Riverhounds Notebook: Road gauntlet begins at Indy with clash against former title hero Eric Dick

The Hounds enter the weekend on a high after a clinical midweek Open Cup victory, which they learned on Thursday sets up a high-profile Round of 32 clash against the NY Red Bulls on April 15 in Harrison, NJ.

However, Head Coach Rob Vincent has been clear: while the team’s advancement in the Open Cup and glamour of having an opportunity to knock off another MLS opponent is a great opportunity, the immediate priority for this club will be finding 90-minute consistency in league play starting with this Saturday’s match-up in Indianapolis, as they face Indy Eleven, who feature Pittsburgh’s most recent goalkeeping postseason hero, Eric Dick.

While most eyes of the sports world will be on Indianapolis this weekend as it hosts the NCAA Men’s Final Four, the Hounds will be facing a  high-energy atmosphere at ‘the Mike’.

This Hounds’ squad is currently navigating a grueling stretch early in the season having just played Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday gauntlet.  The only reprieve was they did play the last three at home — all wins — two in Open Cup and one league victory.

Following Saturday’s tilt in Indy, the Hounds will keep logging frequent flyer miles to face Birmingham Legion before a quick turnaround to New Jersey. Vincent is emphasizing defensive discipline during this road gauntlet, looking to sharpen a backline that has shown shown it has depth and valuable experience but also uncharacteristic leakiness in the early weeks of the 2026 campaign.

By all indications, the Hounds are nearing full strength, as both players who started the season on the injury report, Robbie Mertz and Eliot Goldthorp have been back in the rotation, with Goldthorp showing excellent form in his second start in Tuesday’s Open Cup win vs Virginia.

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The Friendly Reunion: Facing Eric Dick

For the first time since the 2025 Championship celebrations, the Hounds will look across the pitch and see Eric Dick—the man who kept 15 clean sheets for them last year, postseason MVP and the league’s Gold Glove winner the previous year —wearing Indy Eleven blue.

USL Championship postseason MVP Eric Dick will not return to Riverhounds in 2026

While it was a short time, Dick arguably authored the greatest individual goalkeeping era in club history.

It started in 2024, as Dick came to Pittsburgh via combine as a veteran journeyman keeper with many stops along the way in his career. Dick seized the opportunity to finally be the primary keeper for a club — and did so in a big way in his first season in Pittsburgh — sweeping the league’s top honors, claiming the USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year, the Golden Glove (0.69 GAA), and First Team All-USL honors.

Last season, Dick cemented his legacy by being named the 2025 USL Championship Final MVP, recording shutouts in all four playoff matches—including a critical penalty kick save in the Final at Tulsa.

In 632 minutes of play overall to close out his time in Pittsburgh, the fourth-longest such streak in club history, Dick ended his run with the club with six straight clean sheets — including a pair of 120-minute shutouts — to break his own team record with 15 clean sheets on the season.

Eric Dick posted 30 shutouts in all competitions for the Hounds (in 61 appearances!), breaking the club record set by its first starting GK, Randy Dedini (1999-2003) —a staggering 49% shutout rate.

Dick made it clear in the off-season that his move was a life decision to return to his roots in Carmel, Indiana.

He remains deeply connected to his former teammates, recently stating that his time in Pittsburgh “saved his career” and that the 2025 title remains his proudest achievement.

“I had to look at the whole basket of life,” Dick shared upon his departure.

“The focus was not just about the game, but making a decision that was positive for me and my family at this stage of my career. The Riverhounds saved my career, and I’ll always be thankful for the ‘412’, but I had to chase this chance to play at home.”

The feeling is mutual in the locker room. Captain Danny Griffin noted it would be strange to see Eric in the opposite goal, but added:

“Eric was a massive part of our culture. We’re happy for him being home, but for 90 minutes on Saturday, he’s just the guy we have to beat,” Griffin said.

Dick has been a stabilizing force for Indy, sporting an 80% save percentage. While he is still hunting for his first clean sheet of 2026, he has transformed an Indy defense that struggled with its identity last season.

So far, the 6’5″ shot-stopper has been exactly what Indy Eleven (1-1-1) needed.

While Indy has struggled with late-game consistency (notably a late own goal that cost them a win at Hartford), Dick has provided a plus in the Goals Added and Goals Prevented metrics, keeping Indy in every contest despite facing a high volume of shots early on.

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Statistical Deep Dive: The Search for Defensive Consistency

Rob Vincent has introduced a higher defensive line and a greater emphasis on possession but the team switched gears a bit this past week with a more direct approach and keeping things a bit tighter in the back — racing out to a 3-0 early lead against Jacksonville and posting its first shutout of the season in its Open Cup win vs Virginia Dream.

