Riverhounds Notebook: Result at home in rematch with Rhode Island a necessity in Jägermeister Cup competition

At Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC training session on Thursday, Head Coach Bob Lilley kept things right on schedule, with the team putting in a crisp two-hour session, wrapping up with full field controlled scrimmage, then the team ended with an intense, close-range shooting drill.

The veteran coach has always believed, especially when getting into the middle of the rigors of the season, that it’s important to keep steady routines.  The Hounds just completed a rigorous stretch, playing eight of their last 10 matches on the road, including the last four in May. The coaches and players were more than happy to have a full week of training without much interruption or travel.

The Hounds played three of those matches in an eight-day stretch, but after what Lilley described as a disappointing result in Colorado, he took plenty of positives from both the team’s Open Cup loss at Philadelphia Union and its 1-0 league win at Rhode Island, last Saturday.

Now, the Hounds prepare for a quick rematch with Rhode Island seven days later in USL Jägermeister Cup group stage match at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m. kickoff).

In terms of contending for the USL Jägermeister Cup, the Hounds would be all-but eliminated with a loss after falling 1-0 at Detroit  — where they surrendered a goal in stoppage time — in their first match of the competition, making a result at home a necessity.

Rhode Island, meanwhile, were convincing 4-1 winners over League One’s Westchester SC, and they will be looking for a second win to maintain their spot atop Group 4.

Preparing for Quick Rematch with Rhode Island

Lilley and his coaching staff are taking a practical approach.

“It’s just the game for this week,” Lilley said.

“We’re not rotating as much when have only have one game a week so I mean we’re hoping to put on a good performance like last weekend.  We’re fresher so we’re hoping we’re even a little bit sharper, a little bit more dynamic and little bit better defensively because we’re at home and hopefully we can get a result.”

With such a sharp turnaround, both teams will be looking at trying to take control of the match early on.

“It’s always tough to play the same team twice because they’re going to make adjustments. We’re also going to make adjustments, so it’s going to be an interesting battle,” Jackson Walti, Riverhounds midfielder said after training.

“Last week we had control of the game, and they sat back a little bit, but there’s always a possibility that they decide to completely switch up and high press us and that’ll have to change the way we do things.”

Overall, the squad is healthy, and Lilley will have almost all players available for selection in Saturday’s match — except one.

Ydrach Called Up to Puerto Rico National Team for World Cup Qualifiers

Defender Beto Ydrach has been called up once again for the Puerto Rico National Team to compete in the nation’s final two matches in the current round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ydrach, who has made 13 appearances with one goal for Puerto Rico, leaves this week as El Huracán Azul begins the international window with a friendly against Nicaragua on June 1 in Pawtucket, R.I. That tune-up will prepare the team for two matches that will decide if Puerto Rico progresses to the final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region.

Puerto Rico travels to face Suriname on June 6 in the Surinamese capital, Paramaribo, before returning home for its final group match on June 10, when it will host St. Vincent & the Grenadines in Mayagüez, P.R. The top two teams in each group advance to the final round, and Puerto Rico is in position to move on with four points through two matches and group-leading Suriname and third-place El Salvador scheduled to meet on the final match day.

Ydrach has appeared in all 10 league matches this season for the Hounds, starting nine of them, playing primarily as a center back and occasionally as a holding midfielder. He has one assist in league play, in addition to scoring a memorable first professional goal in stoppage time to defeat New York City FC of MLS in the U.S. Open Cup.

Hounds Carving Out An Identity: Keeping the Ball in Stretches

At the start of the season, the Hounds made a concentrated effort to be better at keeping the ball.  Though they didn’t hold the possession edge at Rhode Island last week, they turned the match in their favor in the last part of the first half by having more sustained stretches of play on the ball, which led to more chances being created, putting RIFC on its heels.

‘There was a good balance in Rhode Island, where we were quick in transition and created some good attacking moments that led to chances or corners and you know eventually, we got the goal,” Lilley shared.

“I also thought we did a good job of playing and keeping the ball in in stretches and I think we managed the game well and even though they had a little more of the ball.

Now, it’s a quick turnaround to face a Rhode Island squad that was in good form coming into last week’s match, that had won two straight matches on the road before losing to the Hounds last week.

“We have a lot of respect for Rhode Island as a team, and we know we dodged a few bullets.  They’re big and they’re dangerous on set pieces. We’re going to have to bring it again this weekend if we want to get a win in the Jägermeister (Cup).

Squad Rotation Rounding Into Shape

Now that the Hounds appear to be a bit healthier, Lilley said that they’ve had a bit more of a ‘settled’ lineup over the past five games.

“There’s so many guys that have stepped up this year with Gee (Guillaume Vacter), Beto (Ydrach), Jorge (Garcia) and guys have played enough minutes now where you know we’re everyone knows their jobs,” Lilley said.

“We’ll need everyone.  The guys off the bench — a lot of times is settled in the last 30 minutes of the game, not the first 30, so we’re just trying to make sure everyone is ready and keep putting out good performances — and the results will follow.”

With Ydrach being out, the defensive group has some additional insurance with the emergence of Guillaume Vacter, who has started the past four matches in all competitions since being signed to the club after the season started.

Vacter was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 12, the league announced this afternoon.

It is the first such honor for Vacter, a first-year pro from Paris by way of the University of Connecticut, who was outstanding at center back in the Riverhounds’ 1-0 win at Rhode Island FC last Saturday. Joining him with a spot on the Team of the Week’s bench was goalkeeper Eric Dick, which marks the first weekly honor of 2025 for the reigning Goalkeeper of the Year.

Vacter won all three tackles and 8 of 11 duels overall against Rhode Island to earn his spot in the league’s best 11. He also added four clearances, won possession six times and contributed a key blocked shot from his spot in the Hounds’ back three.

That 90-minute weekend performance came just three days after Vacter logged 73 minutes in the midweek Open Cup loss at the Phildelphia Union, a match in which he had eight clearances, intercepted four passes and won 4 of 7 duels.

Another player who’s been back now for the past five matches since an early preseason injury is Bertin Jacquesson.  While the former Pitt standout is still without a goal, his presence in the starting lineup may have helped open things up for the rest of the attacking pieces last week.

Interviews from Riverhounds SC Training — Jackson Walti and Bob Lilley (5/29/2025)