Following a tough 3-1 loss on the Fourth of July, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (5-7-4) look to right the ship on the road against Orlando City B (5-6-5).
The match begins at 7:30 p.m. from Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, July 8.
These two teams have already met once this season on June 3 at Highmark Stadium. Corey Hertzog opened the scoring for the Hounds in the 30th minute with his team-best sixth goal of the season. However, the Lions scored consecutive goals in the 42nd and 53rd minutes en route to shutting out the Hounds the rest of the way.
Orlando enters the weekend a point out of a playoff spot and is 1-2-2 in its last five with a minus-1 goal differential in that span. The Lions have not scored multiple goals in a game since their 2-1 win over the Hounds this past June.
Saturday’s match presents a critical tilt for both clubs, as Orlando (10th) sits directly one spot above Pittsburgh (11th) in the Eastern Conference standings, also holding a one-point advantage – 20-to-19. A win for either side would be a crucial move towards securing a top-eight spot in the conference table.
For the second match in a row, the Hounds will face one the USL’s best goalkeepers. Earl Edwards Jr. leads the East with 48 saves and is third overall in the USL. The keeper also has four clean sheets on the season, tied for fourth-best in the East.
Strengths
- Conversion – Similar to the Hounds’ last opponent, the Charlotte Independence, the Lions have a strong conversion rate, as their 17.5 percent mark is third best in the Eastern Conference.
- Passing – Orlando has 10 players with passing accuracies over 80 percent. Four Lions have passing accuracies in the opponents half above 80 percent and they also have four players with an over 80 percent success rate on long passes. Clogging the passing lanes against Orlando will go a long way towards the Hounds leaving with points this weekend.
Weaknesses
- Key contributors out – Orlando will be without its leading scorer Pierre Da Silva after he earned a three-game suspension for his red card foul at Cincinnati on July 1. A major contributor, he’s created 25 chances, best on the team and tied for eighth most in the Eastern Conference, along with holding the second-best assist mark in the league at six. Expected to pick up the slack will be Albert Dikwa, Richie Laryea and Hadji Barry – all three tied for the team lead in goals with three. Laryea and Barry though have not dressed for the B side since June 7 – a span of four games – meaning Orlando could be without three of its top scoring threats come Saturday.
- Home struggles – In home matches, the Lions are 1-2-4 at Orlando City Stadium. The Lions have not won at home since April 4 against Toronto FC II, a span of five consecutive home matches without a win. Despite four draws at home, the Lions have a minus-4 goal differential at Orlando City Stadium and gave up three goals in both of their regulation losses.
- Discipline – Orlando commits its fair share of fouls over the course of a match, averaging 12.6 fouls a game and receiving the third-most yellow cards of any team in the USL with 36. Laryea is third in the USL in yellow cards, while Da Silva is tied for the league lead in red cards.
