Riverhounds Notebook: With newly added competition, is there enough Jäger to go around for USL Championship clubs?

Potentially in need of a change of pace following two straight losses in league play and a narrow Open Cup victory on the road over the course of the past week, the Riverhounds will now step into a new competition for the first time when they travel to Michigan to take on USL Championship Eastern Conference foe in the first-ever Jägermeister Cup match for both sides on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. kickoff from Hamtramck, Michigan).

The Hounds are still in the process of getting healthier.  Last week, four players were held out of action due to injuries.  Now, Bertin Jacquesson remains questionable but could once again be in the 18 as he comes back from a preseason hamstring injury, as head coach Bob Lilley tries to manage his players’ workload with key league and Open Cup matches looming to begin May.

Luke Biasi also is available, as his one-match suspension for being sent off last week against Loudoun will be served in the next league match, May 3 vs. North Carolina.

On the eve of the Hounds competing in this new competition, prompted a little exercise for this edition of Riverhounds Notebook.

As you might imagine, Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley and his coaching staff are always trying to get an edge on competition and want the club to continue to grow within the framework of the USL Championship and in its standing on the U.S. Soccer landscape.

However, while there’s a certain level of excitement for this new competition, there are certainly pros and cons for the Hounds as they enter their USL Jägermeister Cup — which puts them into a third official competition in the same calendar year for the first time ever.

In the meantime, Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s team came up with a list of the benefits and potential drawbacks as the club enters this new competition this season.

While these pros and cons are focused on the club and the competition — we would be remiss if we didn’t also share that at least one PSN contributor commented that “there’s never enough Jäger to go around”.

Thus, despite the pros and cons — this should be a tournament that provides plenty of intrigue.

PRO — Win the Tournament and win the prestige of lifting a trophy

The Hounds would love to bring home their second official USL trophy, after the 2023 Players’ Shield, and the Jägermeister Cup is a great chance to do that.

In addition, there is a cash prize for the winning side, further adding to the motivation for teams and players alike to triumph in the final on Oct. 4.

Looking at the Club’s 25-plus year history, the Riverhounds have never won a tournament competition — whether it be a knockout style or round-robin.

The club finished twice with the league’s overall best record — in 2004 when they were part of the original USL Pro Soccer League (PSL), finishing with an impressive 17W-1D-2L mark.  The Hounds lost in the league semifinal round that season.   Most recently, they also finished as USL Championship’s Players Shield winners, for top overall points during the 2023 campaign, but were derailed in the first round of the USL Championship Eastern Conference playoffs by Detroit City FC.

There have been some manufactured ‘fun’ Cup competitions that the Hounds have been involved with — most notably the Keystone Derby Cup series which took place from 2015-2018, as the Hounds’ competed against in-state rival Harrisburg City Islanders (who became Penn FC in their last season in 2018).

In that series, the Hounds won the Cup in three of the four seasons the clubs competed for Keystone State bragging rights.  The 2015 series proved to be the most intense and memorable — as the teams faced off four times with two ‘Miracle’ come-from-behind wins captured by each side, including the Hounds’ ‘Miracle on the Mon’ 6-5 win at Highmark Stadium in May, which saw three goals scored on the edge of and in stoppage time, erasing a 5-3 Harrisburg lead.

Supporter Groups from Pittsburgh and all of the original USL Championship ‘Old Guard’ franchises also created the ‘Old Guard Shield’ competition, independently run with or without acknowledgement. While there was some momentum for that series, one-by-one, Harrisburg, Rochester, Wilmington and Richmond all dropped out of the league, leaving the only two teams remaining in the ‘Old Guard Shield’ competition are Pittsburgh and Charleston.

PRO — Round Robin Play adds a New Twist against some familiar and some new competition

While it is called a “Cup,” the competition isn’t a knockout tournament like the U.S. Open Cup or FA Cup, but rather a tournament with group play like the World Cup.

In fact, the most similar competition domestically is played in another sport, basketball’s recently launched NBA Cup, which also occurs concurrently with the NBA regular season.

Teams were divided geographically into six groups of either six or seven teams, with each group assured of having at least two League One teams alongside the more numerous Championship sides.

In the Hounds’ case, that put them in Group Four with Detroit City FC, Hartford Athletic, Portland Hearts of Pine, Rhode Island FC and Westchester FC.

