Match Day Preview: Without Rob Vincent steering the ship, the Riverhounds face struggling The Miami FC (11 am)

USL Championship — Match Day 24 

Riverhounds (10-9-4) vs. Miami FC (5-10-7)

Date: Sunday, September 6 | Time: 11 a.m. | Location: Pitbull Stadium, Miami, Fla.
Odds: Hounds +120 / Draw +220 / Tampa Bay +210
TV: KDKA+ | Streaming: ESPN+ | Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Preview / Key Storylines

The season after winning a league title can be a daunting task for any team.   With 23 league matches played, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have positioned themselves as a contender yet again, but a lot of work is still to be done to make another postseason run.

With seven matches left in the season, the final September and October stretch begins in South Florida as Rob Vincent’s squad continues to evolve into a club that can not only lock teams down, but develop consistent scoring chances in the final third.

The latter is what has been the biggest challenge all season long.

Once again, last week, the Riverhounds were solid in defending and setting the tone at home but couldn’t find any solutions in a showdown with first place Tampa Bay.

Now they face a Miami FC squad without its Head Coach Rob Vincent, who was sent off late last week as things got testy in the the scoreless draw vs Tampa Bay.  The Hounds were extremely frustrated with the officiating — and in this case — lack of calls late in the match when forward Trevor Amann was challenged by Rowdies defenders.

Take this for whatever it’s worth — but it’s is extremely interesting to note that Vincent’s predecessor, Bob Lilley, known as one of the most successful and disciplined tacticians in American soccer history, built a reputation on maintaining structured emotional control on the sidelines. He frequently emphasized a personal philosophy of trying “not ever to get too high or too low” on the touchline. While his teams compete with high intensity, official Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC history and league data confirmed that he had never been sent off or shown a red card during a USL match.

Also out for the Hounds will be midfielder/winger, Max Viera (knee) while midfielder Bradley Sample is still questionable (core).

This will leave leave goalkeeper coach Jon Busch and assistant coach Adam Mitchell to divvy up the in-match responsibilities in the technical area.

Though a team not to take lightly — as the Riverhounds core returnees should remember last season’s 3-1 debacle in South Florida that was Lilley’s last night — Miami has been on a slide of late, dropping three straight league matches and four overall after being knocked out by San Antonio in the quarterfinals of the Prinx Tires USL Cup.

The hosts will be closer to full strength than they were on their visit to Pittsburgh, as goalkeeper Eloy Room and leading scorer Jürgen Locadia — a former Premier League player with four seasons at Brighton — are both expected to be available after missing the earlier meeting while away with Curaçao for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, Denilson Milanes, much like Vincent, will have to sit this one out after getting sent off in the team’s 5-0 loss last week against Charleston.

Pittsburgh will look to deliver a knockout blow and double up on results vs Miami this season — hoping much of the same in a 2-0 win at home over Miami back on May 30, with a dominate second half performance.

If you recall, Albert Dikwa and Charles Ahl scored the goals in the second half of that victory, and for Ahl, a Florida native, it gave him a goal in each of his three matches facing Miami.

Personnel, Tactics and John K’s Projected Riverhounds Lineup

There’s little doubt that the Hounds will continue to lean on the same back three (Owen Mikoy and Victor Souza have been the anchors starting the last six) along with Jackson Walti in the central midfield alongside either Danny Griffin or Robbie Mertz.  From there, the Hounds coaching staff tonight will likely look at what might work best and players who are in solid form. One of last year’s heroes, Beto Ydrach, finally found his way back into the starting lineup last week.  It also feels like Sam Bassett is almost a shoe-in again now that he’s healthy, while Albert Dikwa has missed the last three matches, one would imagine that a fresh, healthy Dikwa would be part of the Hounds’ starting XI again soon.  In the first match vs Miami, the Hounds displayed flexibility out of the gate. Depending on where Sam Bassett floated, the Hounds shifted fluidly between a 4-1-3-2 and a 4-1-4-1, with Bassett and Albert Dikwa spearheading the initial press. Of late, Pittsburgh’s been using it’s most tactically flexible piece, Danny Griffin in wider positions, whether as an outside back or as a wide midfielder as the Hounds could go 3-4-3 or drop into a 4-4-2. Last week, Griffin and Ydrach were in outside back spots. It will be interesting to see how they line-up on the road at Miami — a team that likes to play out of a 4-3-3.

Hounds Quick Strikes & Fast Facts (per Riverhounds SC match notes and from our own crack research)

• Chasing the Sweep: With a win tonight, the Hounds would complete just their second-all-time season sweep of Miami FC, matching their 2–0 series sweep from 2024.

• Miami Specialist: Midfielder and Winter Park, Florida native Charles Ahl returns to his home state on a roll—he has scored a goal in all three of his career appearances against Miami FC.

• Campuzano’s Brick Wall: Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano enters tonight with 9 clean sheets across all competitions (8 in USL Championship play, tied for 3rd in the league). He has surrendered just one goal across his last five starts.

• Mertz Climbing the Record Books: Robbie Mertz netted his 24th career Hounds goal on Aug. 26 at El Paso, tying former USL MVP José Angulo for 10th in club history. Mertz also recently hit 200 appearances for Pittsburgh, joining elite company alongside Kenardo Forbes and Danny Griffin.

• Ironman Captain: Captain Danny Griffin continues his unbelievable durability streak—he has missed just three total league matches across his entire seven-year professional career.

• Goal Scorers at the Top: Trevor Amann leads the club with 10 overall goals (6 in USL play), while Albert Dikwa sits right behind with 7 overall goals (6 in USL play).

• Beto Back in the Fold: Defender Beto Ydrach made his return to action on Aug. 26 at El Paso before getting the nod in the starting XI on Aug. 29 vs. Tampa Bay, returning from a sports hernia that kept him out since late March.

• Clearance Kings: Center backs Owen Mikoy (132 clearances) and Victor Souza (124 clearances) are the first pair of Pittsburgh teammates to eclipse 120 clearances each in a single regular season since Joe Greenspan (162) and Hugh Roberts (135) in 2018.

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).