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Riverhounds Reaction presented by The Bulldog Pub: Hounds tame ‘Cats, 2-0, to advance in U.S. Open Cup

Photo courtesy Mark Goodman

Riverhounds SC Post Match Coverage on Pittsburgh Soccer Now is presented by The Bulldog Pub

https://thebulldogpub.com/

 

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC took care of business in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup defeating the Maryland Bobcats by the same scoreline they beat the same side in the same tournament a year ago, 2-0, at Highmark Stadium on Tuesday night.

FINAL: Riverhounds SC 2, Maryland Bobcats 0 (US Open Cup Third Round)

With the win, the Hounds advance to the Open Cup’s Fourth Round for the first time since 2019, when they faced Columbus Crew SC.  The Hounds will find out who their opponent will be on Thursday evening, when US Soccer hosts the draw for the next round.

Consensus among the fans, the players and even Head Coach Bob Lilley, is that they would love to finally — after eight years — host an MLS side once again at Highmark Stadium.

“We want to give the fans an opportunity to see our guys against an MLS team and test ourselves in that situation,” Lilley said. “We had an exceptional first half last year in Cincinnati. We had more of the ball, and I felt we could’ve went into halftime with a lead. In the second half they added some guys and so did we. The game tilted in their favor, and we hung on to get to overtime, but didn’t get the win.

PSN’s John Krysinsky was at Highmark Stadium, where he caught reaction from Lilley along with forward Edward Kizza and high schooler Andres Bordoy.

We have those interviews along with La Mega Media’s Amadeo Eichburg joining John to share his post match reaction from Highmark Stadium.

Riverhounds Reaction with John Krysinsky and Amadeo Eichberg 

Post Match Interviews with Bob Lilley and Riverhounds players Edward Kizza and Anders Bordoy 

Bob Lilley on the importance for many of his early season role players to play extended minutes, and their resiliency: 

“It was good to get these guys minutes and see them execute a game plan,” Lilley said.

“Some of them have come on as substitutes and made contributions, but some of the guys that played tonight didn’t have a lot of minutes logged. Not only did they get minutes, they got starters’ minutes and in some cases, 90 minutes. They had a responsibility that’s different from coming in for 10 minutes and mopping up.

“It was good for them. It’s a test they should pass and they know that. We know more about some of our players than we would have if we didn’t play.”

“We could have gone to the bench a lot earlier, but I wanted the guys to find a way.”

“I wanted to put the responsibility on them, to step forward, and they were able to do that.”

Lilley on the youngster, Anders Bordoy, getting his moment and shot on frame that led to the second goal 

“For Anders to come on and recognize the space … there was no hesitation there,” Lilley said. “He’s got a gifted left peg and that ball was true. There wasn’t any spin on it. I don’t know if it was going in or was going to hit the post, but you can’t tag a ball much better. Anyone in our league would be happy with that quality of a strike.”

Bordoy, a senior at Kiski Area High School, on playing his first professional match in the US Open Cup

“I just walked out there, and it felt surreal,” Bordoy said about entering his first professional game. “To make an impact too for a goal was special. It was one of the best feelings I’ve felt in my life. Hopefully there’s more of those to come

Edward Kizza on coming in as a sub and his goal 

“The biggest thing (as a substitute) is asking how you can influence the game,” Kizza said. “The guys who have been playing have already been giving all they can, so it’s about what you can do to help the team get a result and tonight, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, you just want to make a difference.”

Lilley on the possibility of a Fourth Round match vs an MLS opponent, and the potential of playing at Highmark Stadium 

“We want to give the fans an opportunity to see our guys against an MLS team and test ourselves in that situation,” Lilley said.

“We had an exceptional first half last year in Cincinnati. We had more of the ball, and I felt we could’ve went into halftime with a lead. In the second half they added some guys and so did we. The game tilted in their favor, and we hung on to get to overtime, but didn’t get the win.

“We also lost a tough 1-0 game to Columbus in 2018, so we’re generally competitive against MLS opponents. We hope we can get one here, get the crowd into it and make a special memory.”

(our apologies for technical difficulties with the video on the press conference livestream)

 

PITvMD Twitter Reaction 

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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).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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