In its final home match of the regular season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (15-4-12) will kick off against FC Cincinnati (23-3-6) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Entering their third USL meeting, the Hounds have a 0-1-1 record this campaign against the 2018 USL regular season champions.
All They Do Is Win
The Hounds are on the verge of matching a club record in the win department. If they defeat FC Cincinnati in their final home match this Saturday, the Hounds will tie the club record with 10 home wins in a single season. This record dates back to its inaugural 1999 season when the team posted a 10-4 home record.
Late-Game Heroics
Pittsburgh has struck late during matches over the last few weeks. In four straight games, the Black and Gold have posted a goal in the 90th minute onward. Last time out against the Charlotte Independence, Ben Zemanski posted a game-tying tally in the 90’+4 minute. The squad will try to keep its late-game success alive against FC Cincinnati this weekend.
Fantastic Finish
Heading into the game on Saturday, FC Cincinnati carries a 10-game winning streak. Although not as immense, the Hounds also have a streak of five games unbeaten. As both teams have already clinched a home playoff game in the opening round of the postseason, they will each attempt to stay hot as the regular season comes to an end.
With 15 goals this season, Neco Brett has already climbed the club’s record charts. Despite playing only one campaign in Black and Gold, the striker is tied with Said Ali and Gary DePalma for the ninth-most goals in the Hounds’ regular season history.
For the Hounds to defeat regular season champion-FC Cincinnati, they will need to play close to mistake free soccer for the entire 90 minutes. During their first two meetings, Pittsburgh jumped out to a lead before the adversaries came back to tie the first and win the second meeting. No match is out of reach until the final whistle when lined up across from FC Cincinnati.
