Offseason youth movement brings new energy as Riverhounds get set for opener

Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley felt there were times when his team needed an extra gear last season, but they couldn’t find it.

The consequence was some inconsistent stretches in a season that ended in the USL Championship Eastern Conference quarterfinals with a loss in penalties to Louisville City.

So, when shaping the roster for 2023, Lilley and his staff looked to add an injection of youth. The Hounds brought in over a half-dozen players 25 or younger, along with a few veterans to blend with a returning core led by captain Kenardo Forbes.

They open the 2023 campaign at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Birmingham Legion. It’s a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game that the Hounds won in dramatic fashion in penalties.

“We definitely wanted to be younger,” Lilley said. “We felt like we were up and down last year. We had some good moments and some stretches where we didn’t play particularly well. We want to keep energy. We’re a team that when we’re able to play at a fast tempo and pressure teams, we’re playing on the front foot rather than slowing the game down all the time. Ideally you want to do all of those things well.

“Different games require different things, but when we needed a little bit more energy and a little bit more gas last year, we didn’t always have it. We’re hopeful to have made good strides in that. We like the players we brought in.”

On Thursday, the Hounds announced they’ve entered a local television partnership with Pittsburgh’s CW. The network will broadcast 22 of the Hounds’ 34 matches, including all 17 USL Championship home games and the season opener in Birmingham.

Albert Dikwa and Edward Kizza return at forward along with midfielders Forbes, Upper St. Clair grad Robbie Mertz and Marc Ybarra; defenders Arturo Ordonez, Nate Dossantos, Dani Rovira and Luke Biasi; and starting keeper Jahmali Waite.

Some of the newcomers are first-year pros like forwards Langston Blackstock (Clayton State) and Tola Showunmi (New Hampshire) and keepers Christian Garner (Northwestern) and Jonathan Gomes (Mercyhurst). An intriguing prospect is former MLS top pick Michael DeShields.

DeShields, a defender, trained with MLS side New England Revolution but was released after last season.

Key losses include forwards Russell Cicerone and Alex Dixon. Cicerone signed with Sacramento Republic and Alex Dixon inked a deal with Monterey Bay.

The biggest hole to fill, however, was left by stalwart defensive midfielder Danny Griffin, who signed with Huntsville City, the reserve team of MLS side Nashville SC.

Griffin set the club record for most minutes played last year and did so in three seasons.

“As big of a loss that we’ve had in the time I’ve been here,” Lilley said of Griffin. “Nico (Brett) was a big loss and so was Russ (Cicerone), but Danny was very very strong for us the last few years. It’s important that we respond well to not having him.”

The Hounds signed Junior Etou, a former member of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, to fill Griffin’s spot. Etou, 28, is one of the few free agents coming in with USL Championship experience. Lilley has been impressed with how he’s worked with Ybarra in preseason.

“He’s experienced, he’s very quick, and he’s a good ball winner in the middle of the field,” Lilley said. “We got a specific player to fill that void. Ybarra and Junior Etou have played well in the middle of the park together. It’s a positive. That’s allowed us to do some different things with Robbie (Mertz) and (Kenardo Forbes).”

Centerbacks Pat Hogan (Charleston Battery) and Pat Hogan (Phoenix Rising) and midfielders Burke Fahling (Charleston Battery) and DZ Harmon (Charleston Battery) are the other free agents with USL Championship experience. New forward Tony Lopez played with NISA side Cal United Strikers a season ago.

The Hounds went 2-0-3 in the preseason, drawing 0-0 against USL teams Louisville City and Detroit City.

Lilley has been pleased with how the team has shaped up early on and expects the team to continue to develop cohesion.

“As a group, they’ve trained exceptionally well,” Lilley said. “A lot of the young guys are starting to understand how we want to play and have been able to integrate pretty quickly. It’s tough to forecast, but I like the group’s potential, work ethic and mentality.”

Lilley expects the team to fight for points early, but the season-opening slate is formidable. The Hounds play seven of their first nine on the road.

The home opener is March 24 against Miami FC.

“For us, the big thing early is defend well and continue to create chances,” Lilley said. “We’ll score goals with this group as we move forward, but right now, we’ve got to be solid in the defensive end of the field and continue to push the game.”