Takeaways & Player Grades: Hounds punish Battery with pressing masterclass on Ring Night

On a night when members of last year’s championship squad received their 2025 rings, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC proved they still know how to win the big ones at home. By blitzing 2nd-place Charleston Battery 3-1, the Hounds snapped a winless drought against their Old Guard Shield rivals that stretched back to 2024 and tightened the top of the Eastern Conference table.

Here are my key takeaways from Saturday’s performance, followed by — yes — they’re back — player grades for the squad.

They Had This Intensity in Them All Along

Head coach Rob Vincent challenged his squad all week for higher intensity, and the response was immediate. What that added intensity actually brought was volume creation in the final third.

The Hounds willingly conceded possession to Ben Pirmann’s high-possession Charleston side—to the tune of nearly 75% to 25%. But possession without punch means nothing. Pittsburgh was ruthlessly purposeful when they won the ball:

• Five of nine shots on target (with 5 taken inside the box).

• Six corners earned to Charleston’s 3—a rare flip in set-piece volume for Pittsburgh this year.

• Double digit crosses: 13 swung into dangerous areas.

It was classic, tried-and-true football reminiscent of the Bob Lilley era: sit compact, trigger the press, and punish the opponent on the counter.

The Two-Front Tactical Dynamic (Amann & Dikwa)

The average positions chart tells a fascinating story about the forward pairing of Albert Dikwa and Trevor Amann, who now share the team’s goal scoring lead with six apiece:

• Trevor Amann (Poacher): Played as the higher focal point, constantly pressing the line and operating in dangerous central pockets. He flashed his rapid-fire scoring knack with a goal and an assist in the opening 16 minutes while tying for the team lead with 4 touches inside the opposing box.

• Albert Dikwa (Link-Up): Played significantly deeper, dropping back into midfield channels to pull center-backs out of position and create gaps for Amann and trailing midfielders.

“Trevor and Albert complement each other really well when they’re locked in,” Vincent said on the pairing’s dynamic.

“Albert doing that dirty work dropping deep frees up Trevor to do what he does best—stretch the defense and get into dangerous spots in the box.”

Vincent also praised Amann for his execution on the early goal just 99 seconds into the match.

“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.”

Bob Lilley once told me he’s much rather have two goal scorers in double-digits than one guy scoring the majority of the goals.

Both Amann and Dikwa are now inching closer to the Hounds having two double-digit goal scorers for the first time since 2022, when Russell Cicerone and Dikwa scored, 15 and 11, respectively.  Prior to that, the club accomplished the same feat in 2019, when Neco Brett netted 13 regular season goals (17 overall) and Steeven Dos Santos contributed 10 goals.

Dominance in the Double Pivot

The central midfield pair of Danny Griffin and Jackson Wälti continues to be the heartbeat of this club. Facing one of the most fluid midfields in the USL Championship, Griffin and Wälti dictated the physical terms of the match.

It wasn’t just a reckless, all-out high press for 90 minutes; it was a disciplined, calculated mid-block pressing trap that completely neutered Charleston’s central progression.

Against a possession-heavy team like Charleston (who controlled nearly 75% of the ball), central midfielders have to do immense off-the-ball dirty work. Wälti and Griffin systematically closed down passing lanes and won the vast majority of their individual battles in the middle third, disrupting Charleston’s central progression before they could penetrate the penalty box.

Wälti registered a high volume of defensive actions—leading the team in combined tackles and interceptions to break up line-breaking passes intended for Charleston’s central attackers.

With Wälti securing the center, Griffin had freedom to get forward — and sure enough he netted his 20th career goal in Black and Gold—sliding a shot cleanly past former Hound Luis Zamudio—was a fitting reward on Ring Night for a captain who repeatedly stepped up in clutch moments.

When Robbie Mertz slid in to replace Griffin — in a rare time for the captain to come off the field — the Pittsburgh native and longest tenured Hound fit right into the equation comfortably to help close out the match.

Takeaway 4: Big-Game DNA at Home

Pittsburgh’s signature wins this season have all come at home against the league’s elite: Louisville, Detroit, and now Charleston.

