It was business as usual for the Riverhounds players and coaches, who put in a full training session in Pittsburgh on Thursday at AHN Montour Soccer Complex.
You wouldn’t know that there could be a potential players strike.
As was the case during and after Saturday’s last preseason match, all parties involved — coaches and players alike — were focused on the task at hand despite USL Players Association authorizing the players to strike if a collective bargaining agreement is not reached.
It was an intense training session, wrapping up with some full-field work, with Head Coach Rob Vincent along with his assistants putting in few final touches on what was described as a productive week of preparation for the season opener.
“We’re trying to ramp up the intensity. Lot of learning. Lot of growth. Not a huge step away in some ways. The guys have stepped up really well,” Vincent told Pittsburgh Soccer Now after Thursday’s training session.
As the Riverhounds are set to embark on the club’s 26th season, the most interesting development revolving around the status of USL Players Association and the USL Headquarters negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement came when The Guardian reported that USL emailed every player under contract with the league with information about the procedures for crossing a potential picket line and resigning their membership in the USL Players’ Association.
Speaking with Riverhounds’ team officials at Thursday’s training, plus all indications from both players and coaches, is that the team is moving forward with scheduled travel plans on Friday (flight) to South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s match.
The USL Championship season is set to kick off on Friday, when Lexington and Louisville face off in the all-Kentucky ‘Derby’. By all indications, that match is proceeding as scheduled.
Hounds’ Injury Report / Player Selections
Although Riverhounds veteran midfielder Robbie Mertz was on the field training with the team on Friday, Vincent confirmed with Pittsburgh Soccer Now that Mertz would not make the trip and be part of the 18 player lineup selections for the season opener, as the Pittsburgh-area native has been working his way back from a knee injury sustained during the first week of preseason.
Vincent also shared that midfielder Eliot Goldthorp, a new addition who the Hounds very much have plans for having in the attacking line rotation, took knock earlier in the week.
“Hopefully we have Eliot,” Vincent said.
“If not, we have players to step in and make a difference.
”
For the record, both Mertz and Goldhorpe are listed as questionable by the Hounds injury report.
When asked about coming up with the 18 and starting lineup this week, Vincent didn’t mince his words.
“Tough decisions. Very tough. We’ve built a roster that’s strong in every position across the field. It makes my life a lot harder,” Vincent said.
“Training’s been very good. As always is the case. Some guys will elevate themselves when you get to week three, week four, and that honeymoon phase will be over. Some guys drop off. Some guys elevate themselves. We’ll see a little bit of that. We have a deep squad. We feel as though we’re prepared for a long season. We hopefully a difficult decision every weekend.
”
On the Charleston side, there’s one player not available for selection of note:
Vincent on match-up vs Charleston Battery
The Hounds are slated to face off against Charleston Battery, the club’s longest running league rival, as the two teams have been playing each other since the Hounds came into existance in 1999.
Though Pittsburgh won the league title last year by making a remarkable and fortuitous postseason run, Head Coach Ben Pirmann has positioned Charleston as one of the top two teams in the Championship the past few years — finishing only second to Louisville City FC’s record-breaking seasons.
How good were the Battery last season?
They set a club single-season record with 19 victories. Not bad considering that this is a franchise that’s been around since the mid-1990s and has won League titles.
The Battery also increased its all-time dominance over the Riverhounds last season with a pair of 2-1 victories. In both matches, the Hounds took the early lead, but eventually the Battery seized control.
In the postseason, the campaign came crashing down against Rhode Island FC as the side was eliminated in a penalty shootout in stunning fashion.
After the match, Pirmann described the loss in rather explicit terms: “It’s like having vomit in your mouth.”
During the offseason, the Battery have seen the departures of many key players including Cal Jennings, MD Myers and Leland Archer as free agents and the record transfer of All-League First Team midfielder Aaron Molloy to Lexington SC.
“Done a brilliant job the past few years. Always competing at the top of the league. We know they’re going to be a good team this season,” Vincent said.
