Riverhounds defeat Virginia Dream FC 2-0 to advance in US Open Cup

On to the round of 32!

With a resounding win over Fourth Division NPSL side Virginia Dream FC out of Falls Church, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds will move on in the US Open Cup, the oldest soccer competition in the United States.

Pittsburgh head coach Rob Vincent started a mostly veteran lineup of his top players, including midfielders Danny Griffin and Robbie Mertz, goalkeeper Nico Campuzano, and Jackson Walti. Newer Hounds like forward Trevor Amann, defender Owen Mikoy, and former Maryland Terrapin Lasse Kelp were also in the starting XI for the Hounds, as was wide forward Eliot Goldthorp. Goldthorp had missed some time with injury, while Kelp was playing in his first match for Pittsburgh, as he was waiting on his P1-A visa to allow him to play in the US until now.

The first half revealed that the two teams had vastly different approaches to the match. The Riverhounds looked to put Virginia under pressure in their own half while also carefully maintaining possession throughout. Meanwhile, Dream FC settled into a sturdy low-block defensive formation in their own half, taking very little risk and inviting the Riverhounds to try to find what little space existed. And through the first half, it pretty much worked. “I was a little frustrated after the first half,” said Hounds Head Coach Rob Vincent. “They sat in a deep block, and really condensed their half of the field and really made it hard to play through.” Hounds Forward Eliot Goldthorp seemed genuinely impressed with the amateur side from the DC-Maryland-Virginia area, saying “(Virginia Dream) were fantastic. All credit to them, they were difficult to breakdown. They had a clear plan, that they were going to sit off.”

Vincent knew, though, that his side had better in them. “There was a little lack of creativity, a lack of bravery, and that’s what we addressed at halftime,” Vincent explained.

The Hounds came out of the locker room with renewed purpose and more aggression, and they were able to make something of that not long after returning to the field.

In the 51st minute, the Hounds were fouled on a drive into enemy territory. After the foul, Robbie Mertz was tasked with taking the free kick from 35 yards out. Mertz curled a lovely ball to the far post, and his fellow Hounds veteran Danny Griffin made a run onto the ball and volleyed it straight into the back of the net to take the 1-0 lead. The goal was Griffin’s fourth all-time in US Open Cup play, tying the record amongst Riverhounds players, which he now holds with his coach, Rob Vincent. In the postgame, when informed of this fact, Vincent quipped, “Yeah, but I did it in fewer games so my ratio is better.”*

Just a few minutes later, Eliot Goldthorp was on the attack at the top-right of the Dream box when he was knocked over. The young Brit was tasked with taking the penalty kick on the ensuing play, and belted a shot hard and low past the diving keeper to make it 2-0.

The Hounds would get a few more chances on the night, and ultimately finished with 20 shots to Virginia Dream FC’s 3 shots. Throughout the match, but particularly through the first 60 minutes, Pittsburgh put moderate zone pressure on Virginia Dream all the way in their own end, which often resulted in Dream recycling the ball back to their goalkeeper for a punt. In general, it was rare to see the Dream string together more than five or six passes before Pittsburgh took it away.

“Playing the game in their half was important to us,” said the victorious Goldthorp, and with those words he gave an accurate assessment of both what the Hounds wanted to do in the game and what they did do ultimately on the night to get the win.

Eliot Goldthorp concluded his postgame comments by summing up the feelings of all the Hounds; “Thankfully on the night, we did the job.”

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*Upon scrutiny, this detail is in fact correct. Danny has 4 goals in 11 USOC games; Vincent has 4 goals in 8 games.

Photo Gallery

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Video Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2RR3vAphj4

Live Recap

FT – Hounds make a few attacks and the game peters out. Pittsburgh through to the Round of 32 in USOC 2026

90+1 – Shot Hounds! Blocked.

89′ – Bassett a gorgeous throughball to Max Viera deep down the left wing. He crosses to a wide open Brigham Larsen for a near layup chance on the right side of goal. Larsen whiffs wide left.