The win moves Pittsburgh to 30 points. While still holding 5th place, the Hounds are now just three points behind 2nd-place Charleston with 10 matches remaining.

This is also a club that lost to expansion Brooklyn and a few others at home this season.  Go figure.

However, the squad is getting healthier, and the bench additions (including Robbie Mertz taking the armband late from Griffin to maintain midfield rhythm) showed that Vincent’s rotation is finding the right groove.

First-place Tampa Bay comes to town on August 29th for another massive showdown, as that will be another opportunity to go for the clean sweep of the top of the table teams suffering defeats at FNB this season.

“It’s a great result and I’m proud of the effort, especially with the bench coming in and keeping that level high,” Vincent said.

“The key now is consistency. We’ve shown we can beat the top teams at home, but we have to bring this same mindset every single week moving forward.”

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Player Grades

Starting XI

Nico Campuzano (GK) — 7.5

Only needed to make one official save, but it was massive. Controlled his box well, made a critical two-handed punch in first-half stoppage time, and distribution under pressure was clean.

Max Viera (RB) — 7.0

Showed great discipline down the right flank. Also coming to Pittsburgh in his rookie season for his work in getting forward, he held his own defensively too (five defensive contributions, five recoveries and two interceptions).  While he pushed up selectively, he stayed largely committed to the back four to lock down Charleston’s dangerous wing play before being subbed.

Victor Souza (CB) — 8.5 (Player of the Match contender)

A dominant shift at the back crowned by his first goal as a Hound! Rose high to bury Sam Bassett’s corner kick in the 61st minute to restore a two-goal cushion. Handled Charleston’s physical strikers all night.

Owen Mikoy (CB) — 7.0

Solid positional play alongside Souza. Took a tactical yellow card in the 67th minute during a heavy Charleston spell, but kept his head and organized the back line down the stretch.

Lasse Kelp (LB) — 7.0

Quietly effective. Kept Maalique Foster and Charleston’s wide overloads in check and helped clear lines during heavy second-half pressure.

Jackson Wälti (CM) — 8.0

The engine in midfield. Provided the sharp, line-breaking pass to set up Amann’s opening goal in the 2nd minute and broke up countless Charleston attacks.

Danny Griffin (CM) — 8.5

A captain’s performance on Ring Night. Combined masterfully with Wälti to anchor the center, timed his late runs perfectly, and notched his 20th Hounds goal with a clinical slide finish.

Eliot Goldthorp (RM) — 7.0

Worked hard off the ball to track back and help overload the central channels. Provided key links in transition before giving way in the 74th minute.

Sam Bassett (LM) — 7.5

Delivered the moment of the second half with a pinpoint corner kick assist to Victor Souza. His set-piece delivery can be a major weapon for Pittsburgh.

Trevor Amann (ST) — 9.0 (Player of the Match)

Electric start! Buried a sharp strike just 99 seconds in, then turned provider with a soft pass to Griffin on a 2-on-1 counter. Pinned Charleston’s backline all evening.  Six goals now for the campaign is tied with Dikwa.

Albert Dikwa (ST) — 7.5

Didn’t get on the scoresheet, but his off-the-ball work rate was essential. Dropped deep to link play, dragged defenders out of position, and opened up space for Amann’s runs.

Substitutes

Yu Tsukanome (62′) — 6.5

Came on for Amann to add fresh energy and press high. Earned a late yellow card for a hard challenge in stoppage time.

Perrin Barnes (62′) — 6.5

Replaced Viera on the right side and provided fresh legs to shut down Charleston’s late wide attacks.

Junior Etou (66′) — 7.0

Immediate impact off the bench. Drew the foul inside the box in the 81st minute that resulted in Douglas Martínez’s second yellow and red card, effectively ending the match.

Robbie Mertz (74′) — 7.0

Replaced Griffin, took the captain’s armband, and kept the central midfield organized and calm through five minutes of stoppage time.

Charles Ahl (74′) — N/A

Late entry to solidify the defensive shape.