Takeaways and Player Grades: Riverhounds lose grip against Rowdies and in race for playoff berth

Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

After a disasterous first half of the season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC pulled themselves up over the past two and a half months, avoiding defeat in 10 straight matches, and back on track to earn a seventh straight postseason berth.

On Saturday night, all the positive efforts of the past couple of months were sidetracked.

The Hounds were halfway home, before it all came crumbling down late, as the third-place Tampa Bay Rowdies awakened for two second half goals, one coming in stoppage time, to hand Pittsburgh its first loss since early July.

Rowdies roar back with pair of second half goals to end Riverhounds unbeaten streak

Head Coach Bob Lilley has said that his team has played better collectively through the late stretch of the season, but on Saturday night, when they needed to continue taking the match to an opponent they had down, they couldn’t deliver the knockout punch.

With the Rowdies, playing on short rest no less, roaring back for a 2-1 win at Al Lang Stadium, the Riverhounds (8w-10l-11d, 35 points) now find themselves back behind the eight ball in the playoff race, sitting in ninth place, with five matches remaining.

The Hounds’ loss was compounded by the fact that they didn’t recieve much help on Saturday. Most of the teams ahead of them in the race, Detroit City FC (42 pts), Indy Eleven (40 pts) and Loudoun United (37 pts), each won to push further up the table.  The only break that went the Hounds’ way came later in the evening, when Rhode Island FC (37 pts), lost out on the West Coast, to Orange County SC.

TBR-PIT Takeaways

Jacquesson-Walti ‘H2P’ Combo Hook-Up To Give Hounds Lead Before Half

The Riverhounds were slightly better team in the first half.  It was a match that saw both sides trying to solve each other but each making things difficult, forcing most of the attacking moments to come from the width and edges of the final third.

The Hounds once again lined up with Robbie Mertz pushing way up high as it’s no longer a big secret that the sixth year pro from Upper St Clair is roaming highest on the pitch for Pittsburgh in a 3-4-2-1 (or you could call it a 5-2-3) formation, flanked by Edward Kizza and Bertin Jacquesson.

Very early in the match, Pittsburgh looked very sharp in getting forward in transition.  They should have taken the lead in the 6th minute when a string of one-touches ended with returning to the lineup Junior Etou (fresh from his international call up with Congo), cut back a terrific pass to the middle of the box for a wide open Mertz.

Unfortunately, Mertz stumbled to get a clean hit on the ball.  It was a lost chance for a Hounds side that has been better in converting on its chances in tight, well-defended matches where opportunities like that don’t come up a lot.

It’s a miss that would come back to bite them later in the match.

Still, in the first 45 minutes, the Hounds were playing their confident brand of Lilleyball on the road in a tough environment, with possession even and they held a slight edge in shots (4-3, 2-1 on frame).

Tampa’s only clear-cut chance on goal came from a curling shot midway through the half by Eddie Munjoma, which forced the only first-half save by Hounds goalie Eric Dick.

Late in the first half, the Hounds struck gold.

As the Rowdies cleared the ball toward midfield, Langston Blackstock was there to head the ball forward to Bertin Jacquesson, who, with a defender on his back, took the ball off his chest, down to his foot, turning right, then used the wide space — as he does so well — to accelerate forward and played a ball to Mertz.

Mertz aptly played it right back in a 1-2 with Jacquesson, who took a touch, then laid the ball over to the center midfielder, Walti, who was making a run to the arc.

Walti had just enough room to drive a low shot from the top of the box inside the left post the give the Hounds a 1-0 lead.

This was an outstanding team goal, but one that the one-time college teammates at Pitt, Jacquesson and Walti, along with Mertz executed flawlessly.  On loan from MLS Real Salt Lake, Jacquesson once again show that he will seek out the spaces to get forward to create scoring moments.  Mertz recognized that and played the ball back and toward the middle after Tampa’s scrambling group couldn’t quite get organized behind the ball.

Walti didn’t score a lot of goals when he was at Pitt, but he did score some big ones in his collegiate career.  And, now, again as a professional, his two goals with the Riverhounds in recent weeks show that he’s growing more comfortable in his role and is going to take his shots when they’re there.

