Riverhounds look to put together 'complete game' against Loudoun United

About two weeks ago, the Riverhounds traveled to Virginia to take on Loudoun United. Now, Pittsburgh’s Group F opponents are coming to Highmark Stadium for their second matchup in 13 days.

The Riverhounds (6-3-1) are coming off a 3-0 victory against Hartford Athletic, and Loudoun United (1-5-2) is coming off a 3-2 loss to New York Red Bulls II this past Saturday. When these teams met two weeks ago, the Riverhounds came away with a 2-0 victory that saw Steevan Dos Santos and Lukas Fernandes score in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Pittsburgh controlled play for part of the matchup, but Lilley thought his team didn’t create too many opportunities after the early goals. Lilley is hoping for an improvement in that area this time around.

“We got those two early goals, and we didn’t create a lot of chances after that,” Lilley said. “I think we were up a man before halftime, and I would’ve liked to score a goal or two in the second half to kind of put the game away. We were up a man, and I don’t think we held the ball well enough and we could’ve been more positive.”

While the black and gold failed to stay on the front foot in the second half of their first matchup, Loudoun created opportunities throughout the game. Forward Alioune Ndour slipped past the Pittsburgh defense several times and racked up two shots on target. He also tallied three that went wide of the mark.

In the 26th minute, Ndour got free behind the defense and had the ball at his feet with a one-on-one opportunity against Danny Vitiello. The Massapequa, N.Y. native thwarted the attempt when Ndour tried a nifty chip shot over his head, but Vitiello made a big save to keep his clean sheet alive.

Despite his team recording its third shutout of the season, Lilley is looking for improvement in the defensive third Tuesday to deliver a cleaner win.

“They got in behind us more than we would’ve liked,” Lilley said. “So, we’re hoping to limit those danger moments that they created in the first game and then do a better job ourselves of creating chances and staying on the front foot.”

Overall, the Riverhounds have been solid defensively as of late. Since the beginning of the month, they’ve only allowed four goals in six games. Two of those goals came last Saturday when St. Louis scored a goal right before halftime, then added an equalizer in the second half after a long rain delay.

Pittsburgh will also have to play without Kenardo Forbes on Tuesday as the captain suffered a quad injury in the first 10 minutes of a matchup with Hartford Athletic. As of Monday, Lilley and the Riverhounds were still waiting for Forbes’ MRI results.

While they’ll be without their captain, Lilley is positive that the Riverhounds will be able to manage with a new influx of players.

Defender Patrick Bunk-Andersen logged his first minutes of the season Friday and did well. Lilley also said that Albert Dikwa, a forward from Garoua, Cameroon, who was dealing with immigration issues due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be in the top 18 on Tuesday and could see his first minutes of the season against Loudoun.

Either way, Lilley is hoping that his team can put together a solid performance when it takes the field at Highmark Stadium.

“I just hope we can play a complete game,” Lilley said. “I think they are dangerous. They have a lot of pace, and I think they showed even a man down against us that they can cause problems.”

The Riverhounds and Loudoun United will kick off at 7 p.m. Tuesday.