Riverhounds prepare for slugfest with Louisville City in first-round playoff matchup

When the Pittsburgh Riverhounds travel to Louisville for their first-round USL Championship playoff match with Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium, some might remember a similar contest at this time last year.

The Riverhounds had just won the Eastern Conference and were building a buzz in Western Pennsylvania. LouCity made a trip to the Steel City and spoiled the party, earning a 2-1 win in overtime.

It was a disappointing end to a historic season in Pittsburgh, but don’t expect the Riverhounds to draw on that heartbreak when they take on the Group E winner at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I don’t think it’s extra motivation. I think the guys are highly motivated because it’s that time of the year and our objective as a club is to be at the top,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said. “Louisville is a good team whether they beat us here last year or not, and it’s a big game every time we play.”

“This is a new team. It’s a new situation, and I think you want to win the game because you want to win the championship and you want to get to the next round.”

Pittsburgh (11-4-1) and Louisville (11-3-2) will meet for the second time this season after facing off at the beginning of the restart in July. The Riverhounds came away with a big 3-1 win, but both teams have come a long way since then.

LouCity kicked off the restart by losing or tying four of their first five games. Ever since a 2-0 win over Loudoun United on Aug. 15, they haven’t lost a game and have outscored their opponents 27-5 on the way to winning their division.

The Riverhounds have come just as far, though. They suffered four losses throughout their 16-game season, including a crucial 1-0 loss to Hartford Athletic that cost them the top spot in Group F.

They’ve also added key pieces like forward Albert Dikwa, who has three goals, and defenders Ray Lee, Patrick Bunk-Andersen and Mark Lindstrom, who have provided a sense of versatility as the Riverhounds have allowed the fewest goals in the league (10).

“We’ve grown a lot during the year, and we know we are a different team now than when we played them in our first game of the year, and they are as well,” Lilley said. “It’s just about us getting the tactics right and putting a positive approach into the game for our guys. We have to go there understanding they are experienced at this time of the year.”

During the first matchup of the season, the Riverhounds dug themselves a hole, which Lilley mentioned multiple times throughout his Zoom session with media on Wednesday. They sat back defensively and were tentative throughout the first half, and Louisville took advantage of it in the 18th minute.

As the game carried on, the Riverhounds came alive and started to play aggressively and force Louisville to commit mistakes. Pittsburgh ended up scoring a goal just before the half and then two more just after it before cruising to a 3-1 win.

So, when it comes to Saturday, Lilley has been reinforcing his team’s ability to find a balance of being aggressive and maintaining possession.

“For us, I think picking our spots of when to possess the ball to manage the game will be important,” Lilley said. “But we are also going to have to stay aggressive. They’ve tightened considerably defensively, but you have to go forward. I don’t think it’s a game where you can sit and let Louisville play in the attacking half the entire game and just defend and hope to steal a goal. We have to be aggressive.”

Both teams are loaded with talent as well. Louisville’s Cameron Lancaster is tied for fifth in the USL Championship with 10 goals, and although the Riverhounds don’t have one scorer in the top 10, they’ve scored a combined 39 goals, which is third in the league behind Phoenix Rising FC (43) and Reno 1868 FC (43).

In terms of defense, Pittsburgh and Louisville are also two of the best in the league. Pittsburgh is tied for first in clean sheets with eight. Louisville has seven. Pittsburgh has only allowed 10 goals this season. Louisville has only allowed 12.

It’s going to be a matchup between two of the top teams in the USL, or as Lilley likes to put it: “There are going to be two heavyweights slugging it out.”