Analysis: Hounds forwards not meeting expectations since Albert Dikwa’s magical season

Photo courtesy Ed Thompson

On Saturday night, Rhode Island FC will make its third appearance on Highmark Stadium turf in the past two seasons, led by a player who left an indelible mark on the very same field with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

(The Hounds (6W-6L-5D, 23 points) will host Rhode Island in a key league match (7 p.m. kickoff) for both squads — look for match preview and coverage to come on PSN on Saturday)

That player, of course, is Albert Dikwa, who blossomed during an impressive four-year run with Riverhounds, culminating with a career season in 2023, earning the USL Championship’s Golden Boot and Player of the Year honors while helping lead the club to earning the Players Shield for top overall points leader in the regular season.

A lot has happened since that magical regular season.

Dikwa has become an instrumental piece in the forward rotation for Rhode Island FC, who, in its inaugural season in 2024, scraped through the regular season to earn a playoff spot, then made a surprising run all the way to the USL Cup Final, where they were dispatched by Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Dikwa followed his 20-goal, award winning season in Pittsburgh, with a 10-goal, four assist output in 2024.

This season, Dikwa’s started 14 of 16 league matches.

In head coach Bob Lilley’s system, Dikwa became the prototype target forward — always willing to be extremely active on both sides of the ball, bringing a non-stop work rate and eventually shaking off early career inconsistencies in the final third to become a clever and reliable goal scoring threat.

In 2023, on some level, Dikwa’s success may have spoiled the Riverhounds’ fan base and their expectations for the forward position. Or, some might say he raised the bar in terms of level of play. That season, Dikwa was responsible for scoring 40 percent of the team’s goals.

Taking out his first season in Pittsburgh (2020 COVID-shortened) where he joined the team past the halfway point, from 2021 through 2023, Dikwa became a steady mainstay in the lineup, starting 61 of 76 matches at the target forward position, scoring 33 league goals during his most formative years as a professional, from age 21-25.

Since Dikwa left Pittsburgh, the Hounds’ target forward spot has been plagued by underwhelming production.

Things bottomed out quickly last season.

The Hounds opted to go with formations (mostly 5-3-2) that included two forwards for large portion of 2024. There was one mainstay, Edward Kizza, who previously played alongside Dikwa as another forward willing to do the little things to extend possessions, press and cover ground, while Dikwa was the go-to scorer. Without his partnership with Dikwa, Kizza proved to be as durable as Dikwa (starting 31 of 33 matches), but was left to play alongside a revolving door of target men which included Babacar Diene (4 starts), Kazaiah Sterling (12), EJ Johnson (10) and Enouch Mushagalusa (2).

Through the first 23 matches (in 34 match campaign), including Kizza and this motley crew of forwards — they combined for eight goals.

In September, the Hounds brought Bertin Jacquesson to the club on loan from Real Salt Lake.

Jacquesson provided a much-needed presence and spark that was missing.

With midfielder Robbie Mertz getting even more involved as a chance creator while shifting higher up in the formation, the Hounds started to morph toward a 3-4-2-1, 5-2-3 or 3-4-3 formation which allowed Mertz, and the two former Pitt standouts, Jacquesson and Kizza to flourish as an interchangeable, high attacking line.

Kizza scored nine of his team leading 12 goals in the latter half of the season, including picking up a goal in five straight near the end of the season.

Even with the departure of Kizza in the offseason (signing with Indy Eleven), the Hounds appeared to find some positive upgrades for the attacking line that appeared to be potion they needed to boost the forward spot, picking up Augustine Williams, who scored 77 goals in the Championship prior to coming to Pittsburgh and officially signing the former Pitt standout, Jacquesson, to a deal too.

Williams started the season as the clear-cut target man.  Things were very promising early, as the one-time Sierra Leone international scored in the season opener.

Things bottomed out after that for Williams, who didn’t score again until June.

In PSN’s Riverhounds Midseason Report Card, the area where the Hounds received the lowest grade was in goal scoring.

In that piece, which provides a more detailed breakdown, with just 14 goals in the first 16 games of league play is keeping this team from being a contender.

Scoring less than a goal per match (0.9), puts the Hounds 22nd out of 24 teams in the USL Championship in goal scoring production.

Williams’ work-rate can’t be completely ignored, as Lilley has kept rolling him out there to the tune of more than 1,500 minutes of action in all competitions while covering a lot of ground as highly positioned target forward who is also asked to lead the team’s pressing efforts.

But, where Williams has struggled, is not getting into scoring positions enough.

Compounding issues at forward, Jacquesson, missed most of the first two-plus months of this season due to a leg injury.

The former Pitt standout has been back in the rotation but hasn’t regained his fitness and form from 2024, and drawn ire from his coach a few times.

Things started trending positively for both players this month (Williams scored twice in a three-match stretch, while Jacquesson, who has been used mostly to come off the bench in regular season matches of late, scored three goals when starting in the last two Jägermeister Cup matches, including Friday’s final Cup group stage affair, where he added a brace.)

However, in Tuesday’s night’s match, which the mostly lifeless Hounds attack stole a point in a 1-1 draw thanks to a late goal off the foot of attacking midfielder Charles Ahl getting on the end of a Junior Etu cross, Lilley shared his disgust at a collection of disappointments.

The veteran gaffer held little back.