82′ – Hounds sub. Eliot Goldthorp off, Victor Souza on.

79′ – Ball falls to Eliot Goldthorp and he has a half-volley on his right foot; puts it wide though. If he was more clinical tonight, he might have a double-brace.

76′ – Hounds work the ball in on 30 or so passes to get a cross onto Eliot Goldthorp’s head. Wide and high. PGH have have a lot of opportunities.

74′ I am informed that the goal was Danny Griffin’s 4th in USOC. That ties him as the all-time Hounds leader with … Rob Vincent. Who is the Hounds coach.

71′ – More Hounds subs. Amann and Garcia off. Brigham Larsen and Charles Ahl on

69′ – A shot from Virginia Dream! Right at Campuzano, easy save. That was the Dream’s first shot of the match.

67′ – Hounds Subs; Mikoy and Griffin off, Sam Bassett and Perrin Barnes

65′ – Hounds chance! Saved.

59′ – GOAL RIVERHOUNDS! Foul in the box for Dream and the Hounds have a PK! Eliot Goldthorp buries it low and to the right, and the Hounds go up 2-0.

55′ Akingbolaham Akinkoye comes off for Dream. I didn’t catch who came on.

51′ – GOAL HOUNDS. Danny Griffin volleys one over the line from inside the six-yard box on a 35 yard free kick from Robbie Mertz, and the two long-tenured Hounds combine to give the team a 1-0 lead.

49′ – Hounds get a free kick 25 yards out as Robbie Mertz is brought down. Eliot Goldthorp takes the shot with his right foot (he is ambidexterous with his feet) but goes over the bar.

HT

45′ – Went down to take pics. One good opportunity at 42′ from Trevor Amann but called offsides. Amann complained and picked up a Yellow Card.

32′ – Hounds free kick in a nice spot 35 yards out. Two in the wall for Virginia Dream. Goldthorp with a left-footed curler, wide left.

29′ – Goldthorp sends in nice lofted cross to Trevor Amann in front of goal, juuuust over his head. Still scoreless at Highmark Stadium.

24′ – PGH has a zone press on, and it often has forced Virginia to recycle and punt. It’s boring, but hey, if it works, I guess…

21′ – The Hounds don’t look all that organized. Been trying to get down the right side on the run or hit a midfield diagonal to Trevor Amann on the left side. Neither has worked yet.

17′ – Hounds get into the box and Eliot GoldGoldthorp takes a shot. Blocked out of bounds, corner, headed out by a Dream player. On the second corner,

7′ – Dream have a corner kick. Campuzano claims.

4′ – Hounds have had all the possession, working it down the right side with Max Viera and into the box, but no shots yet.

1′ – Kick off. We’re up and running. Virginia Dream in pink.

Starting XI

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

1 Nico Campuzano – GK; 13 Max Viera – D, 28 Ilal Osumanu – D, 6 Owen Mikoy – D, 4 Lasse Kelp – D, 42 Jackson Walti – M, 2 Danny Griffin – M, 14 Robbie Mertz – M, 18 Jorge Garcia – M, 37 Eliot Goldthorp – M, 7 Trevor Amann – F

Head Coach Rob Vincent

Virginia Dream FC

Hector Guerrero – GK; 31 Michael Deshields – D, James Fileman – D, Gnaoua Dominique Florian Kossehasse – D, 14 Harri Hawkins (C) – D, Akingbolaham Akinkoye – M, 10 Jean-Christophe Koffi – M, 16 Asparu Slavov – M, Elijah Amo – F, 98 Zoumana Diarra – F, Nicolas Likulia – F

Head Coach CJ Tillman

Game Info

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round
Riverhounds vs. Virginia Dream FC
Date: Tuesday, March 31
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Not available
Streaming: Paramount+
Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2
Live updates: Pittsburghsoccernow.com
Match hashtag: #PITvVIR and #USOC2026