“They’ve had a lot of turnover. Our mindset is try to catch them in a moment when they’re getting used to each other. We feel good about the prospect of going there. Giving them a good game and hopefully coming away with three points.”
One player the Riverhounds will recognize on the other side will be defender Sean Suber. Pittsburgh’s lone All-USL (first team) selection last season, signed a new contract with the Battery in the off-season.
Suber will likely be paired with the 2024 USL Championship Defender of the Year, Graham Smith, to anchor the Battery’s backline.
Beto Ydrach is looking forward to facing his former backline mate.
“We know that it’s going to be high octane and we know that we have a little bit of a target on our back with winning the championship. So, we know it’s going to be a high energy game against them,” Ydrach said.
“It’s always difficult. They like to keep the ball, but we like to press, so we hope that we can, you know, impose our will on the game.
Pirmann’s teams have always been among the league’s best in possession — but Vincent has been working extensively with Hounds in preseason on build-up play.
“We know they’ll play 4-2-3-1 shape. It won’t be a direct match-up. We’ll want to poke holes in what they do. They’ll want to do the same. Both teams will want to be on the ball. That’s how Charleston will want to play,” Vincent explained.
“Both teams will be battling to want to get that.”
What will the Hounds lineup look like for the opener? Which new additions are likely to be in lineup selections?
Vincent mentioned that selecting a starting eleven every week will be tough. The Hounds feel very good about the team’s depth at the start of the season.
The battle for starting spots remains intense, with the core group of returnees all being in the mix, including the team’s captain, Danny Griffin in midfield, plus Bradley Sample along with veteran Junior Etou and Perrin Barnes on the wings, while Charles Ahl, who — as a rookie — started down the stretch last season, will be slotted in an attacking midfield spot, while the returning backline duo, Beto Ydrach and Guilaume Vacter will be in the same positions as part of center back trio. With additional experienced contributors to the title winning team will also be expected to be part of the Hounds’ rotation, including Jackson Walti, Illal Osumanu and Jorge Garcia.
The Hounds appear to be working in newcomers Sam Bassett, Eliot Goldthorp and Victor Souza, as they were part of the starting lineup in last Saturday’s preseason final match vs Pitt. With Mertz still out of action, look for Bassett and/or Goldthorpe to take on prominent roles early in the season.
For more on both my takes on the roster and Mark Goodman, be sure to listen to this week’s episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast. Mark, who has covered Colorado Rapids, had some outstanding insights on Bassett, who was with the MLS club last season as a homegrown player.
Plus, Nico Campuzano will start the season as the team’s primary goalkeeper.
John K’s Projected Riverhounds Season Opening Starting XI and Depth Chart
Goalkeepers
- Nico Campuzano
- Mitch Budler
- Mike Sheridan
Forwards
- Albert Dikwa
- Trevor Amann
- Brigham Larsen
- Aldi Flowers-Gamboa *
Central Midfielder
- Danny Griffin
- Bradley Sample
- Jackson Walti
- Sam Bassett
- Warren Agostini*
Attacking Midfielder
- Robbie Mertz
- Charles Ahl
- Eliot Goldthorpe
- Jorge Garcia
Outside Back / Winger
- Perrin Barnes
- Junior Etou
- Max Viera
Center Back / Defender
- Beto Ydrach
- Guillaume Vacter
- Victor Souza
- Illal Osumanu
- Lasse Kelp
- Owen Mikoy
On roster (not announced yet) — Israel Neto
*USL Academy contract
PSN’s Featured Community Partner: Open Field International
World Soccer Collection
Global Game, Local Home: Explore our World Soccer Collection
Takeaways/Player Grades
Takeaways: Red Bulls didn’t take Riverhounds lightly and it showed
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Sobering Dose of Reality: Clinical Red Bulls dismiss Riverhounds, 3-1
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
USL Championship Atlantic Division Preview: Familiarity breeds contempt
