Luck runs out for Riverhounds in loss to Cincinnati in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals

When luck ran out for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the US Open Cup, it ran out hard.

The Riverhounds lost leading scorer Albert Dikwa to injury early in the first half, gave up a goal on a play that easily could have been called offside early in the second half and lost 3-1 to FC Cincinnati in the quarterfinals of the annual tournament Tuesday night.

Cincinnati (13-1-3), the team with the best record in MLS, ran its unbeaten streak to 12. The Riverhounds (6-3-5) tied their deepest run in the tournament, beating a pair of MLS teams and matching a quarterfinals appearance made by the 2001 club.

“We stood in it,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said. “We went toe to toe as best we could. Obviously they’re a class team and showed their qualities. They kept after us and got enough chances to eventually get one over the line. It’s a tough way to go out.”

Dikwa, who missed the previous two games with a hip injury, returned to the starting lineup and managed to play just 11 minutes before suffering an apparent shoulder injury in a collision with a Cincinnati defender.

The Riverhounds kept pace with Cincinnati until a controversial goal broke a scoreless tie in the 56th minute. Moving up the right side, Luciano Acosta sent a pass forward toward Dominique Badji, who flicked it forward to Brandon Vazquez for the game’s first goal.

Badji appeared to be offside, but there is no video replay in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

“We felt like we’d be in this game,” said Lilley, who added that he didn’t see whether the play was offside or not. “I think most of the times, you can get to half and get your feet firmly set into the second half. I thought we had gotten into the second half and all of a sudden, the goal comes out of a little bit of loose play by us.”

Whether the play was consequential is a matter for debate, largely because Cincinnati tacked on two highlight-reel goals later in the second half.

In the 71st minute, Alvaro Barreal rocketed in a full volley from the top of the box on a corner kick. In the 92nd minute, Santiago Arias buried a header off another corner.

The Riverhounds broke up the shutout bid in the 94th minute when Tola Showunmi finished off a clever backheel pass from Kenardo Forbes to make it 3-1.

The Riverhounds have no time to wallow in the loss, hosting the Charleston Battery in a battle for first place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference at 7 p.m. Saturday at Highmark Stadium.

“We put a lot of gas into the game,” Lilley said. “Obviously, with Dikwa going down, that’s a big loss. We just got him back and now it could be a lengthier time that he’s out. We’re going to have to really pull together. We’ve shown some growth through this stretch, but we gotta get our legs rejuvenated by Saturday. It’s a massive game against Charleston.”