Statement Victory in Station Square: Riverhounds fire out the gate to blitz Charleston, 3-1

USL Championship – Match Day 20

FINAL: Hounds 3, Charleston 1

Match Stats: USL Championship Center 

Match Summary

On a night when members of last year’s championship squad were presented with their 2025 USL Championship rings, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC delivered a performance worthy of royalty, storming out of the gates to stun their fiercest Old Guard Shield rivals, the Charleston Battery, 3-1 before a roaring, sellout crowd of 6,020 at F.N.B. Stadium.

Forget the mid-week spreadsheets and final-third metrics—the Hounds needed less than 120 seconds to shatter the narrative. Facing the league’s top-scoring attack, Rob Vincent’s squad came out with pure venom, blitzing Charleston with two goals in the opening 16 minutes to seize total command of the derby and snap a two-year winless drought against the Battery dating back to October 2024.

“Super proud of the guys,” Vincent said after the match.

“I just asked the guys to play with a ton of intensity. We kept getting pressure on the ball. We kept making them second guess what they were doing. I think all 16 guys who were on the field tonight but in an incredible shift.”

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HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

It took just 99 seconds for the fireworks to begin.

Hounds forward Trevor Amann — always lethal on the front foot — buried one in the back of the net. Taking a pass from Jackson Walti, Amann delivered the sharp strike to the back right corner to add his sixth goal of the season.

“Full credit to Trevor, for staying onside,” Vincent stated.

“He’s been off side on that a few times this season.  A bit slow to get back. He’s the kind of guy who can pounce on, a little bit of disorganization. That happens a lot early, when they sent a ball forward, but they probably weren’t expecting such a quick ball back over the top.”

Before the second-place Battery (10-6-3) could catch their breath, Pittsburgh struck again on the counter. In the 16th minute, Amann turned provider, leading a flying breakaway before rolling a pass into the path of surging captain Danny Griffin. Griffin slid in to slot the ball into the net for his 20th all-time goal in a Hounds sweater, sending the Station Square crowd into total delirium.

The match was incredibly fast and energetic to start, with flurries of activity from both sides around the midfield. Pittsburgh started putting on some great pressure around the 10th minute, getting scoring chances and keeping Charleston contained. Wearing red-white-and-blue alternate kits to avoid confusion, Charleston raced to recover from the 1-0 deficit.

Pittsburgh quickly shattered that dream. Amann took the ball up on a breakaway. As defenders closed it, he dribbled the pass to Danny Griffin, who slid to score the ball from the right side. Griffin picked up his first score of league play this season, and his 20th Hounds goal all-time.

But the celebration was short-lived. A few minutes later, Charleston brought the ball toward Pittsburgh’s box, and defender Douglas Martínez scored it from just outside the 18.

A 2-0 lead is said to be the hardest to hold in soccer; this turned out to be the case, with Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 lead.

Charleston got some more chances as the half went on, and there were some chippy battles for the ball. Battery captain Emilio Ycaza was at the center of a lot of the scrums, and got the first yellow card of the match in the 36th minute.

In the 41st minute, the Hounds had a golden chance with Trevor Amann inside the box, but the play was blown up when a defender dove in to block the shot.

Charleston took a strong shot in the 44th minute, but Nico Campuzano got the two-handed save. He had another excellent save at the start of stoppage time; he leapt toward the right post and punched the ball away.

Second Half

After weathering a furious 15-minute spell of Charleston pressure to start the second half, Pittsburgh delivered the knockout blow in the 61st minute.

Sam Bassett stood over a corner kick and floated a pinpoint delivery into the heart of the box, where central defender Victor Souza rose above the crowd to power a thunderous header into the back-right corner.

Charleston’s frustration boiled over in the 81st minute when goalscorer Douglas Martínez picked up his second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Junior Etou, leaving the visitors with 10 men and no path back into the match. Campuzano and the Hounds backline saw out five minutes of stoppage time to lock up a signature 3-1 victory and push Pittsburgh to 30 points on the season — just three points behind Charleston, who remain in second place.

In the 81st minute, disaster struck for Charleston. Douglas Martínez received his second yellow, suffering an ejection and a suspension for the next game. He got the foul by chopping down Junior Etou inside the box.

Five minutes of stoppage time were tacked on.

With a more defensive lineup inserted, Pittsburgh held the remainder of the game down, sealing a 3-1 victory.

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Kevin’s Match Notes

• It was a sellout crowd at FNB Stadium, as the Hounds hosted Charleston Battery this season’s climactic matchup between the two sides on Saturday. The Battery came in as the highest-scoring team in the USL with 38 goals, while Pittsburgh came in tied for the 20th best attack in the league with 20 total goals. The 5th-place Hounds came in looking to get three crucial points against the 2nd-ranked Battery.
• Entering the contest, Pittsburgh’s final third statistics were poor. They entered the match ranked 22nd in big chances and corners, and 19th in touches within the opposing 18.
• Despite all that, the Hounds played far above what has been their standard for the past month, rifling off three goals from three different players. The attack was strong and focused, and Nico Campuzano, though he only made one true save, was clutch when it mattered most. Former Hound Sean Suber created one chance, but did not swing the game for Charleston.

Attendance: 6,020

Scoring Summary:

• [2′] – [PIT] – [Trevor Amann] ([Jackson Walti])

• [16′] – [PIT] – [Danny Griffin] ([Trevor Amann])

• [18′] – [CHA] – [Martínez] – ([Nathan Messer])
• [61′] – [PIT] – [Victor Souza] – ([Sam Bassett])

Discipline Summary:

• [36′] – [CHA] – [Emilio Ycaza] (Yellow Card)

• [40′] – [PIT] – [Trevor Amann] (Yellow Card)

• [60′] – [CHA] – [Miguel Berry] (Yellow Card)
• [67′] – [PIT] – [Owen Mikoy] (Yellow Card)
• [78′] – [CHA] – [Douglas Martínez] (Yellow Card)
• [81′] – [CHA] – [Douglas Martínez] (Second Yellow – Red Card)
• [88′] – [PIT] – [Robbie Mertz] (Yellow Card)
• [90′] – [PIT] – [Yu Tsukanome] (Yellow Card)

Lineups & Match Roster

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (4-4-2 / 3-5-2):

Nico Campuzano (GK); Max Viera, Victor Souza, Owen Mikoy, Lasse Kelp; Eliot Goldthorp, Jackson Wälti, Danny Griffin, Charles Ahl; Trevor Amann, Albert Dikwa.

Subs Used: Yu Tsukanome for Trevor Amann (62′), Perrin Barnes for Max Viera (62′), Junior Etou for Albert Dikwa (66′), Charles Ahl for Eliot Goldthorp (74′), Robbie Mertz for Danny Griffin (74′)

Subs Not Used: Jacob Randolph, [Player Name]

Charleston Battery:

Luis Zamudio (GK); Sean Suber, Graham Smith, Joey Akpunonu; Emilio Ycaza, Laurent Kissiedou, Jeremy Kelly, Maalique Foster; Langston Blackstock, Miguel Berry, Colton Swan

Subs Used: Alec Hughes for Colton Swan (64′), Kirill Pakhomov for Laurent Kissiedou (64′), Nanan Houssou for Nathan Messer (64′)