The primary focus for the Hounds this week as they look to bounce back from its season opening 2-1 loss at Charlestion, is to make sure they’re playing with a greater sense of urgency from the start.
Following Thursday’s practice session, Assistant Coach Adam Mitchell shared more on his soccer journey and his experience thus far as he’s transitioned from college game, coaching at Duquesne the previous seven years, to his first go-around on the pro level with the Riverhounds. You can listen to the full interview on Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s YouTube page.
In addition, the Hounds’ two players signed to USL Academy Contracts, Aldi Flowers-Gamboa and Warren Agostoni, did their first interview with Pittsburgh Soccer Now together on Thursday. Initially, a short feature from the interview with the two teens was originally going to be included in this edition of the Notebook, but that turned into a deeper dive which was published on Friday morning.
While Rob Vincent was occupied talking with players after Thursday’s training session, which was held outdoors as the Hounds appeared to be more than acclimated to cold weather conditions. In a quick check in with him later, the Hounds’ gaffer confirmed that Robbie Mertz, one of the players he was conversing with at length after training on Thursday, would be making the trip to Virginia on Saturday.
Mertz is officially listed as questionable, as it Eliot Goldthorpe, who wasn’t available last week either with a lower leg issue.
Mitchell also reflected on the Hounds’ performance at Charleston, as well as identified the mindset shifts the team needs to make as they move past a disappointing first week of its USL Championship title defense and prepare for this Saturday afternoon’s contest in Leesburg, VA, when they face Loudoun United FC.
We take a closer look at the Hounds’ opponents on Saturday below and also breakdown how the club has started each season in Highmark Stadium era, when Rob Vincent arrived as a player in 2013.
With the quick turnaround to the Open Cup match vs Steel City on Tuesday, look for more content from both sides to follow Sunday and Monday. If you missed it, two of Steel City’s leaders and midfielders, Nick Graeca and Grant McIntosh, came on this past week’s episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast to discuss the match-up and much more (including McIntosh on his relationship with Adam Mitchell, who recruited him).
Mitchell: Hounds need ‘to be a little more assertive’
In taking lessons learned from the opening loss at Charleston, Mitchell felt that it was statistically tight, adding: “It felt like it on the day it was just a pretty even game. They took their chances and we took one… obviously disappointed, you want to win every game.”
“I think our big takeaway is just to be a little bit more assertive with things, whether that was on the ball or in the press.”
Though Charleston dominated play at the start, for most of the first half and early in the second half, Mitchell’s assessment holds some merit as the match ended in a 50%–50% possession split and Charleston held a 9-6 shots edge. Plus, Nico Campuzano’s outstanding saves kept the match from being an early Charleston blitzkrieg.
Both in PSN’s Takeaways and Player Grades and closer look at the match metrics showed that Charleston controlled more of the game flow.
Mitchell also touched on how he hopes to build upon the defensive foundation the Riverhounds are known for while also progress a bit more in getting a leg up in winning the possession battles.
“Defensively sound, but we want to get on the ball a little bit more… I want to complement everything you guys have achieved and done… [and] try and complement what happens here and the success they’ve had for years.”
Bottom line here, Mitchell emphasized that the Riverhounds’ success depends more on their own execution than the opponent’s tactics as they prepared to face a Loudoun United FC squad that has not played yet as it’s opener at Rhode Island was postponed due to snow removal issues in New England.
“Moving into this weekend… [we want to be] more aggressive and assertive in possession and out of possession.”
“If we know that we’re ourselves… it’s not as much as important about what the opposition is doing. Obviously, you want to try and nullivize certain moments, but I think if we’re at it, we’re going to give ourselves a good shot in any game against anyone in the league.”
The team ended a full-week of training outdoors at AHN Montour with an intense session on Thursday, that was followed up on Friday morning before the team got on the road to North Virginia.
“It’s cliche, you’re going game by game… [it’s] Loudoun first, Steel City next, and then Tampa after that. I think that’s just the way we’ve got to handle it ultimately to get the best results.”
What to expect from Loudoun?
Mitchell mentioned that the Hounds (and PSN) had an opportunity to see Loudoun up-close in the preseason, in a match played indoors at AHN Montour, that the Hounds won 2-1.
The club from Northern Virginia added seven more players to the roster who weren’t with the team for that mid-February preseason contest.
This will be the first time these two teams will meet in the regular season with two completely different coaches roaming the sidelines. In addition to Vincent replacing Bob Lilley, Loudoun have also transitioned from former Jay Vidovich understudy Ryan Martin, who is now the Head Coach of the Oakland Roots. Coming in for Loudoun is Australian manager Anthony Limbrick who is being brought on board as the club’s new Head Coach, while former USL Championship Coach of the Year Alen Marcina (previously at San Antonio FC where he won USLC title), arrived at the club late in 2025, being promoted to Sporting Director.
