This season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has made the most of its shots.
Ranking 14th out of 18 teams in the USL Championship Eastern Conference, the lack of shots would hinder most teams in the Hounds’ position. Thus far, a nucleus of attacking midfielders and forwards have overcome this statistic and created a chemistry comparable with the best teams in the USL Championship.
The Riverhounds currently sit tied with Phoenix Rising FC for the best conversion rate in the USL Championship at 20 percent. Forward Neco Brett attributes the connection between Hounds attackers to a chemistry built up over the 2019 campaign.
“You have to understand your teammates because I think that’s very important,” Brett said. “The moment I turn I know exactly where to play the ball at.”
Head coach Bob Lilley has pressed the team to create movement in the attacking third by staying active inside or near the penalty box. Longtime Hounds’ midfielder Kevin Kerr witnessed the transformation of the offensive attack under Lilley, especially during the team’s early struggles.
Several close losses and winnable draws hindered the Hounds in the early part of the regular season. Once June arrived, the offensive juggernaut the club expected came to life.
“I think with Neco and Steeven up top, they are both red hot,” Kerr said. “They both do so much for the team, as well as score goals. But I think they’ve benefited from the movement and some of the chaos we cause up top, just for dragging players away, and just try and move the backline as much as we can and hope we can capitalize on something.”
Currently, Brett leads the Hounds with 10 goals this season. He is followed by Steeven Dos Santos, Robbie Mertz and Kerr, respectively. Those four men make up over half of the Riverhounds’ 49 total goals scored during 2019 with 30 respectively between the four players.
“You have to understand your teammates,” Brett said.
Brett and the Hounds will have a challenging matchup in the Music City against one of the USL Championship’s best teams, Nashville SC. The Hounds stole one point from Nashville SC earlier this season, scoring two goals, one in the 88th minute and one in second-half stoppage time. Nashville controlled possession in the first meeting of the season, something Pittsburgh is looking to adjust in its upcoming matchup.
“At the end of the day, we can go and play their game with a very good team,” Brett said. “But at the same time, we can’t be scared, we try to attack them.”
Saturday’s matchup with Nashville will have considerable ramifications in the USL Championship Eastern Conference. Currently, the Riverhounds sit in the fifth position with 51 points in 27 matches played. Nashville is in the third position with 54 points with 29 matches played this season. Conceivably, if the Hounds sneak out of Nashville with a victory, Pittsburgh could continue its rise with a chance of earning a home playoff game.
“Yeah, classic six-point swing,” Kerr said. “We all know the situation with the table with the way it looks in the East. I think it’s going to go right down to the wire as to which four teams get the home playoff game. After this weekend, we will know a little bit more.”
