Riverhounds upbeat entering Eastern Conference Semis against Detroit

The mood seemed light and happy at Hounds training on Friday at Highmark Stadium as the team made their final tuneups before Saturday’s Eastern Conference semi-final matchup against Rust Belt rivals Detroit City FC.

It was not lost on Pittsburgh players what a huge deal it is that the Riverhounds will be hosting another playoff game at Highmark Stadium.

Defender Beto Ydrach was proud that the Hounds win last week resulted in an unexpected second-round home game, saying

“We made Riverhounds history, being able to host the second round for the first time.”**

The Hounds players definitely respect their opponent, Detroit City FC, but also feel prepared for the match.

Fullback Luke Biasi explained

“Everyone knows what (Detroit) is capable of, with them, an eight seed, upsetting Louisville first round. But this could be a whole Cinderella story from us, as well.”

He continued, saying “Anytime we play Detroit, it’s kind of a dogfight. This is going to be the kind of game where it’s very tight and it comes down to who creates the better chances and who puts it away.”

Biasi also acknowledged he has additional emotions going into this match, saying “For me it’s a lot more personal than it is for the rest of the locker room.” That’s because Biasi is one of only four remaining Riverhounds players from the 2023 team that was knocked out, 1-0 at home by Detroit City – the others are Danny Griffin, Robbie Mertz, and Junior Etou.

Beto Ydrach also saw Detroit as a tough opponent, but one the Hounds could beat. He told PSN “Detroit is a very good opposition. They went away to Louisville, one of the very best teams in USL history* and got a result, 1-0 away. Every time we’ve played them this season, it’s been a close game. It’ll be a good matchup. We’re ready to go. We know it’s gonna be a war.”

Tactically speaking, both the offense and the defense know what they have to do to give the team the best chance to advance in the USL-C playoffs to the next round, where they will face either North Carolina FC or Rhode Island.

Striker Augi Williams had this to say about the key to the game: “For us it’s about what we can control: our effort and our work rate on the field.”

 

Williams also noted that Interim Coach Rob Vincent’s refreshing approach the past few games has really benefited him. He said, “(Rob Vincent) has come in with something a little different than what I was used to and given me more freedom to express myself. I’ve been able to move the way I want to move. And he trust me to be able to make those moves.”

Acting Head Coach Rob Vincent expressed that Hounds-DCFC games are just a little closer, and a little more physical, than other USL matches. The coach said “All of those games (against Detroit this year) were tight. And that’s generally what you get against Detroit – and in the playoffs in general. It’s gonna be a bit of a scrap. It’s gonna take a lot of fight in the middle  third, and we’re going to try and pick up as many balls as we can. And we’ll find a way to get ahead.”

Vincent felt the team has prepared adequately and were in an excellent position to seize the day.

“Training’s been good. The attitude has been good. I think the guys are ready and excited. We definitely looked at last weeks game, and tried to address a couple of ways we could create more chances. We’ve done that this week in training. Hopefully that carries over to the game.”

One key Coach Vincent wanted to highlight for the team is pushing for an early first goal, which can change the state of the game disproportionately in a teams favor.

“We know that the first goal in the playoffs is always important. We don’t want to leave it nil-nil, wondering what’s going to happen late on. We want to take the initiative and try to get on the front foot early.”

Augi Williams thought that the Hounds had a small creature-comforts advantage over Detroit, and was grateful to be playing at home. The Hounds leading scorer, with 9 goals, prefers waking up in his own bed to a hotel room and a waffle-and-powdered-egg buffet, saying “I love being at home. Obviously I would have hated to sit on a flight to Detroit. I get to go to the comforts of my home and wake up the morning after in Pittsburgh. It’s a different feeling.”

One thing everyone could agree upon was how much of an advantage it will be to be playing at home in front of the home fans and the Steel Army on Saturday night. Ydrach said it succinctly in explaining “the fans give us a lot of extra motivation at home.”

Williams was emphatic on this point: “We’re gonna take the fight to them. We have our twelfth man behind us, the Steel Army. We hope it’s gonna give us the momentum and push us to get a result. When you have the Steel Army behind you, it makes your job ten times easier.”

The concluding sentiment from Vincent was calm and measured, professional and workmanlike. “The message is not to treat this game any differently. Let’s treat this game like a normal game. Let’s make sure we do our jobs, and start the game well.”

For Augi Williams, he pulled out an old chestnut about playoff soccer: “I’ve been in a playoff situation like this before with Charleston Battery. we won the Eastern Conference final. I think it’s about who wants it the most on that day.”

And Beto Ydrach sensed that the Riverhounds were on the verve of something grand and unique.

“This team is ready to make its own history.”***

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Training Notes –

Acting Head Coach Rob Vincent noted that centerback Guillaume Vacter was ‘carrying a knock’, and he was unsure if Vacter would be available for Saturday’s game. Other than that, the rest of the lineup is healthy and available for the match.

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*- With their 22-7-1 (WTL) record, the 2025 Louisville City team had the fewest losses in USL Championship history. Their 73 points has them as the fourth-best team, however, ranked behind 2019 Phoenix Rising (78 points) 2022 San Antonio FC (77 points) and … 2024 Louisville City (76 points). They were without a doubt very very good. They are also out of the playoffs for this year.

**- So, not exactly history, but maybe ‘recent history.’ The Riverhounds last played in the second round of the USL playoffs at home in 2019, when they lost 2-1 to Louisville in front of 6,073 fans. That one of the largest crowds for soccer in Highmark history; to my knowledge, only the 2023 opening round playoff game against Detroit was larger. The Hounds lost that match, 1-0.

***- A win in the Conference semi-final WOULD be history-making. Pittsburgh has qualified for USL playoffs every year beginning in 2018, and the Hounds have exited the playoffs in either the first or second round every time. Three times they were knocked off by Louisville City, once by Birmingham, once by Charleston, once by Bethlehem, and once by Detroit City.