Here’s USL’s official Jägermeister Cup web page which includes schedules and information. 

Each team will play four matches against teams in their group — two home and two away — and the six group winners, along with the best two second-place finishers, will advance to the knockout rounds.

This competition will provide the Hounds with first-ever matches against the two USL League One clubs: Portland (Maine) and Westchester FC (New York).

Ultimately, for the USL and all of the teams, more exposure across the board is not a bad thing at all.  This tournament will clearly be a boost to League One teams, who will have an additional competition for its fan bases to get excited about besides the Open Cup.

This will also help the USL in its ultimate quest to bring promotion and relegation to its top men’s leagues by 2027 (or thereabouts) by showcasing a tournament that includes its current top two leagues.

“If you’re going to try new things, this is worth it,” PSN’s Colton Coreschi shared.

CON —  Jäger Cup matches don’t count in the league standings, but squad rotation challenges will come into play

Jägermeister Cup matches will not count toward the overall USL Championship standings, effectively shortening the league season to 30 matches.

The real question here is how will the Hounds coaching staff prioritize its squad rotation when counting in Jäger Cup matches?  The good news for the Hounds, is that they’re only playing one Jäger Cup match a month — which doesn’t get in the way of the regular schedule.  In late July, however, the Hounds will have to travel to Portland on a Friday, then turn-around and play a home match on Tuesday evening.

PSN contributor Colton Corseschi defends the addition of this Cup competition as a way of reducing minutes on players legs, as Lilley and his staff can probably give some players’ rest during these matches.   Or, in the case of Biasi, who will have to sit out the next league match due to his red card, will still be able to play in this match and in the Hounds’ May 7 Open Cup contest.

The four group stage matches were built into the regular-season schedule, keeping it at 34 matches for Championship teams, with one Jägermeister Cup match each month from April to July.

For a coach who has more or less always valued results in the league regular season first, Bob Lilley and his staff now have an added challenge in roster and load management, training schedules, playing time and scouting opponents.

CON  — It’s advertised as ‘World Cup Style’ tournament, but all Jäger Cup Matches Must End in a Win or Loss

This was split take between PSN’s contributors.  Ultimately, a hard fought draw on the road (or at home — for that matter) will not merit any bonus points in this competition.  The biggest difference from a normal regular-season match is that no contests will end in draws; matches tied after 90 minutes will go to a penalty kick shootout.

Some folks are adamant ‘anti-shootout’ proponents no matter the sport (soccer or hockey).

The benefit or detriment of this format could come as teams could take more chances, as they’ll likely have to push for winning goals in the run of play.  However, the flip side of that — the teams may opt to get conservative — especially if they’re dealing with injuries and fatigue — and opt to play for a shootout as that would still generate a point for the losing team (thinking this is a bit similar to National Hockey League shootout formats during the regular season.

For the purposes of the standings in the group stage, that means a win in 90 minutes earns the usual three points, a win by penalty kicks earns two, a loss by penalty kicks earns one, and a regulation loss still earns nothing.

Overall, the PSN crew views this mostly as a drawback in this competition, as it doesn’t truly compare to any other World soccer competitions, most notably the World Cup, which still use a draw, good for one point, in the Group Play standings.

PRO — Broadcast/ Streaming Coverage

The Jägermeister Cup matches are part of the USL’s and the Hounds’ regular television deals. That means local TV coverage will be seen on KDKA+ and SportsNet Pittsburgh — Saturday’s game, specifically, will air on SNP — and streaming will still be carried by ESPN+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

CON — Potential of Three More Matches including Jägermeister Cup Final could provide challenge in homestretch of League Play

The  Jägermeister Cup will conclude with the Final on the weekend of Oct. 4.  Following the end of group play, teams who reach the knockout rounds will add additional matches.   With eight teams qualifying, that would mean a Quarterfinal and and Semifinal Round matches to be played likely in August and September.

Through August, September and October, the Hounds currently have league matches on the schedule every week.

While there will be prestige of competing for a Cup trophy, this will no doubt challenge the Hounds roster depth and could compromise the team’s regular season push as they position to secure yet another postseason berth and finish high in the standings.

Look for more on Saturday’s match-up to come in our Preview and Scouting Report on Friday or Saturday.