Road Trip Roadblock: Riverhounds’ attack stymied in 1–0 defeat at Birmingham

The Riverhounds struggled to generate quality chances, falling on the road to Birmingham Legion FC, 1-0, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, AL on Sunday afternoon.

Birmingham took the lead in the 25th minute when Sebastian Tregarthen capitalized on a cross from left-back Dawson McCartney to beat the Hounds at the near post.

While matching the hosts with 10 shots, Pittsburgh could not find many solutions in the final third, generating one shot on frame along with hitting the woodwork once, while also sharing in a tight possession battle that slightly favored the hosts (51/49).

“I think it was a relatively even game overall. We probably got into some positions we wanted to higher up the field, particularly in the second half, areas we like to be in. But the final quality was lacking today,” Rob Vincent, Riverhounds Head Coach stated after the match.  “Eliot (Goldthorp) hit the post with the good strike, but a lot of the crosses didn’t hit anybody. They took one of the few chances they created, and we’ve got to be able to find one on our end.”

With this result, this was Pittsburgh’s (2W-3L-1D) first loss to Birmingham since 2022 and the Legion FC’s first win of the season.  Pittsburgh has now started the season with just one win in five road league matches and have yet to post a shutout in league play.

The Hounds will have a very short turnaround, as they’ll stay on the road, facing NY Red Bulls in the US Open Cup on Wednesday night in Harrison, NJ.

Look for a more detailed recap, post match reaction and PSN’s Match Takeaways, to follow late Sunday and Monday.  

First Half 

For the first time this season, the Riverhounds really tweaked its lineup with some tactical changes, with four in the back  and a line-up that included a five player midfield grouping of Robbie Mertz, Eliot Goldthorp, Danny Griffin Sam Bassett and Jackson Walti.

Birmingham Legion took a 1-0 lead over the Riverhounds following a physical and tightly contested opening 40 minutes at Protective Stadium. The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Sebastian Tregarthen capitalized on a cross from left-back Dawson McCartney, finishing from close range into the bottom left corner to give the hosts the advantage.

For the second consecutive week and for the fifth time in six matches this season, the Hounds found themselves trailing in the first half.

The Riverhounds tried to generate chances around the activity of Eliot Goldthorp and Robbie Mertz in the right and left attacking midfield channels underneath Albert Dikwa at the target forward spot.

The best chance for Pittsburgh in the first half — and the match — came when Goldthorp got into transition on the left side in the 37th minute, taking a blistering left-footed strike from the left side that banged off the right post.

Birmingham’s Samuel McIllhatton picked up the game’s only yellow card in the 14th minute for a heavy challenge on Mertz, and the flow of play was further disrupted by a late injury scare for Goldthorp, though he remained on the pitch.

In a first half where the shots were level (5-5), the hosts put the only two on frame, while the Hounds were left with only Goldthorp’s post ringer.  Throughout the first 45 minutes, Hounds two leading goal scorers, Albert Dikwa and Sam Bassett, rarely touched the ball.

Pittsburgh goalkeeper, Nico Campuzano made one save in the first half.

Pittsburgh controlled some stretches of play and earned several corners, but they headed into the locker room searching for a way to turn their offensive pressure into a clinical finish.

Second Half

The Riverhounds struggled to find space to operate in the final third at the outset of the second half.

Seeking to unlock Birmingham’s stout block, Rob Vincent’s first subs came in the 68th minute, bringing on Max Viera and Bradley Sample, hoping to create a spark.

In the 72nd minute, in a sequence emblematic of the way things were going, Robbie Mertz took a pass from Max Viera, then took a turn toward the edge of the box, then played a wide ball to the line for Veira to make an overlapping run forward, but Veira didn’t make the run.

Two more subs came on as Trevor Amann and Brigham Larsen replaced Albert Dikwa and Eliot Goldthorp for fresh legs at the top of the attack.

Shortly after coming on, Larsen was on the end of a few flicks — sending header chances including one that was saved fairly comfortably by Legion FC keeper Jassem Koleilat in the 79th minute

The Hounds had an opportunity to put Koleilat to another test in the 87th minute, but Sam Bassett’s free kick from 25 yards sailed high over the bar.

Birmingham stretched Pittsburgh in the 89th minute, with clever combination passing that led to a Peter-Lee Vassell shot that beat Hounds’ keeper Nico Campuzano.  However, the wide provider, Gevork Diarbian was caught offside by a hair.

A set piece chance came in the 90th minute when Mertz’ corner service connected with Trevor Amann — but the ball sailed over the bar.

In the dying seconds of stoppage time, the Hounds earned a free kick on the left side.  With everyone forward, Mertz delivered the set piece to the far post that was cleared over the end line.  With a corner chance, Bassett teed up a right footed outswinging serve that was also cleared away — sending Pittsburgh to its third loss in league play this season.

When asked about the team’s busy schedule this week, with this being the first of three matches in seven days, Vincent said that he simply looked to put out his best possible lineup.

“It wasn’t as much about rotation, I think. It was more about trying to put our strongest lineup out and get more attackers on the field,” Vincent said.

“With Robbie and Eliot, as well as Sam, that gives us more attackers in a variety of positions. It didn’t pay dividends today. There was also a little bit of change of system we felt could’ve helped us… we felt we finished the game strong in Indy in that shape and went with that today. I’m not overly worried it didn’t work, because I think it was an even game, but in those games, it comes down to who’s going to take their chances.”

John Krysinsky

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).