The start of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds season has delivered a mixed bag of results. Two weeks ago, the Riverhounds controlled play on the road, needing an Augi Williams second-half goal to register a 1-1 tie against North Carolina. Then they lost 2-0 at San Antonio last Saturday in a lackluster effort.
Despite not coming away with a victory, Bob Lilley remains optimistic that home cooking will help a hungry club in Saturday’s home opener against Hartford.
“As for the first two results, I felt it was a pretty solid open to the season,” Lilley said. “North Carolina had a good returning roster. We had some injuries going in. Three rookies started, and three came off the bench. They did well. We controlled possession for the most part. We were not clinical enough in attacking areas, and the opener ended 1-1.”
The Riverhounds had the better of play in that first road encounter, gaining a number of attacking runs, but not enough to find a second goal. The results were much different a week later in the Lone Star state.
“We weren’t as sharp in San Antonio,” Lilley said. “Our second-half start was good, but first-half play in possession we were tentative and didn’t perform as well. On the road, 0-0 we made a mistake, they scored a goal. We hung in there, had a few chances. They get the second goal as they got stronger in the game’s later stages.”
Lilley does not want to let a few bad moments get in the way of what could be a much better start against Hartford. Since joining the USL, the Riverhounds own an 11-2-2 advantage against the Athletic.
“Got to expect ups and downs during a season,” Lilley said. “We could have gotten a win in North Carolina but didn’t. Now we are home the next two weeks and want to put a good performance for the fans.”
The club will be honoring Kenardo Forbes, who recently retired as the team’s most decorated player ever. He quickly joined Lilley’s coaching roster and will remain with the team.
“It’s a big night. We hope to have a positive performance with him as a third assistant coach now,” Lilley said. “He’s got to work his way up the ladder like we all do.”
As far as the play Lilley has seen from attacker Williams, that remains a major positive.
“Augi pounced on a mistake in Carolina. It was an alert play,” Lilley said. “The keeper misplayed the ball, Augi saw it, attacked the ball and capitalized. We kept pushing and playing the last 30 minutes at North Carolina, and Augi showed he can score. He knows he will get more opportunities.”
The Riverhounds are 3-6-3 all time in openers at Highmark Stadium. Two of those wins have come against Saturday’s opponent.
“Winning the opener, it sets the tone,” Lilley said. “You must win at home. It’s hard to win on the road and get positive season results. You want to get three points at home. No tie, No loss. You want home field to be the fortress. Protect your home turf. It’s also the first chance for fans to see the new home team. They support us. We love that. Every game is exciting now. Guys work hard in the offseason, but if you want to be a top team, you must win games at home for sure where the tone for a successful season is important.”
For Lilley, it’s all about how the team responds with a zero in the win column.
“How do we respond to a road loss?” Lilley asked. “We worked on Hartford this week. Teams have different strengths. They are explosive in their attacking space. Last year they exposed us at their place. We switched it up when they came here and got a better result. They have good personnel. They just missed the playoffs in 2024. This is an important game for both clubs to win.”
