Riverhounds notebook: Team set for busy week without injured captain Kenardo Forbes

The Riverhounds took their largest group lead of the season Friday by defeating Hartford Athletic 3-0 on the road to earn another three points.

It was a significant victory for the Riverhounds, one of their biggest of the season, but it was more than that as well. It signified an upward trend for the black and gold as the team continues to improve with each game. They played a complete team game, even after captain Kenardo Forbes went down with an injury in the first 10 minutes, and they received solid play off the bench.

Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley met with the media Monday to discuss the Riverhounds’ matchup with Loudoun United on Tuesday, along with how important this week could be moving forward.

View from the top

With Friday’s victory, the Riverhounds took a three-point lead in Group F and they did it despite unforeseen circumstances. Forbes suffered an injury early, and the Riverhounds responded almost immediately.

Ryan James, who took the captain’s armband from Forbes, scored in the 11th minute, finishing off a skillful play that started on the right wing and ended up on the left. Given the circumstances, Lilley was happy how the victory came together.

“It was a really good performance. It was a long trip up there, and the guys responded well,” Lilley said. “They managed the game well, and I felt like we did a pretty good job with our possession and making them chase. They were dangerous in some moments, but we got better as the game went on.”

Danny Griffin scored 11 minutes later, and James scored his second goal of the game in the 50th minute.

Altogether, the Hounds put together one of their best performances of the season, and it was in a game that mattered more than any other. They were tied with Hartford Athletic for first place in Group F and with two more games against them, it was important for the Riverhounds to come away with a victory.

“We had to get a result. Hartford had games in hand, and it was a game we had to have,” Lilley said. “If we don’t get a result there, I think we would’ve been fighting for second place the rest of the year. By winning there, we have an opportunity to go on and win our division.”

Injury update

Forbes went down with a quad injury in the 10th minute of Friday’s game, but Lilley and his staff are still trying to figure out the extent of it. As of Monday, Lilley said they were unaware of how serious the injury was and were waiting for test results.

“We don’t expect him back for these two games this week, but we’ll see how the MRI turns out,” Lilley said. “We’re hopeful for the best, but right now it’s a little too early to know for sure.”

Robbie Mertz, Anthony Velarde and Griffin stepped up to fill the void left by Forbes. Lilley said the trio, along with others, did a great job filling in for the USL Championships all-time assist leader.

“Those are three young players, a rookie and two second-year players, that I thought really did a good job in the middle of the field for us,” Lilley said. “Everyone knew we needed to be solid.”

Strong wing play

The highlight of Friday’s game might’ve been the play of Pittsburgh’s wing backs, Jordan Dover and James.

While James scored two of Pittsburgh’s goals, Dover created an opportunity for the first and assisted on James’ second.

To set up the first goal, Dover made a run down the right side, received a heel pass from Ropapa Mensah, then sent a cross into the middle to Velarde, who found James on the back post. On James’ second goal, Dover sent a cross to the opposite post to James, who volleyed the ball into the back of the net.

“They were really good the other night,” Lilley said. “Jordan was involved in two of the three goals by getting forward and causing problems for Hartford. Then Ryan James had two goals. They are unique players. They both played as midfielders in college, and we converted them to wing backs.”

Both Dover and James have been crucial throughout the season. They give the Riverhounds weapons on the outside that can both create problems offensively while also contributing to the team defensively.

James has three goals this season, while Dover scored in the season opener. They’ve both completed at least 86% of their passes as well.

“They have good skill sets, they defend well, they understand what we do defensively, and they make it really hard for teams to penetrate in wide areas,” Lilley said. “Then they also provide that danger. They are always willing to get forward and create an extra man in the attack for us.”

Continuing to improve

Pittsburgh has six games remaining this season, three at home and three on the road, and they are trying hit their peak as the regular season comes to a close.

They received reinforcements in the past week or so with the arrival of defender Patrick Bunk-Andersen and forward Albert Dikwa.

The Riverhounds are going through another busy week with three games in the stretch of seven days, and Lilley believes that how they manage these games will say a lot about how they can finish off the season.

“We’re constantly being put to the test, and it’s demanding, but I think you learn a lot about yourself,” Lilley said. “I know during our first three-game week we had, earlier in the year, we won against Philly then we lost to Indy and New York. Then we went 1-1-1 in the next one. This time, we are 1-0, but I’m hoping we can get results and win all of them and show even an improvement in how we manage a three-game stretch.”