Jackson Walti finds the bottom corner to put @RiverhoundsSC ahead in St. Pete! 🏹 pic.twitter.com/Lzap4V1XPX

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 15, 2024

Second Half Momentum Swings to the Rowdies

The grass surface wasn’t great and the Florida heat was a factor for both teams.

But that’s still no execuse for the Hounds, who headed into the second half with a 1-0 lead and the momentum of the match.

They were also playing an opponent who had played a mid-week match, as Tampa lost to Birmingham, 2-0, on Tuesday.  If one team was going to be carrying heavy legs into this match, it would be the home side.

The way the second half played out, Pittsburgh sat deeper — and Tampa seized the majority of possession (to tune of more than 60 percent of the ball in the last 45 minutes) — and started to create more chances deeper in the box.

Tampa Bay made one halftime substitution, brining veteran Leo Fernandes into the contest, and he would be a difference maker.

After missing 2023 with an achillies tear, Fernandes struggled to work his way back into the lineup, sitting out stretches of the season, but the Brazilian has started to find his form of late coming off the bench.  In the second half, the Rowdies worked their attack through Fernandes.

Fernandes helped create an early chance for Arteaga that was blocked away by Luke Biasi at the final moment.

The Hounds, meanwhile, continued to find chances on the counter, but did not put a shot on target after the interval.’

Tampa finally broke through in the 71st minute thanks to a flash of individual brilliance from Manual Arteaga.

Arteaga made a run to the near post as his teammate Cam Jennings sent a low cross his way.  The Rowdies forward then used a clever back heel to redirect the ball past Hound goalkeeper Erik Dick.

Are you kidding, @ManuelArteaga7? 😱

What a finish to bring the @TampaBayRowdies level! pic.twitter.com/m9b7jq4Mra

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 15, 2024

There wasn’t much Illal Osumanu could have done as he was step-for-step with the Venezulaian forward.

However, Tampa’s quick passing and movement through the right side leading up to the goal caught the Hounds on their heels and a bit too compromised.  One of the things the Hounds usually do very well is stop and slow down opponents from the point of attack by swarming the ball and denying passing lanes.  Here, the Rowdies found those channels and quickly exploited the space, leaving one of the league’s most potent playmakers (Jennings) with room for a sharp cross to the near post to a player making a run.

And, in this case, that player, Arteaga, had a chance to make an instinctive, goal-scorers flick that corralled the ball around and into the open goal.

Stoppage Time Demons Resurface for Hounds

Pittsburgh struggled to create another shot on frame (both came in the first half) while Tampa continued to mount more opportunities.

Pittsburgh also held its cards a bit — waiting to bring its first subs on (Emmanuel Johnson and Bradley Sample for Jacquesson and Etou) in the 72nd minute, after the equalizer.

With the match knotted at 1-1, the Hounds entered the most precarious place they’ve ventured this season — stoppage time.

For the third time in five matches, and for the fourth time this season, they were within grasp of a better result, but couldn’t seize the moment.

While not a pleasant reminder for the Hounds most faithful, after the clock has struck the 90th minute this season, Pittsburgh now has four gut-wrenching setbacks, including these three before Saturday night:

• In early July, as scoreless stalemate vs Monterey Bay, seemingly headed to a draw, saw an inexplicable Sean Suber defensive mistake, which allowed an uncontested goal in stoppage time, handing Pittsburgh a 1-0 loss (1 point lost)
• Against Colorado Springs Switchbacks, on August 17, they held a 2-1 lead in the 95th minute, only to allow a late goal, having to settle for a 2-2 draw at Highmark Stadium. (2 points lost)
• At Indy, playing with 10 men for most of the match, a valiant Hounds’ effort saw a 1-0 lead in the 95th minute disappate off the foot of Romario Williams free kick (2 points lost)

The Rowdies capped their comeback and took their turn to spoil the Hounds fortunes past the 90th minute, when Fernandes converted a second effort chance from straightaway that took a few deflections.

Fernandes attempted his original shot from the top of the box, and it was blocked by Osumanu, but the ball trickled right back into Fernandes’ path.

The second chance attempt left Dick with little chance to react for a save due to change in direction of the shot.

