Takeaways and Player Grades: Danny Griffin hops into attacking role to lift Riverhounds to win in home opener

Photo courtesy Ed Thompson

Before a near sellout crowd on a cold Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds took care of business in its home opener, defeating Hartford Athletic FC, 1-0.

PSN’s Rachael Kriger was on hand for the match, filing this match report, which also includes reaction from Head Coach Bob Lilley and the match’s lone goal scorer, midfielder and captain Danny Griffin, as they talked about how they found a way to their first victory of the season.

‘Tinkering’ Riverhounds manage three points in home opener against Hartford

It may not have been one the most aesthetically pleasing wins for the Hounds, nor was it the most exciting contest, but by the end of the night, the club took a step forward in its progression as a team.

Sure, they were on the front foot — but how far they put that foot in the door or through the door, well, that was another story.

Lilley acknowledged in his post match interview that he’s tinkering with things as they’re dealing with injuries and moving some players in and out of the starting lineup.   This was evident in the training session I attended and watched on Thursday — and was on display in Saturday’s match.

“It’s going to take time,” Lilley stated.

“With the injuries we’ve had so many different combinations, and we’ve been trying to figure out things in the final third. We have to work on that. We have to fix things in the back. But, early on, we were just focusing on the rhythm and playing through the lines. Once you think you have it solved, and you move on to something else, sometimes the equilibrium gets off and you have to go back. We’ll tinker a bit.”

Hounds’ Personnel / Formation / Tactics

Illal Osumanu and Sean Suber established themselves in this match at the primary center back duo — while the rest of the Hounds players continue to serve as interchangeable parts.   Jackson Walti spent most of the night roaming between the number six and left outside defensive responsibilities, while Beto Yedrach also stepped forward into more of a holding midfield role while sliding to cover the deep middle ground as Walti slid over to the left.  This allowed Danny Griffin, Aiden O’Toole and Robbie Mertz — along with Luke Biasi and Junior Etou who were much more ambitious in getting forward  — adding numbers, allowing the Hounds to keep possession advantages for much of the match.

For the third straight match, the Hounds started Augustine Williams at the top of the formation, which wavered between a 4-2-3-1 / 4-1-4-1 depending on how they were lined up.

O’Toole made his first start and was the first one subbed out — as Jason Bourgey came on for him in the 62nd minute.

All the additional subs were made late, as Bradley Sample and Max Broughton came on in the 85th minute (for Mertz and Etou) while Brigham Larsen replaced Williams in the 89th minute.

Match Takeaways

Hounds Continue Dominance Over Hartford

Wonder if the Hounds will be requesting to the League scheduling committee (if there is one) to schedule Hartford for their home opener each year.

For the third time since 2019, the Hounds opened the season at home against Hartford, and each time they came away with a victory.

While this Hartford squad, under the guidance of USL Championship veteran coach Brenden Burke, appears to have more stability and has the ingredients to better team than the ones the Hounds have dominated in the past (Hounds lead the series overall 12-2-2), the Latics couldn’t generate much in the way of many chances throughout the night.

That being said, the game started brightly for Hartford, with alert pressure from Mamadou Dieng producing a golden opportunity inside the first minute.

Dieng pounced on a poor pass from the Hounds out of the back — but sent his shot too high.

The Latics struggled for large stretches to get much going past its own defensive half, but they did register the first shot on target by either team when Micheel Ngalina’s chance was stopped by Hounds keeper Eric Dick in the 37th minute.

As a unit, Hartford sat back very deep, allowing the Hounds to hold a high line in their new-found possession based system, to try to break it down.

A feeling out process 

This wasn’t exactly a barnburner of a match — as the Hounds and Hartford both struggled to generate much in the final third for long stretches.

Hartford did what the Hounds previous opponent did well but they weren’t as adventerous getting forward.  They did deny Augustine Williams’ clear looks despite Pittsburgh sending a decent number of crosses (had 23-10 advantage).

The Hounds were patient on the ball but sometimes they were too methodical.

Lilley demanded his team continue to push forward as they looked to play through the lines.

Defensively, the Hounds were solid when they needed to be — but they were rarely tested.  For the most part, Hartford could only muster shots from distance or were pressured into turnovers.

Ngalina’s first half chance was the only one that the Green and Blue could generate on target all night.

The Hounds were dominating possession but their rotation off the ball was also outstanding, as the deepest three players, Walti, Suber and Osumanu combined for nearly 300 total touches, while finding 38 passes into the final third, while Luke Biasi and Junior Etou were not sitting back and were bring the ball forward on the width all night long (as that pair also generated 16 passes into the final third).  By the way, Suber’s 258 total passes in three games is second in the league to New Mexico’s Jon-Talen Maples.

Still, they weren’t connecting on much when they got near the crowded box.

At halftime, Lilley insisted that they bring more numbers forward into the right spots.

“I told them at half, we’re going to have to get more runners into the box”

Danny Griffin Hops Into Attacking Midfield Role

With Williams as the lone forward up top drawing extra attention from Hartford’s defenders, Griffin, who’s gradually moved up higher on the pitch in each match on the attacking midfield line, took note of Lilley’s plea at halftime.

He’s been floating around the No. 10 position, but has also slid into the No. 6 slot.

“Danny can play in many positions,” Lilley said. “We are pushing him higher. Danny is pretty dynamic, so we can push him higher. That’s something we’ll do at times. We’ve had so many injuries, so he’s played a lot at the No. 6, but our intention is to get him playing off the ball as much as possible.”

