From headers to left and right-footed strikes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC barraged Bethlehem Steel FC last time out.
In the midst of Pittsburgh’s 4-1 victory on Sept. 7 at Highmark Stadium, the squad totaled a season-high 24 shots. Eight different players recorded a shot for the Black and Gold.
Now as the Hounds (13-4-10) prepare to host Louisville City FC (13-6-8) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium, they would welcome an encore performance of their most recent offensive output.
“Hard work, coming in with the guys and making use of our chances, which we did pretty well last time,” forward Neco Brett said about the key to an efficient offense.
Four different Hounds posted goals in the match against Steel FC (Joe Greenspan, Kenardo Forbes, Jordan Dover and Brett). The full-team effort also resulted in six different players recording a point.
The last time four different Hounds scored in a match occurred during a road game against the Wilmington Hammerheads on July 30, 2016. In this match, the Black and Gold received scoring from Kevin Kerr, Corey Hertzog, Stephen Okai and Nick Thompson.
Only two other times in the history of Highmark Stadium (since the 2013 season) have at least four different Hounds scored in a match at the venue – both of which occurred during the 2015 campaign.
“Pretty easy,” Brett said about creating offense alongside fellow midfielders. “The only thing I need to do is just run and get into space, and the ball comes right to my feet. They know exactly how I play and they’re very good at passing the ball. I do my best to make a run and the ball just comes.”
In terms of creating offense this season, attacking midfielders dominate the team’s passing charts. Forbes paces the team with eight assists in addition to sharing the team lead with Kerr in chances created (40). Christiano François also has catalyzed many scoring opportunities for the Hounds, totaling 35 chances created and leading the club with 80 crosses.
“The role of the midfield to help score that many goals is to be disciplined and help defensively,” midfielder Noah Franke said. “When we help defensively, it allows us to stop them and provides more counterattacks.”
Last time the Hounds battled Louisville, they did rely on counterattacks during a match they only held 36 percent possession. Whether Pittsburgh will need to depend on similar tactics this time around is to be determined, as the squad may want to earn a greater share of possession at home.
Saturday’s contest will carry playoff implications at the top of the Eastern Conference table. Pittsburgh, which sits in second place, has a two-point advantage over fourth-place Louisville, but that can all change after 90 minutes of soccer.
“We’re in a really good position right now, so we need to hold it so we get a good playoff bid,” Franke said. “Staying sharp, staying on top of it, not letting our foot off the gas.”