“We got outworked off the ball. We haven’t been good enough in some areas off the ball. On set pieces we’re slow in transition. I’m disappointed. We have to find another gear.”

In summary, Lilley said “Listen, I’m happy we scored. But we played poorly tonight.”

As PSN’s Mark Goodman reported on Tuesday night, Lilley is more than aware that the team is lacking punch in the final third and needs to create more chances and convert them.

Ahl’s extra effort and timely run also added more merit that the attacking midfielders have been the most clutch scorers for this squad this season.

Captain Danny Griffin and Mertz, have been thrust into playing higher up on the pitch and serving as added playmakers, coming through with a combined seven goals.

On Tuesday, Williams started, but Lilley saw enough from him early in the second half.  It proved to be Williams’ shortest shift from the first whistle this season (56 minutes), as he didn’t register a shot and had just one touch (of 19 total touches) in the box.

Jacquesson came on but didn’t fare much better with one touch (of 15) coming in the box — a soft headed which was easily handled.

“We’re not getting enough runs from Augi (Williams).” Lilley added later in the post-game presser that “None of our attacking players have met expectations.”

Goodman also pointed out, that Lilley’s notion of not meeting expectations may seem harsh, until you realize that the top scorers in USL this season – Cal Jennings, Abdelatif  Abokoura, and Francisco Bonfiglio – have 11 goals.

The Hounds top scorer is midfielder Robbie Mertz with 4 goals.

And that brings us back to Dikwa, who was more than halfway to his 20-goal output with the Hounds at this same point in 2023.

It was that season where Dikwa raised the bar for the Hounds following some very good goal scoring seasons in the Lilley era (Neco Brett, Russell Cicerone).

Lilley has often said that he would much prefer to have two or three players with double digit goals than one player scoring 20.

For the record, that’s only happened twice in his tenure (Brett and Steevan Dos Santos in 2019; Dikwa and Cicerone in 2022).

And guess what are the two years the Hounds won playoff matches in Lilley’s tenure (that’s right, 2019 and 2022).

Is that a coincidence?

Maybe?

At this rate the Hounds may not have a double-digit goal scorer for the first time in a non-COVID season since 2014 when Jose Angulo finished with eight goals.

Dikwa hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire at the same Golden Boot pace in Rhode Island either this season (two goals and three assists), but now a veteran, he continues to put in the work and did come up with an additional three goals in netting a hat trick for RIFC in Jagermeister Cup win last month.

If you want to cut to the chase and compare the numbers between Dikwa and Williams, here’s a look:

While they look similar in many areas, in some of the categories that Lilley (and most coaches) really value — chances created, tackles won, dispossessed), Diwka stands out as clearly better to this point this season.

Dikwa landed in Lilley’s doghouse quite a few times over the years but gave Lilley a lot of credit for always pushing him himself harder.

“I’ve got to give him all the credit because he’s the one who made me the top striker in this league. I remember four years ago, I wasn’t the same player that I am right now, I think it’s all because of him. Every day after training, we might stay for two hours after everyone has left, I’m just here on the field with Bob and he’s showing me how to make the movement inside the box, how to hold up the play,” Dikwa told Pittsburgh Soccer Now in 2023.

“It wasn’t easy to just do two hours with him but it’s worth it. I am the Golden Boot winner today because of him and I gave him all the credit for that.”

Doing it for ‘Family’: Albert Dikwa’s prolific scoring run a testament to perseverance, loyalty | Pittsburgh Soccer Now

Doing it for ‘Family’: Albert Dikwa’s prolific scoring run a testament to perseverance, loyalty

In turn, Lilley praised his resilience.

“It’s hard to mark him. He’s determined,” Lilley boasted in May 2023 after Dikwa’s second two-goal performance in two weeks.

“He’s going to drag center backs around. He’s done really well for us. That’s why he’s getting it done. It doesn’t surprise me. No one has worked harder in this team and in this league.  He’s the first guy at practice, last to leave the gym most days.”

When was the last time Lilley spoke about one of his forwards like that?

Turning back to the current season, In PSN’s Midseason Grades, it was cited that Robbie Mertz was the only reason why we didn’t give the Hounds an ‘F’ Grade in scoring, as Mertz has put up some All-USL worthy numbers and performances this season.

That’s the effort that’s been closest to and most emblematic of Dikwa’s 2023 performance. Mertz is leading the Hounds in chances created (30), plus more efficient when getting into scoring zone (17 shots, 11 on target and 48 touches in opposition box, with 22 fouls won).

Youngster and big fella from Norway, Brigham Larsen, has not played a lot of minutes, but has started to come off the bench late in matches.  It’s possible that Larsen could be used more as the season evolves, as a target forward who can be dangerous on set pieces and help provide a boost late in matches.  But the first-year pro is inexperienced and is, at most, a role player in this squad’s rotation.

Let’s face it, the Hounds need a boost on the forward line.

If it’s going to come from the current pairing of Williams and Jacquesson, they’re going to have to start producing soon or the Hounds will continue to teeter around the mid table without any real chance to make a move into the top three or four or be a legit postseason contender.

Bob Lilley and Hounds fans alike will look across the field on Saturday when they see Albert Dikwa — as a glaring reminder of a target forward and attacking player who met expectations in Pittsburgh and came through in a big way.

Maybe Augi Williams and Bertin Jacquesson will also take notice before it’s too late.