Preview and Scouting Report: On hunt for first win, Riverhounds SC face Hartford Athletic FC in home opener

They won’t be in desperation mode, but the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC return to Highmark Stadium for their home opener on Saturday (7 p.m. kickoff) feeling a slight sense of urgency as they’ll be looking for their first win of the season when they face the one club that they’ve faced more often than any other since 2019, Hartford Athletic FC.

In fact, the last two times the Hounds won home openers — came at the expense of their Eastern Conference rivals from New England — in 2019 and 2022.

“If we play with a sense of urgency, we’ll get back on track,” Robbie Mertz, veteran midfielder and Pittsburgh-area native who is in his sixth season with the Hounds.

“They have guys who can do some damage, who can get in behind and we have to be aware of that. They have great energy.  Last week (2-0 loss at San Antonio), we we didn’t have our best stuff.  But, it’s our home opener. It starts on Saturday.”

The Hounds are also working through some injuries, as Head Coach Bob Lilley acknowledged to Pittsburgh Soccer Now after the team’s extended training and meeting sessions on Thursday, that they remain a bit shorthanded.

Riverhounds Notebook: ‘Lot of strides to be made’ ahead of home opener

Ruled out are Charles Ahl and Bertin Jacquesson.  Bradley Sample and Perrin Barnes are listed as questionable.

“It’s a big game for both teams,” Lilley added.

“Both coming off of defeats in league play. So we want to be ready.”

Scouting Report: Hartford Athletic FC

Though the Hounds hold an 11-2-2 advantage in 15 meetings, there have been many tough battles in these contests. 

There’s been a stark contrast in coaching and roster stability between the clubs, but that might be changing.

While Bob Lilley has remained at the wheel during the series, Hartford has seen five coaches in its first seven seasons.

Brenden Burke, who had previously coached Bethlehem Steel FC and Colorado Spring FC, has appeared to bring more stability in leading the boys in Green and Blue.

While the 2023 campaign ended in a complete disaster for the Athletic — a strong turnaround in the latter half of the 2024 season — Burke’s first with the club, provided promise and momentum heading into the 2025 campaign.

One of the wins for Hartford came last year in Connecticut — a 2-0 decision in June when it appeared that the Hounds’ season was spiraling into oblivion.  Sure enough, Pittsburgh bounced back a month later to avenge that loss with a 3-1 win at Highmark Stadium.

This match should be another battle of wits between two coaches who know each other pretty well.  Diehards may recall Burke leading Bethlehem Steel FC into cross-state battles with the Hounds during the 2016-2019 stretch.

The most significant match between Lilley-Burke took place when Steel FC stunned the Hounds in the first-ever playoff match at Highmark Stadium, in 2018, in a penalty kick shootout.

Since that time, Burke also helped turn Colorado Springs Switchbacks into a Western Conference contender (and eventually Burke’s protege James Chambers — lead COS to a USL Cup victory in 2024).  Following his experience in Colorado, Burke detoured for a post as an assistant with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo.

Hartford boasts a roster that has its share of veterans (something we’ve seen over the years with this club when looking for quick fixes).  This group seems a little more hard-nosed and battle-tested  and they play with a more defined purpose.  Defenders Jordan Scarlett and former Hounds center back Joe Farrell are providing stability on the back line, along with solid off season addition Adrián Diz Pe, a Cuban center back who has been one of the best in the Championship over the past three seasons, earning All-League honors in 2023 while at Indy Eleven. Diz Pez is a calming and skilled presence who should not be rattled when facing a team like the Riverhounds that will look to punish teams who try to play it out of the back.

Dangerous forwards in Michee Ngalina and Mamadou Dieng are two players that Lilley referenced being dangerous adversaries.  Dieng has been at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Ngalina has been dangerous presence on the left wing.

Here’s how the Athletic lined up in regular season opener vs Lexington FC.

Hartford dropped its opener at Lexington (2-0), but then they picked up a first win on the season Tuesday by dispatching the amateur New York Shockers, 3-0, in the First Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Hounds Personnel, Tactics and Match-Ups to Watch

Don’t expect much to change for the Hounds as far as the starting eleven from the first two matches, partially due to injuries.  It will be interesting to watch how Pittsburgh lines up and how they utilize a few players who’ve moved around in the first two matches, namely Beto Ydrach, Jackson Walti and Danny Griffin.  In the first match, at North Carolina, the Hounds went with a 4-2-3-1, while at San Antonio, they opted to move Luke Biasi over to the same side as Junior Etou, while coming out in was was mostly a 4-1-4-1 when getting forward and a 5-4-1 when it was in more of a defensive shape.  In the first half at San Antonio, Pittsburgh kept Walti deeper along the back line while Griffin played mostly partnering with Robbie Mertz in the central midfield, but pushed up higher in the second half under forward Augustine Williams.

Being back at Highmark will likely also put the Hounds in position to look to bring back its high press with more frequency than we’ve seen in the first two matches.  What we haven’t seen yet this season, is Pittsburgh play with a lead.

With their newfound approach and desire to become a better possession side, which they’ve shown in the first two weeks (good for 4th overall in league 58% average possession) — could be something we’ll watch closely as they look to dictate terms from the start of the match.   If they could get an early lead, they will put this intent to play keep away to the test.  Being able to play it out of the back fluidly and consistently is something that may take time to build and improve upon from game-to-game and training session to training session.

Both Dieng and Ngalina found the net in Hartford’s Open Cup win and each scored against the Hounds last season.   Sometimes Lilley moves players around and shuffles the back line according to how opponents most dangerous attacking threats line up.

Early in the season, with a small sample size, neither squad has generated a lot of shots — with the Hounds having a total of 15 in two matches (with only two big chances created) and Hartford with eight in their only league contest.  The Hounds haven’t pitched a clean sheet yet, so a shutout in the home opener would be a good time to make a statement that they still one of the league’s best defensive outfits.

John K’s Hounds Projected Starting XI 

 

Match Details

Riverhounds (0-1-1) vs. Hartford Athletic (0-1-0)

PSN Coverage:  Rachael Kriger (reporting) | Ed Thompson (photography)
Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds -145 / Draw +250 / Hartford +370 at FanDuel
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh (local); TUDN (national, Spanish)
Streaming: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtags: #PITvHFD and #Grittsburgh