LEO IN STOPPAGE TIME ⌛️@Leofernandes_11's second goal in two matches gives the @TampaBayRowdies the lead! pic.twitter.com/oZQnhH2piG

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 15, 2024

The Hounds had three players behind the ball, but when the play broke down, it was the one player who had more forward momentum going, Fernandes, who got to the deflected ball first.

Those three players who were first ones back behind the ball, were Osumanu in the middle, who went down as the shot hit him, while Walti tried to step in from the ;eft, and Sean Suber from the right, but they were stretched out too far from the ball, leaving a wide, gaping opening for Fernandes to get a mostly unchallenged second chance to beat Dick.

Bottom line here is that late in the match, with Tampa pushing forward for a goal that would alter the Hounds’ place in the standings, Pittsburgh were compromised and not — to use Lilley’s word — collectively defending in that moment.  They didn’t have enough numbers behind the ball when needed.

When watching the replay, the other center back, Luke Biasi was out further defending the left side of the Tampa attack, while Etou was also pushed up higher in the flank as the Rowdies came forward.

The Hounds had about five minutes remaining in stoppage time to find the equalizer, but EJ Johnson’s chance was blocked. Danny Griffin took a run at a shot from distance but it was too high.

A year ago, the Hounds finished the job in Tampa by staying on the front foot in the second half, never letting the Rowdies get back into the match in a match where they clinched their first ever Players Shield.

This season, the total number of points dropped in conceding stoppage time goals now adds up to six points.  That’s six points that would have the Hounds sitting somewhere around 4th or 5th place.

On Saturday, the Hounds took their foot off the gas in the second half — leaving their 2024 season and postseason hopes dangling by a thread with five matches remaining.

They will spend the next couple weeks training and watching the teams around them play a few more matches.

Then, come September 28, when fifth place Birmingham comes to town, the Hounds will need take full three points and start one last positive streak or they’ll be missing out on the postseason for the first time in seven years.

Player Grades

Eric Dick (GK) – 5.5 — made three saves but conceded twice.  Not sure he could have stopped either, but no clean sheet this time for the veteran keeper.

Illal Osumanu – 5 — Tampa’s goals came somewhat at Osumanu’s expense, as he was defender on Arteaga and was there to block Fernandes’ shot, but in either case you can’t put it on him entirely.

Luke Biasi – 6 – ton of touches (83), five clearances, five recoveries, won 7/11 duels as he shifted back to the center back trio for this match after playing outside back last week.

Junior Etou – 5.5 – once again creating chances early in the match. Should have had an assist on early chance, won 7/8 duels. First TBR goal came through Etou’s side, and on second goal, he might have been pushed too far up pitch to get back for support.

Jackson Walti – 7 – confidence continues to be high for Walti as the season progresses. Another good match including the goal, plus connecting on 82.4 percent of his passes (28 of 34), won 6 of 8 duels and won possession of the ball five times, one off the team high.

Danny Griffin – 5.5 – 44 touches, 81% passing accuracy, six defensive recoveries while 2/7 in duels. Seems to want to assert himself more in attacking chances (4 shots) especially if things go stagnet or they’re trailing.

Robbie Mertz – 6.5 –early miss aside, another solid all around performance (100% !!) passing accuracy, created four chances, won 3/8 duels, earned three fouls. The only problem was in second half he was too busy tracking back and defending

Edward Kizza – 5.5 — spent more time defending in the second half.  Had just two shots, but six defensive actions, four interceptions and won 5/9 duels

Bertin Jacquesson – 5.5 – had the assist with very clever work in advancing the ball by taking space and playing give-and-go with Mertz, but also committed three fouls, won 2/11 duels and was dispossessed three times.

Sean Suber – 6 – logged another full 90 minutes.  Won 5/8 duels. Had 63 touches including nine passes into final third.

Langston Blackstock – 5.5 – did help initiate the goal with header toward Jacquesson. Won 2/3 duels, with three defensive actions.

Bradley Sample (72’) – 6 – with his fresh legs, was part of creating the few later match chances

Emmanuel Johnson (72’) – 5.5 – didn’t add much to the attack in the last 20 plus minutes despite five touches in opposition box; had his only shot blocked in stoppage time.

Kenardo Forbes (84′) – NR

Dani Rovira (90’) – NR

Babacar Diene (90’) – NR