Marcina is the club’s fourth Sporting Director in the past year, as the organization faced very public ownership challenges. For now, things appeared to have been steadied after some turmoil last season when the club faced reports of “threadbare” conditions and financial difficulties — including players reportedly washing their own kits and poor field conditions at Segra Field—several factors indicate a turnaround following the club’s merger with Virginia Revolution. This merger was specifically aimed at providing financial support for player signings and integrating facilities to stabilize the club.
On the field, despite numerous departures — many who went with Martin to Oakland — the club has one of the most exciting and promising attacking threats in the Championship in Abdellatif Aboukoura. If you recall, last season, for the first time in the series with the Riverhounds that dates back to 2019, Loudoun held the upper hand in the series last season, with Aboukoura scoring a game-winner in the team’s first contest at Leesburg.
“All in all, it’s going to be a tough game. They are a very good side,” Limbrick said this week as his club prepares to face the Riverhounds bringing in a high-level of confidence.
“It’s a tough test, but I feel like we’re ready for it. The players are up for it. We can deliver our best self for us. I really feel like this team can beat anyone on their day, there’s no doubt about that.
In the preseason match, the Hounds high press was quite effective early on, forcing numerous mistakes by Loudoun’s back line. The tables turned briefly at the start of the second half when Loudoun’s talented young attackers Jack Panayotou and Arquimides Ordóñez took advantage of regaining possession deep in the last third, with a fast strike finish in front of goal.
It always seems like the Riverhounds have a road-heavy early season schedule and get off to slow starts. Is that really the case?
Right up there with death and taxes– it always feels like another certainty in recent years is that the Riverhounds have to endure early season road heavy-schedule and — more-often-than-not — a sluggish start to the season.
After taking a deep dive into this, Riverhounds’ faithful can certainly point to some very ominous starts to seasons. There were times when they overcame poor starts (namely in 2013, 2019 and most recently last year), but there have been a few seasons sprinkled in there where they got off to a good start. The Hounds record early in the season may coincide with that of Punxsutawney Phil, who overwhelmingly predicted six more weeks of winter more times than not during the same period, seeing his shadow 11 times and forecasting an early spring only 3 times.
As for the road-heavy schedule to start the season? That’s been a bit of an on and off and on-again proposition.
When combining the first five matches of every season since 2013, the Hounds have posted an overall record of 14W-24L-28D, playing 58 percent of its matches early in the season on the road (38/65 games).
Bottom line here — the Hounds have found things to be bumpy more often than not at the start of most seasons since Highmark Stadium opened.
Here’s a closer, season-by-season look at how the team has started in each of the past 13 years:
- 2013 — started off 0-4-3 in league play. Hounds did not pick up a win until May 9; made USL Pro postseason as club finished 10W-8L-8D, lead by League MVP Jose Angulo’s 15 goals. Seven of the first eight matches were played on the road. Summary: BAD START & ROAD HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE — SOLID OVERALL SEASON IN HIGHMARK DEBUT
- 2014 –started off 0-6-4 in league play. Head Coach Justin Evans was fired in late May. Hounds didn’t pick up first win of season until June 7. While the first two matches were on the road, the Hounds did play five of its first nine matches that season at home. Summary: BAD START & FAVORABLE EARLY SCHEDULE — SUBPAR SEASON DESPITE BETTER SECOND HALF
- 2015 — this was one of the exception years. That season the Hounds played four of its first five matches at home. Granted, the first two matches were played at or near freezing temperatures at Highmark. Current Head Coach Rob Vincent and his counterpart, Kevin Kerr, came out like gangbusters that season (Kerr had a hat trick in season opener and Vincent scored twice vs Harrisburg). Still, they only won twice before May 16. That was an up-and-down team that was 3-3-3 before the ‘Miracle on the Mon’ win. The Hounds would earn a playoff spot that season while completing and enduring the Keystone Derby Cup four-match series with a win at Harrisburg on the final day of the regular season. Summary: GOOD START & FAVORABLE EARLY SCHEDULE — ROLLER COSTER RIDE OF SEASON ENDING WITH ROAD PLAYOFF LOSS
- 2016 — while starting the season with four of the first seven matches on the road didn’t seem to be too bad, the team was abysmal at the start. An 0-3-4 start in league play, compounded by Romeo Parkes kicking incident vs NY Red Bulls followed by an embarrassing US Open Cup loss to amateur side, Landsdown Bhoys, would see the Hounds’ Head Coach Mark Steffans become the second coach to be fired in three years after a poor start. Summary: ABYSMAL START & UNREMARKABLE EARLY SCHEDULE — THE WORST SEASON IN HIGHMARK STADIUM ERA
