Match info
Riverhounds (12-4-8) vs. Hartford Athletic (4-14-4)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds -320 / Draw +410 / Hartford +650 (FanDuel)
TV: Pittsburgh’s CW
Streaming: ESPN+ (national), Pittsburgh’s CW (local)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter
Match hashtags: #PITvHFD and #HOUNDTAHN
PITTSBURGH (Aug. 11, 2023) — It’s the final home match of the “Summer of Soccer” at Highmark Stadium, and the Hounds will look to close the home-heavy part of their USL Championship schedule with another win Saturday when they host Hartford Athletic.
With a 9-1-3 league record (12-1-3 in all competitions) on their South Side turf, the Hounds have the most home wins of any team in the Championship to this point. On paper, a match with 12th place Hartford should be another three points, but the Hounds have reason to be wary entering the first of two meetings in an upcoming 11-day span.
Hartford’s form has taken an upswing in recent weeks under interim coach Omid Namazi, who took the reins at the end of June. Two of their four wins have come in the past three games — a 2-0 victory at Las Vegas and a 2-1 win over New Mexico last Saturday — and even in Hartford’s loss in that stretch, 5-2 at defending champion San Antonio, the match was tied 2-2 beyond the 70th minute.
Even with two notable players out — leading scorer Kyle Edwards (hamstring) and athletic midfielder Andre Lewis (suspension) — Hartford has plenty of attacking punch with last season’s assists leader Antoine Hoppenot, winger Prince Saydee and their longstanding captain in the midfield, Danny Barrera. It’s on the other end of the field Hartford has struggled this season, where its 47 goals allowed is six more than any other team in the Championship.
Albert Diwka will lead the Hounds looking to exploit gaps in the defense, as the Cameroonian striker looks to add to his 11-goal total and climb back to the front of the Golden Boot race. He added to his total with the only goal in last Saturday’s win over Tampa Bay, and it was the third time the season he was responsible for the only goal in a 1-0 match. Also keen to add a second goal to his Hounds account is forward JC Obregón, who scored July 29 against Memphis and will be facing his former team for the first time since returning to the Championship.
On the back end, the Hounds got things sorted after a few substandard performances to record the team’s 11th clean sheet of the Championship season, the most of any club. Perhaps as impressive as the shutout was limiting fellow Eastern Conference contender Tampa Bay to only four shots and one shot on goal, both of which were season lows for the Rowdies.
Fans coming out to the last home game before the calendar turns to September won’t want to miss the end of the 412 Celebrity Series with Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning cornerback Ike Taylor, who will be signing autographs for fans during the game and delivering the match ball during pregame ceremonies. Show up early and enjoy $2 domestic beers and giveaways — including two tickets to the Dec. 7 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots — starting at 5 p.m. in the Tailgate Zone, while supplies last.
Gates for the match open at 6 p.m., and once again, fans are encouraged to purchase their parking for the West Lot in advance through Ticketmaster, as the lot has been sold out hours before kickoff for many of our recent home matches. Tickets are still available online and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.
Folks tuning in at home will be able to catch the game on the local home of the Hounds, Pittsburgh’s CW, and the game also will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Downloadable Game Notes
