As the match approached its final whistle, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (7-1-7) and Louisville City FC (7-3-4) seemed destined for a draw – that is until the 79th minute of action. It was at that time the Hounds posted the match’s lone goal en route to their 1-0 victory on Wednesday at Louisville Slugger Stadium. Here is how the team clinched three points on Kenardo Forbes’ first goal of the season.
79’ Kenardo Forbes
Flying down the pitch, Forbes piloted the Pittsburgh offense after the team forced a turnover on its side of the halfway line.
Depicted above, Forbes (yellow arrow) leads the break and is flanked by a couple teammates. As a defender approaches him from behind and to the right, the midfielder elects to send forward Romeo Parkes (green arrow) a through-ball.
Once Parkes uses his speed to chase down the pass, he sends a cross into the penalty area. Louisville fails to immediately clear the ball, and the sphere bounces free just beyond the six-yard box. Forbes, who is not picked up by the nearby Magnus Rasmussen (red arrow), charges the loose ball and sends a shot that deflects off the traffic in front of the net before slipping inside the right post, providing the Hounds with their game-winning goal.
Tale of the Tape
Despite losing the shots battle, 15-7, Riverhounds SC used a late break to turn the tables on Louisville. This break also helped counter the team’s 37 percent possession for the match.
As 26 percent of the match was played from the Louisville defensive third as compared to 21 percent being played from the Pittsburgh defensive third, the Hounds used these percentages to help offset their lower cumulative possession time.
In addition, a high shot efficiency helped counteract a lower overall possession time for the Hounds. Four of the team’s seven shots were on target, including Forbes’ game-winning tally.
