Despite a man advantage, Riverhounds fall to Charlotte in home opener

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds returned to Highmark Stadium on Saturday for their home opener in front of 2,079 fans, but it didn’t quite go as planned.

Despite playing with a man advantage for nearly 30 minutes in the second half, the Riverhounds couldn’t counter a first-half goal by the Charlotte Independence and dropped their second contest of the season 1-0.

“We knew they were going to be hard to break down. Charleston is a very explosive team, and they struggled against (Charlotte) last week to get clear cut chances and their keeper made some really nice saves tonight,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said. “I think we played decently. I don’t think we played great tonight. We defended pretty well against a pretty good attacking team. However, a free header in the box shouldn’t happen anywhere, whether it’s at home or on the road. But, look, that was our best game.”

Charlotte converted one of its eight chances in the 34th minute when it countered after a could-have-been penalty was ignored in the Hounds’ attacking third.

Marcelo Palomino received the ball around half field and sent a long ball over the top of the Riverhounds defense, allowing midfielder Clay Dimick to run onto it. Dimick saved the ball from crossing the end line and sent a soft volley into the box that was a perfect placement for a diving header from Irvin Parra.

Make that three goals in two games for @thegreatraul ?#PITvCLT | @Independence pic.twitter.com/fMwGKg3MZd

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) May 22, 2021

“There was a foul at the other end of the field, but we just have to keep our focus there and try to avoid that from happening,” Riverhounds goalkeeper Danny Vitiello said. “We never want a guy behind our backline whether it’s behind our goal or to the side of it.”

For the majority of the night, Vitiello had been almost flawless in net and showcased his form from a year ago that allowed him to win the USL Championship’s Golden Gloves award for the league’s best goalie.

He thwarted an attempt from Brandt Bronico in the 15th minute when the Charlotte attacker tried to chip a shot over him, then regained his focus and blocked Jake Areman’s follow-up attempt, as well, to keep the score even.

Look at the hops, as Vitiello said, "No, no, no!" ☝️#UNLEASH #PITvCLT pic.twitter.com/5wZUGuRnig

— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) May 22, 2021

Almost seven minutes later, Vitiello did it again, stopping back-to-back headers from Bronico and Kevin Riascos.

“You gotta be ready for any moment in the game when an attempt comes in,” Vitiello said about the shots by Charlotte. “That’s my job to keep focus, and whatever comes my way, I just have to get in the best spot to make the save and get in the best spot to relieve the back line or clear the ball and keep the ball out of the net.”

For the most part, the Riverhounds controlled the game. They won the shot battle 21-8, although only five of their attempts were on target, and they controlled 57 percent of the possession.

But they couldn’t quite find a way to score.

Once Charlotte’s Christian Dean was sent off in the second half with his second yellow card, the Riverhounds started pushing even more and created a few solid chances late in the game.

A header from Preston Kilwein was cleared off the line by a Charlotte defender in the 53rd minute. A shot by Jelani Peters in the 67th minute was blocked in the box and deflected wide, and Albert Dikwa and Russell Cicerone had attempts thwarted throughout the night.

“I told them at halftime I thought they were being too cautious,” Lilley said. “I thought we had some good moments in the first half, but I felt like we could’ve pressed a bit more. I didn’t think we were trying to dominate. I think we almost were giving them too much respect, and we were waiting for something to happen. But the second half we were trying to step on the gas and impose our will, and I think that’s why we had good chances and why we forced a red card. Our intentions were better.”

In the final minute of stoppage time, Dikwa received a cross on the back post to try and even it up to force overtime, but Brandon Miller made his final save of the evening to give his team the victory.

The Riverhounds head to New York next Friday to take on the New York Red Bulls, who are coming off their first win of the season after beating Loudoun United FC, 2-1, on Tuesday.