With the arrival of the final week of the regular season, playoff seeding is up for grabs.
For Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, this could mean a first-place finish in Group F and a home playoff match to kick off the postseason. However, the team will need to bounce back from its loss against Hartford Athletic this past Saturday heading into its final match of the regular season this coming Saturday against Philadelphia Union II.
“I think we’re going to have to do some soul-searching this week to get back our hunger, to get back on top of things here,” head coach Bob Lilley said after Saturday’s loss. “We didn’t start that well against Loudoun and we didn’t start that well tonight. So I think we also have to make sure we start games better moving forward.”
As it stands, the Hounds sit atop Group F with 31 points with one match remaining. Second-place Hartford Athletic trail the Hounds by two points, but have two matches left. There are a few scenarios in which the Hounds could win the group, but many of them include winning its final match against Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Hounds have had their way against Philadelphia, outscoring the Group F foe, 10-0, in two matchups this season.
The Hounds would also need Hartford to lose or tie one of its last two matches. Hartford will first travel to Subaru Park to face Philadelphia on Wednesday, the third match between the two clubs in the last two weeks. Hartford defeated Philadelphia, 3-0, back on Sept. 20 at Subaru Park. In their most recent meeting, however, Hartford tied Philadelphia, 1-1, back on Sept. 23 at Dillon Stadium.
Hartford will then finish its season against New York Red Bulls II on Sunday, Oct. 4. The teams have met three times, and Hartford has won all three matches. However, every game was close; Hartford won the three games by a combined total of four goals.
No matter where the Hounds finish in the group, they will face a team from Group E in the conference quarterfinals. They would face Indy Eleven, currently second in Group E, if the current standings hold. Indy narrowly etched out two 1-0 victories against the Hounds this season.
The Hounds could also face Saint Louis FC, which trail Indy by one point. Pittsburgh tied Saint Louis, 2-2, back on Aug. 22 at Highmark Stadium. If the Hounds fell to second in Group F, they would play Louisville City FC, which has already clinched the group. Pittsburgh defeated Louisville City FC, 3-1, in the inaugural match at Lynn Family Stadium earlier this season.
“We can really only put this one behind us and get ready for Philadelphia,” Lilley said.
The Hounds will look to finish the regular season with a win against Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 3. The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on 22 The Point.
