FINAL: Riverhounds SC 0, Detroit City FC 0 (Hounds win PK shootout, 4-3)

USL Championship Eastern Conference Semifinals

FINAL: #4 Riverhounds 0, #8 Detroit City FC 0

(Pittsburgh wins 4-3, in PK shootout)

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Pittsburgh Soccer Now Coverage Team: 

John Krysinsky, reporting; Ed Thompson, photography

Match Summary

For the second consecutive week, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC survived and advanced, winning a penalty kick shootout to eliminate Detroit City FC, in a match was scoreless after 120 minutes in the run of play at before a sellout, overflow crowd of 6,220 fansHighmark Stadium on Saturday night.

Pittsburgh outlasted Detroit City in a shootout even after trailing, 2-1, after two rounds of kicks.  Converting penalties for Pittsburgh included Bertin Jacquesson, Augi Williams, Sean Suber and Beto Ydrach, who hit the winner in the fifth round for the 4-3 win on the spot kicks.

“I can think of three, four chances that could have easily scored on another day,” Rob Vincent, Riverhounds Acting Head Coach, on his team’s ability to control play for another match but not find a breakthrough against a stingy, Detroit side.

“Credit to the guys, they kept going.”

The Riverhounds controlled play throughout regulation and into the extra time periods, to the tune of a 19-5 shots edge and 56/44 possession advantage.

Look for a more detailed recap to follow.

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Match Day Updates / Live Thread

Check here as we’ll include Starting Lineups and any updates leading up to the match, plus in-match highlights and commentary and more…

PENALTY KICK SHOOTOUT — PITTSBURGH WINS 4-3

 

END OF 2nd ET — PITTSBURGH 0, DCFC 0

116′ — SAVE!!! Robbie Mertz is ROBBED by DCFC’s Carlos Saldaña redirected header to the left side of goal is denied by a diving save.

114′ — one note — with Walti subbing on for Barnes at start of ET — Danny Griffin has shifted down to the back line with Walti/Sample pairing CMF

111′ — Etou is bulldozed over — and earns Free kick.  Mertz ball in to back post but it’s cleared away.

108′ — Chance for Hounds!! Jacquesson hits header off left post — pass in from Junior Etou from left corner. Soooo close!

END OF 1ST PERIOD OF ET — PITTSBURGH 0, DETROIT CITY FC 0

1st Period of ET

98′ — Madness in box — on another Hounds corner but again Detroit clears it away

96′ — Eric Dick comes off his line — takes ball in face at 18 — denying Jordan Adebayo-Smith

94′ — Danny Griffin from outside the box — hard but way too high

92′ — Nice effort by Sample win win ball on press — Jacquesson gets quick pass — but quick shot from behind box dribbles to goal for an easy save.

END OF REGULATION — PITTSBURGH 0, DETROIT CITY FC 0

Hounds with 11-3 edge in shots (2-1 on target)

2nd half

90′ +2 — Bradley Sample with a near chance from top of box — goes over bar!! And that’s it — this one is going to EXTRA TIME!!!

87′ —  SUB — HOUNDS

• IN — Bertin Jacquesson
• OUT — Charles Ahl

82′ — Augi Williams and former Hound Shane Wiedt having some words after Willams chest bumped the former Pitt man

80′ — Hounds swing it around perimeter of box — ends with Beto Ydrach chance from behind box that’s easily handled by DCFC keeper

76′ — YELLOW CARD — Hounds Perrin Barnes — going for a ball om box clips DFCF defender

70′ — Augi Williams goal waved off!!!  Officials call a push off in the box.

64′ — Fantastic chance — missed!!! Mertz free kick — to left side — ball comes to Beto Ydrach who sends ball to Danny Griffin right in the middle of box — but the Hounds captain header misses high and wide left.

53′ — corner chance — ball to far post — Beto Ydrach is there but just misses on his chance.

52′ — Mertz draws foul on edge!  Free kick from the edge — terrific ball in by Mertz skims off DCFC defender head and out for corner

46′ — no changes for either side

HALFTIME — PITTSBURGH 0, DETROIT CITY FC 0

It’s now been 270 minutes since the Riverhounds have scored a goal in the run of play.  The Hounds tilted the match in its favor but that’s not saying much. Detroit City has defended well in the box but has not sniffed anything in the attacking third (0 shots).