- 2017 — the Hounds would start the season with two home matches (and five in the first eight), but could only produce one win in its first six (1-2-3) in Dave Brandt’s only full season at helm. That would be the last Riverhounds’ team to miss the postseason, but they did take back the Keystone Derby Cup after Harrisburg took it in 2016. Summary: NOT A GOOD START EVEN WITH FAVORABLE EARLY SCHEDULE — DESPITE WINNING BACK KEYSTONE DERBY CUP, SEASON ENDED WITH POOR FINISH, OUT OF PLAYOFFS AGAIN
- 2018 — In Bob Lilley’s first year with the club, the Hounds had their best start in the Highmark Stadium era to that point — starting the season without giving up a goal in the first five matches and would be unbeaten (4W-0L-6D) until May 30th loss to Nashville. After Opening the season at Nashville, the Hounds played four of the next six matches at home in April and May. Summary: BEST START IN HIGHMARK STADIUM ERA WITH FAVORABLE EARLY SCHEDULE — GROUNDBREAKING DEBUT OF BOB LILLEY ERA INCLUDED FIRST HOME PLAYOFF MATCH, BUT ENDED IN BITTER LOSS IN PK SHOOTOUT
- 2019 — The Hounds started its first four matches of the season on the road, getting off to a sluggish 1W-1L-2D start, though they did beat defending USLC title holders Louisville on the road in that stretch. The Hounds would only lose three more times during the regular season, notching an impressive 19W-4L-11D mark which was good for Eastern Conference top spot. Summary: NOT A GOOD START, ROAD-HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE — ENDED AS ONE OF BEST SEASONS IN RIVERHOUNDS’ CLUB HISTORY TO THAT POINT FINISHING FIRST IN EASTERN CONFERENCE
- 2020 — Even with COVID-19 shortened season, the Hounds started the first two and three of the first four matches on the road. Two of the team’s four losses that season came at the start, but considering the many poor starts the franchise has had in its recent history, a 2W-2L-0D start wasn’t that bad. In condensed season, the Hounds lost a critical late rematch vs Hartford which cost them from finishing atop its group and would put them on the road to start the playoffs, where they would lose at Louisville. Summary: MEDIOCRE, UP-AND-DOWN START WITH ROAD-SLANTED EARLY SCHEDULE — DISAPPOINTING END TO SEASON WITH LATE REGULAR SEASON LOSS VS HARTFORD WHICH COST TOP OF GROUP FINISH & FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF LOSS AT LOUISVILLE
- 2021 — Another later start to the season saw the Hounds play the first two on the road (at Tampa Bay and at Hartford), before coming home to face a team they never fared well against (Charlotte). It was yet another slow start (0W-2L-1D), as Tampa Bay’s 3-0 win in the opener hit the Hounds like a ton of bricks. The club would finish 17-8-7 that season — but would never get a chance to find out if they could make a postseason run due to forfieting playoff match at Birmingham due to having too many players with COVID. Summary: ANOTHER SLOW START WITH ROAD-SLANTED EARLY SCHEDULE — DISAPPOINTING ‘WHAT-IF’ SEASON AS HOUNDS HAD TO FORFEIT PLAYOFF MATCH AT BIRMINGHAM DUE TO COVID-19 CASES
- 2022 — Another exception year — here the Hounds started off strong and played two of its first four matches at home and also got off to a 4W-0L-1D start before they hit some midseason bumps. They would right the ship and get some playoff redemption in Birmingham before losing at Louisville in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. Summary: VERY GOOD START TO SEASON — WITH EQUITABLE EARLY SEASON SCHEDULE — PLAYOFF REDEMPTION CAME WITH THRILLING PK SHOOTOUT WIN AT BIRMINGHAM BUT ALSO MORE HEARTBREAK AT LOUISVILLE AGAIN
- 2023 — The Hounds started the season, which it would win the Players Shield for most points in the regular season, with four of its first five matches on the road. Despite the impressive regular season, they started off that stretch with a 1W-1L-3D mark. Summary: AVERAGE START — ROAD-HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE — SEASON ENDED WITH CLUB’S FIRST-EVER USLC PLAYERS SHIELD BUT MORE PLAYOFF HEARTBREAK WITH STUNNING FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF LOSS TO #8 SEED DETROIT
- 2024 — Again there were only two home matches in the first six and the Hounds got off to a terrible start (0W-3L-2D) before earning a road win at Phoenix in late April. This team bottomed out in July before they finally turned things around in the second half of the season to keep its playoff streak alive. They would lose in the First Round at Charleston. Summary: ANOTHER ROAD-HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE COINCIDING WITH WORST START OF BOB LILLEY ERA — HOUNDS KEPT PLAYOFF STREAK ALIVE WITH STRONG LATE SEASON PUSH, BUT ANOTHER EARLY PLAYOFF EXIT CAME AT CHARLESTON
- 2025 — The eventual league title winners would start the season with two road matches (loss and draw) and would only play two of its first seven at home and getting off to a very bumpy 2W-6L-2D start to the season. Summary: ANOTHER ROAD-HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE WAS NOT AS TAXING AS PREVIOUS WITH TWO HOME MATCHES IN LATE MARCH, BUT ANOTHER ROUGH START TO SEASON — REMARKABLE LATE SEASON RUN AS PLAYERS UNITE WITH ROB VINCENT AS ACTING COACH & HOUNDS CAPTURE CLUB’S FIRST-EVER USL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
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