Kenardo Forbes sent a corner kick opportunity in toward the cage. The chance was quickly headed out by an Atlanta United 2 defender, before finding the feet of Robbie Mertz.
The midfielder launched the chance on frame, and with the help of a bounce off a defender, the ball trickled into the back of the net. All it took for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to get on the board were four minutes.
“Guys were running in the box, I’m just there to clean things up if it comes out and stop the counter,” Mertz said. “The ball rolled out to me. All I was thinking was to try to keep it low and try to put it on net. It was on net, which was nice, because I got a little fortunate with the deflection.”
Mertz’s goal was the first of many, in what eventually was a 5-0 win over Atlanta. While the offensive eruption was a comforting sign for the club, Mertz noted that it’s important for the Black and Gold to move forward and not get too high on any win.
Even with that being said, there is a sense of momentum that the club can carry over to this weekend’s matchup with New York Red Bulls II.
“It definitely gives some confidence, especially for the guys up top like Steevan [Dos Santos], Neco [Brett], the guys scoring goals,” Mertz said. “That was good, but at the same time we have to move on just like we would from a loss.
“We need to approach the next game like it’s a completely new game. We need to be prepared for the Red Bulls after a good week of training. They’ll present new challenges, and we just have to focus up mentally and do the same thing we did last weekend.”
The offensive unit wasn’t the only group that laid a foundation to build upon in the win over Atlanta. With another shutout in the books, Pittsburgh’s backline also looks to keep its momentum alive this weekend.
“New York Red Bulls II is a big team in the league,” Thomas Vancaeyezeele said. “They score a lot of goals, they beat every big team in the league. We’ll look to keep the clean sheet again and to get another win. We’ll try to build up from Atlanta’s game and we look forward to it.”
Saturday’s match marks the first of three consecutive home games for the Hounds. Coming off of a bit of a hectic travel slate, the club is excited to be back in Pittsburgh.
There’s always a sense of comfort that comes with playing games at home, and the Black and Gold look to keep their success alive on their own turf.
“You get tired when you travel a lot,” Vancaeyezeele said. “It will be good to play in front of a crowd at home, in front of our fans. I’m looking forward to that this week.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s match against New York Red Bulls II is set for 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. New York, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, will be a strong test for the Black and Gold.
Though, if they come out with the same energy and aggression that they did last weekend, Mertz is confident the team can find success.
“From the first whistle, the mentality has to be good,” Mertz said. “We pressed the ball high up the field and got ourselves out to a lead. It’s just that mentality from the start of the game. Obviously it has to be there all 90 minutes, but the beginning of the game is just as important.”