Despite all the changes, Griffin said he’s comfortable in an attacking position.

“I have had games in the past where I’m higher on the field,” Griffin stated. “That’s something we’ve trained and the coaches have been on me to change my mindset and get higher on the field. It’s different for me, but I did that in college and when I first got here. I’ve gotten some games higher up in preseason. That’s somewhere I’m going to play and just get used to.”

In the 75th minute, Junior Etou delivered a terrific ball right into the center of the box.

Griffin made a perfectly timed run — finding plenty of space to leap and lift his 5-foot-9 frame into the air — showing off his athleticism and skill while heading the ball past Hartford’s goalkeeper Siaha.

“Timing was obviously important to score when we did,” Griffin said. “We felt we had more of the ball. Obviously that’s something we focus on during training since San Antonio wasn’t our best important. We wanted to come home and show what this place means for us. But, yeah, Junior plays balls like that in training all the time. He’s beating guys all the time, so I had to get on the end of it.”

“He played a great ball, so I had to get on the end of that.”

Captain Danny to the rescue! 🫡@RiverhoundsSC leads at Highmark!#USLKickoff | @Terminix pic.twitter.com/QBapDfFI5M

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) March 23, 2025

Hounds pass test, but still too early to tell if they can master breaking teams down consistently

The Hounds broke the deadlock, but it didn’t really open the floodgates for more.  They were effective in seeing the match out and continuing to limit Hartford’s chances.

In recent years, some teams have opted to let the Hounds play, turning the tables and sitting back. More often than not, Pittsburgh didn’t have the patience nor ability to break teams down in the final third. The most glaring example of this was their home playoff loss to Detroit when they were the top-seed in the playoffs in 2023.

Now that the Hounds are showing they are one of the best possession units in the league through three matches (yes — still a small sample size but they’re fourth in total passes and 10th in passing accuracy), they’re going to have to create more chances with more pressure — and as Lilley demands — get more runners into the box.  Getting six shots a match isn’t going to be enough to win on a consistent basis, even if half of those chances are on frame (which was the case on Saturday).

With Jacquesson, Sample and Ahl yet to break into the starting lineup due to injuries, this team has more players who can help at the point of the attack in breaking teams down.

There will likely be another player signing or two to come as well.

So, to reiterate what was said in this column even after last week’s loss at San Antonio, this team is still very much a work in progress.

In the home opener, they took a positive step forward and gave the home fans a big W.

Player Grades

Riverhounds Starting XI

Danny Griffin (Captain) MF — 7.5 — this was the player I remember watching him play his first preseason match in 2020.  Only drawback of having Griffin up higher is that he continues to have less time on the ball (34 total touches).

Robbie Mertz MF – 6 — another solid performance (mostly accurate passing — but only connected on 1/7 crosses)

Augustine ‘Augi’ Williams F – 5.5 — clearly drawing most of the attention from defenders.  Is doing all the little things well, but yet another match without registering a shot.  The Hounds have to find more ways to get him some service and the ball with some space.

Eric Dick GK – 6 — made one save and rarely tested — but always in command in and around the net

Jackson Walti  MF – 7.5 — thought this was an excellent Walti performance — as he was asked to provide more support on backline.  Had 97 touches (79% passing), 16 passes into final third and was connecting when he did send some direct balls forward — while stellar defensively (5 interceptions, 13 defensive actions and 3 recoveries).

Luke Biasi MF / D – 6.5 — solid two-way play (won 6/7 duels, 81% passing, 3 interceptions and 9 defensive actions) while had green light to keep pushing forward and getting balls into final third

Sean Suber D – 6.5 — in Hounds’ first clean sheet, was in command in middle, competing most passes (83 at 89% accuracy rate) and helped create a couple of chances too.

Junior Etou MF – 7.5 — this was a performance similar to first half of last season, having his way on the left wing — winning duels (8/14), drew three fouls, creating chances (had the big assist) and had eight touches in the opponents’ box.

Beto Ydrach D – 6 – ahead of his call up to Puerto Rico’s National team, it was his first opportunity in Pittsburgh to show what he can do as number six, with solid two way play while sitting deeper, but also had nine passes into the final third, three touches in opposition box along with two shot attempts.  If Ydrach and Walti can hold down the fort deeper in the central midfield, this will allow Griffin and Mertz to have more of an impact as playmakers.

Aiden O’Toole – 5.5 — good first start of the season for O’Toole, who has also worked to come back from injury in the preseason. Created some moments on the right side (connected on 1/3 crosses), while solid in passing accuracy (83%) but won just 2/8 duels.

Illal Osumanu D – 7 — right there with Suber with solid backline performance, especially with his 12 defensive actions along with 8 clearances (7 headed), 3 interceptions and 2 recoveries — all while passing at 83% rate including 10 passes into the final third.

Reserves Used

Jason Bouregy MF (62′) – 5 — came on for O’Toole and picked up where he left off last week — and provided fresh set of legs on right side (two defensive actions and 1/4 duels).

Max Broughton D (85′)– N/A — late sub

Bradley Sample MF (85′) – N/A — late sub

Brigham Larsen F (’88) – N/A — late sub

Did Not Play

Jorge Garcia MF unused sub

Jacob Randolph GK unused sub

Pablo Linzoain  M, F unused sub

Ben Martino GK

Bertin Jacquesson F (Injury)

Charles Ahl (Injury)

Perrin Barnes D (injury)