches under Lilley, the Hounds have allowed just 139 goals, an average of 0.93 goals

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

Subscribe to PGH Soccer Now

Enter your email address to subscribe to PGH Soccer Now and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More in Pittsburgh Riverhounds