Riverhounds Notebook: New, young players jump into the fray

It’s been back to training this week for the Riverhounds, who opened the season with a fairly optimistic result, earning a point in a road draw at North Carolina FC, where they were on the front foot for much of the match.

After the match, Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley expressed his thoughts on some of the positives, and also the things that will he need to focus upon in training this week as they prepare for the second match of the season at San Antonio FC (Saturday night, 8:30 p.m. ET).

The team will wrap up training in Pittsburgh at the tail end of the week, then head to San Antonio on Friday.

Without the full three points, the Hounds left Cary, NC, with a sense that there’s plenty of work to be done.

PSN contributor Colton Coreschi aptly pointed out on the Post Match reaction show Saturday evening, “road points make playoff teams”.  The Hounds made good use of its depth, getting every player they could possibly use in the opening match at the start of a long season (all five substitutions were used).

The Hounds will take a on a club this week, San Antonio FC, who made a lot of changes in the offseason, much like Pittsburgh, with a new coach and taking on a new tactical focus.  Look for a more detailed match preview to come later in the week.

Now, two of the clubs who have found success punishing opponents with high press, scoring on counter attacking opportunities and strong defense in the past few seasons, are both looking to possess the ball better.  SAFC, under new coach, former USMNT player Carlos Llamosa, began the season with a 1-0 victory against Monterey Bay FC.

The Hounds didn’t come away with the full three points last week, but a win on the road would be a big boost before they come home for two matches to start the home schedule next week.

With one point in the bag, the Hounds are in decent position after week one — a lot better than they were a year ago.

Even the most experienced Head Coach can see that this team is far from a finished product or firing on all cylinders right now.

“We left a few chances out there,” Lilley added, then quickly replied to question when pressed about what the team will be working on in training this week.

“Better sequences on the ball. More possession.”

Younger Players Jump into the Fray

Lilley didn’t hide the fact that most of the new, younger players on the roster would be utilized from the start of the season.

That was certainly the case on Saturday. with six Rivehrounds’ making their professional debut:  Charles Ahl, Beto Ydrach, Jorge Garcia, Brigham Larsen and Jason Bourgey.

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For the most part, they passed their first test.

Three first-year pros, Ydrach, Garcia and Bourgey each earned starts.

Ydrach had the most glaring mistake, but overall, the former Big East Defender of the Year grew more comfortable as the match extended.  The former Akron standout appears to be battling Illal Osumanu, a mainstay on the Hounds’ backline for the previous two years, and was re-signed to a new deal in the off season, for starting time at center back.

In the central attacking midfield spot, Garcia connected on 14 of 19 passes, with just three in the final third.  The technical ability is there.  As teammates at Villanova last year — Garcia and Bourgey already have a connection and that’s something that Lilley and the Hounds coaches may be banking on though the season.

Bourgey looked confident carrying forward on the right wing, including a few emphatic crosses in from the right wing — though none connected.

In the 54th minute, Garcia was replaced by Charles Ahl, who immediately contributed to the build-up that led to the goal.  Ahl won all eight of his duels, had a shot on target and was sharp in passing (80% too).

It seems as if with the Hounds’ added emphasis on having waves of midfielders used in the attack and one less central defender, that Ahl, Garcia and Bourgey will be key pieces that will all be part of the equation this year, even as Bradley Sample and Bertin Jacquesson each work to return from their injuries.

Max Broughton and Brigham Larsen also made their respective debuts in the 69th and 88th minutes.

Larsen will be an interesting option at forward, as the Hounds appear to be utilizing more attacking midfielders and wings into the lineup, the young Norwegian, who played at UNC Charlotte, provides a big (6’4″), target forward option to replace Williams and be a spot starter as needed.  Larsen’s presence and role could be very similar to some recent Hounds’ players like Tola Showunmi, Tommy Williamson and Mark Forrest, who were agile, tall target forwards who adapted well and could be strong finishers in the box but also an absolute nuisance when pressing to defenders trying to play the ball out of the back.

If the Hounds are going to be successful in a season where they will play 30 league matches, plus four USL Jägermeister Cup matches and US Open Cup competition, every single player on the roster will need to make solid contributions.

On Saturday, they received their USL Championship baptism by fire.

Stats That Jump Out After Week 1 

Of all the statistical takeaways from week one that we could take a close look at — the one that stood out the most came on the defensive side.

Making adjustments at the half, Pittsburgh completely shut down North Carolina FC’s attack in the second half.  While initial match stats didn’t record a shot (that was corrected to one shot — not on target) for the hosts.

Pittsburgh held an impressive possession edge throughout the contest (64%/36%) and held a huge edge in total and completed passes (completed 445 of 548, compared to NCFC’s 225 of 318).

This is not the type of execution and passing numbers we’re used to seeing for Riverhounds’ teams — so it will be interesting to see how this develops as the season evolves.

Of course, a strong possession club can do more to dictate terms of matches, allowing defenders and midfielders to have more time on the ball rather than chasing it — and that was certainly the case last Saturday.

Hounds defender Sean Suber ended up with a whopping, league high 110 passes (122 total touches), with 19 passes into the final third.  Fellow center back, Beto Ydrach had 85 total touches (63/73 passes), in just 69 minutes of action, while Jackson Walti, who played most of the match consistently more deeper than Danny Griffin in the central midfield of Hounds’ 4-2-3-1, had 77 touches (56/67 passes).  The outside backs were also equally active and showed that the Hounds don’t appear to be a team that will favor carrying the ball on either side of the pitch, as Luke Biasi and Junior Etou each had 68 touches (Biasi 35/47 and Etou 30/39 passes).

If this keeps up, Suber, Ydrach, Walti and others could be seeing a transition of Hounds players in those positions who are typically at the top of the stats for categories including tackles and clearances, now being among tops in passing categories.

Still, the most accurate passer for the Hounds was none other than Robbie Mertz (41/45 passes), completing his passes at a 91 percent rate, while helping create three chances.  So, once again, Mertz may not come up with the flashy stats (goals and assists) all the time, but he is picking up where he left off late last season as a key connector in the final third.

Scoring is the ultimate barometer — and the Hounds created two big chances from their nine total shots (five on target).  Converting on one of those chances, thanks to Augustine Williams (who didn’t have another shot all night), will be the key.  Last year, the Hounds were awful, especially early in the season in this area.  They had created a decent number of big chances, but couldn’t convert.  Starting the new season at 50 percent rate is a good sign.

All these stats are interesting, but we’re just talking about a one-game sample size — so it will be interesting to see if they can keep up these numbers on some level.

Look for more Hounds’ coverage to come — including a match preview for Saturday’s tilt vs San Antonio.  

John Krysinsky

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).