Riverhounds Reaction: Bob Lilley on loss at Colorado Springs ‘We weren’t ready to play at the start, and they were’

The Riverhounds road and scoring struggles continued on Saturday night, losing 1-0, to the reigning USL Championship title belt holders — Colorado Springs Switchbacks at Weidner Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Once again, Pittsburgh failed to generate enough quality scoring chances as they faced an uphill battle most of the match, conceding possession and chasing the game after surrendering an early goal.

FINAL: Colorado Springs Switchbacks 1, Riverhounds SC 0

After the match, through a team release, Head Coach Bob Lilley provided his reaction, as he’s now coping with reality that his team has dug themselves a hole in league play for the second consecutive season with another lethargical performance at the start of the contest, which mirrored other losses.

“It’s North Carolina, it’s San Antonio, it’s Charleston. They scored because we chased for 12 minutes, and they were going to put the hammer down at home,” Lilley said.

“We started slow, and they were playing at a whole other intensity level. Their forwards were pressing, and our midfielders, Jackson (Walti) and Brad (Sample) are so deep, and our defenders were 30 yards deeper than them. We were so stretched right from the beginning of the game.”

Lilley’s biggest concerns stemmed from the fact that the Hounds were not on the same page when pressing and trying to create chances.

“We weren’t trying to high press everything, but we weren’t together as a collective. Robbie (Mertz) was great tonight, he looked like the only one who knew what his job was, and he pressed with intensity,” Lilley stated.

“We need to get that from whoever the target is, and Danny (Griffin) was too cautious, sometimes he just needed to go, even if Augi (Williams) couldn’t get across with him. Every time Danny was in a half space, they’d play it wide of him. We were late all over the field, and part of that is because we don’t close the field down when we did get forward.”

Colorado Springs came into the match struggling too, but Lilley was aware that the defending champs were going to be a difficult opponent.

The Hounds weren’t able to match the energy from the hosts.

“We knew they’d be desperate. They’re a very good team that won it all, they’re deeper than last year, and they’ve tied a lot of games. We weren’t ready to play at the start, and they were.”

Pittsburgh will now turn their attention back to the U.S. Open Cup with a cross-state Round of 16 battle Wednesday, May 21 against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Hounds and Union.