For the third and final time this season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Rochester Rhinos will face each other. The Hounds return home at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Highmark Stadium.
In both of their prior two meetings this season, the Hounds and Rhinos played to draws and have so far combined for two goals total.
The Hounds are 6-23-6 all-time against the Rhinos.
The Rhinos have not won since drawing with Pittsburgh on Sept. 16 (0-2-1) and are in the midst of a five-match winless streak overall (0-2-3). As a result, the Rhinos have dropped to fifth in Eastern Conference.
With 44 points and three games left to play, Rochester is still only two points out from securing a home playoff game, meaning the club will have plenty to compete for come Saturday.
Midfielder Kenardo Forbes’ 43 chances created are tops on the Rhinos and 20 more than his next closest teammate, midfielder Wal Fall. Forbes is also 10th-best in the East in chances created. The Jamaican has combined to create three chances in two meeting against the Hounds.
Strengths
Goalkeeping – Rochester’s 12 clean sheets is tied for first in the East and tied for second in the USL. Keeper Tomas Gomez is in search of back-to-back Golden Glove honors currently leading the league with a 0.76 goals-against average and his 10 clean sheets are the most in the East.
Penalty Kicks – The Rhinos are tied for second in the East with seven goals on penalty kicks.
Weaknesses
Scoring – With 31 goals, the Rhinos are fourth in the East in scoring. Additionally, Rochester’s 12 percent conversion rate is the East’s fifth-worst. The Rhinos next goal will be its first since scoring in the 43rd minute against Louisville City three matches ago (Sept. 20).
Passing – Rochester’s 75.3 passing percentage is fourth-worst in the East. The Rhinos also have a 44.4 percent efficiency at long passes, fifth-worst in the conference.
