In Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s 2-2 tie against Saint Louis FC on Saturday, its midfielders had no trouble creating quality offensive chances.
Robbie Mertz was directly involved in Pittsburgh’s two first-half goals. After tracking down a loose ball deep in Saint Louis territory, he sent a pass to Steevan Dos Santos on the right side of the penalty area. Dos Santos then sent a quick pass into a sea of Saint Louis defenders, which deflected off the crossbar. Ropapa Mensah quickly took advantage of the opportunity and kicked the ball into the back of the net.
Mertz scored Pittsburgh’s second goal, after regaining possession in the left side of the penalty area after a deflection. Mertz dribbled past Saint Louis defender Sam Fink and flung a shot into the bottom-right corner.
Kenardo Forbes kept pressure on the Saint Louis defense in the second half. In the 72nd minute, he received a pass in the right side of the penalty area and evaded Saint Louis midfielder Todd Wharton. Forbes then sent a shot into the bottom-left corner, but was denied by the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Kyle Morton.
Forbes also contributed to another quality chance in second-half stoppage time, when he sent a cross to Dos Santos on the right side of the penalty area. Dos Santos quickly headed the ball into the top right corner, but was saved by Morton.
“I liked our response to Saint Louis’ second goal and I think we created some good chances,” head coach Bob Lilley said after the match. “Though, I think we gave the ball away too much tonight, and I think we can manage the game better throughout the 90 minutes.”
The Hounds will return to Group F play on Friday, Aug. 28, when they travel to Dillon Stadium for a match against Hartford Athletic. The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