Metric	2025 (Dick Era)	2026 (Under Vincent)
Shots Allowed/Game	8.5	12.2
Goals Against Avg	0.69	1.80
Save Percentage	79.1%	66.7%

While current Hounds’ keeper Nico Campuzano has been forced into more reflex saves than Dick was typically asked to make, the team showed a tactical gear-shift in their 3-2 home-opening win vs. Jacksonville.

By playing more direct, they exploded for a 3-0 lead through 49 minutes behind an Albert Dikwa brace and Sam Bassett’s 30-yard wonder strike.

Vincent’s challenge this weekend is blending that clinical, direct efficiency with the defensive shell that defined last year’s title run.

And yet, this is the match-up that will test Pittsburgh’s versatility, as they are also well-equipped and have put a lot of time an effort this year in becoming a team that would like to own the possession battle.  Against Indy, that may be a critical part of the tactical chess match that will be fascinating to watch.

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Scouting Indy Eleven: Tactical Matchup

Indy Eleven (1-1-1) comes into the weekend following a disappointing midweek Open Cup exit, meaning they’ll be hungry for a league rebound. Indy’s last league match was a disappointing result after a late own goal forced them to settle for a 2-2 draw at Hartford after leading 2-1.

The Eleven are hoping to right the ship after a stinging 2-1 USOC Second Round loss to Union Omaha (USL League One) this past Tuesday. The match turned in the 59th minute when goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook was sent off, forced Indy to play down a man for over 30 minutes.

The tactical battle on the sideline between Indy and Pittsburgh should be compelling. Indy Eleven is entering its second full season under Sean McAuley, a manager who has instilled a high-octane, athletic identity since arriving from Minnesota United (MLS).

McAuley’s teams are known for being younger, faster, and more vertical than Indy squads of years past. They favor a front-foot approach, using a high press to force turnovers and transitioning quickly through the wings. With the addition of Loic Mesanvi and the retention of Aodhan Quinn in midfield, they look to bypass traditional build-up play in favor of rapid service to Bruno Rendón.

Expect the Eleven to leverage Dick’s elite distribution. Dick is currently completing 42% of his long balls, often acting as the first attacker to kick start counters that catch high defensive lines—like the one Rob Vincent has been implementing—out of position. As a result, Indy has shifted to a more vertical style under pressure, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out and if the Hounds bring a steady high-press, or opt to play more deliberately.

Still, Indy Eleven (1-1-1 in league play) is a team searching for its footing after a turbulent week.

While they dominated Detroit City FC in their home opener, they’ve shown a tendency to switch off late in matches, as seen in their 2-2 draw with Hartford. McAuley has been vocal this week about the need for 90-minute concentration.

In a way, this is a match between two teams that have not closed out league matches well.

Dick isn’t the only reunion on the menu; he’ll likely be communicating with another former Hounds postseason hero, Edward Kizza, who now leads the line for the Eleven alongside Rendón. 

Now in his second season with Indy Eleven, Kizza is a player Hounds fans remember fondly for his knack for the big moment—most notably his 2022 postseason heroics and his clinical 12-goal campaign in 2024. Kizza has appeared in three league matches so far this season, totaling approximately 27 minutes of action. While he hasn’t found the back of the net yet in league play, he remains a constant threat in the final 15 minutes of matches.

The Hounds haven’t won in Indy since 2021. To break that streak, they’ll need to bypass a goalkeeper who knows their attacking triggers better than anyone in the USL.

Summary Table: Hounds at Indy (Last 5 Meetings)

Wnning in Indianapolis is never easy, the Hounds have a knack for the impossible” at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

It’s been a pattern of red for the Hounds in Indy thus far this decade. In August 2022, the Hounds secured a gutsy 2-0 win in Indy despite playing most of the match with 10 men after Marc Ybarra was sent off. Remarkably, Hounds players have been sent off in three of the last four trips to Indy. In 2021, Jelani Peters was sent off but the Hounds hung on for a 1-0 win. In 2023, they played down a man for nearly the entire match after a 4th-minute red card on Pat Hogan but still managed to escape with a 1-1 draw.

The Hounds haven’t won at “The Mike” since that 2022 match.

Date	PSN Match Summary / Analysis	Result	Score
June 14, 2025	Takeaways and Player Grades: Sluggish Riverhounds didn’t have a lot going forward in 1-0 loss at Indy	Loss	0-1
August 31, 2024	Resolute 10-man Riverhounds burnt in stoppage time again, settle for 1-1 draw at Indy	Draw	1-1
April 29, 2023	Takeaways and Player Grades: Without ambition in final third, Hounds fail to put away Indy	Draw	1-1
August 6, 2022	Match Report: Ten-Man Hounds Ride Defense, Cicerone’s Brace Past Indy Eleven, 2-0	Win	2-0
June 15, 2021	FINAL: Riverhounds SC 1, Indy Eleven 0	Win	1-0