First Half

45’+3 — Half ends with Detroit City FC free kick which Eric Dick comes off his line — about the third time this match.  That’s been about all Detroit has been able to do to get the ball into the box.

45′ — Mertz plays a nice ball forward inside left side of box as Sample gets behind defender — but keeper Saldana’s there to grab it.

42′ — Detroit City registers a shot! But it wasn’t threatening.   Devon Amoo-Mensah header from DCFC’s only corner of the half goes wide.

42′ — action picks up — Charles Ahl gets loose after tough battle on right side — cuts it back — left footed shot is blocked, then another cross in is cleared away by DCFC defender over bar (near own goal!) for a corner.  Corner is a mad scramble in the box but cleared away.

21′ — Through 20 minutes — Detroit with a little more possession — but the visitors haven’t sniffed the attacking third at all. Hounds with both shots in match

19′ — Williams gets some room — takes a run at one from 22 yards that skies over the bar.

14′ — Williams forces corner.  Mertz in-swinging ball is cleared away.

9′ — Player down for Detroit — taking about three minutes but he’ll get back up and stay in game

8′ — Detroit controlling more of the ball in the early going

2′ — Bradley Sample with a chance from the edge and !! wow !!! great save by Saldana to dive to his right.

1′ — We’ve kicked off!!

6:45 p.m. — Starting Lineups are posted

Guillaume Vactor who was listed as questionable — is out and not in the 18.  The Hounds will be starting Perrin Barnes instead.  This likely moves the versatile Luke Biasi into the center back trio.

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Snapshot Preview

In playoff soccer — goals are often hard to come by.

When Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Detroit City FC get together — goals are also hard to come by.

Still, anything can happen when these two teams face off against each other for the fourth time this season.

It is the first time the Hounds have faced a team other than Louisville in this round of the playoffs under the current format. Louisville sprung its own upset over the top-seeded Hounds in 2019, 2-1 in extra time, and in 2022, as the home side, Louisville advanced past the Hounds on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw.

Little has gotten through the Hounds defense over the past three matches, over which the team has allowed only six shots on goal and a combined expected goals (xG) total of 1.37.

What little has reached goal has been capably handled by Eric Dick, whose three saves against Hartford made him only the fourth Hounds goalkeeper to record a postseason shutout after Randy Dedini (1999 Game 2 vs. Rochester), Chris Robinson (2004 vs. Harrisburg) and Kyle Morton (2019 vs. Birmingham).

Holding Detroit off the board is something the Hounds usually do well, having never conceded more than one goal in a match in 10 outings against the Motor City side.

But the Hounds will need to find the net themselves, something that — among active players — only Robbie Mertz has done in a playoff match for the Hounds.

Detroit, on the other hand, will be looking for a repeat of 2023, which stands as their only win at Highmark Stadium in five attempts. The teams’ four regular-season meetings in Pittsburgh were a 1-1 draw in 2022 and three straight 2-0 Hounds wins the past three seasons.

More on Detroit City FC

Le Rouge earned their second trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in three seasons after recording the biggest upset in USL Championship Playoffs history with a 1-0 win against No. 1 seed Louisville City FC this past Saturday.

Devon Amoo-Mensah scored the only goal of the game while Carlos Saldaña posted a three-save shutout as the visitors earned victory despite a 36-point differential between the sides in the regular season standings.

Saldaña’s performance came in his first start since September 27, deputizing for Carlos Herrera, who had started the prior five games but was absent against Louisville.

The result marked DCFC’s second upset of a No. 1 seed in the postseason, having previously defeated the Hounds in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2023, a result they will be aiming to emulate as the sides meet again at Highmark Stadium.

John K’s Projected Riverhounds Lineup

If Guillaume Vacter, who’s been a defensive machine all season, is unable to go, look for Illal Osumanu to get the nod on the back line. This may also have the Hounds include seldom used Max Broughton (11 appearances, 98 minutes) into the 18 for this match.

PSN Riverhounds Coverage

Riverhounds upbeat entering Eastern Conference Semis against Detroit

As stakes become greater in topsy-turvy USL, Riverhounds’ organizational stability put to test

Takeaways and Player Grades: Keeping composure and delivering in PK shootout, Riverhounds survive and advance