This season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC set team records in both goals scored per game (2.44) and goals allowed per game (0.63). In a two-part series, take a look at the club’s success during this 2020 regular season.
As the minutes trickled down in the final game of the 2020 regular season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC was on the attack trying to avoid a 1-1 tie.
In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, newcomer Albert Dikwa received a corner kick from Kenardo Forbes. What happened next was magic.
A strong header from Dikwa was sent sailing into bottom-left corner of the net for the game-winning goal against Philadelphia Union II on Oct. 3 at Highmark Stadium.
“In my head, I was thinking that I had to make right on this chance,” Dikwa said. “I missed on a few opportunities earlier in the half, and that goal was probably the best chance I had. I knew I had to make it, and I did.”
This year, the Hounds set a club record for goals scored per game (2.44) in the regular season. The previous benchmark for this feat was 2.40 goals scored per game in 2004. With a season as unpredictable as this year, the offense has made the most of its opportunities.
Heading into the postseason, the Hounds’ offense has a 28 percent conversion rate, which leads the USL Championship.
Head coach Bob Lilley has felt that the Hounds have always been confident in the goalscoring aspect of the game, but there is always room for improvement.
“Managing the game is probably biggest in how to create space, when to play faster, when to play slower, knowing what the score is,” Lilley said. “Understanding situations before and after halftime.
“I think this year’s team has a chance to go far. We’ve gotten better and better as the season has gone along and we’ve learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. I feel like we’ve improved a lot in managing games.”
While managing the game seems to be a theme of this year’s offense, players like Robbie Mertz and Ropapa Mensah have been key in goalscoring chances.
Mertz, a second-year Hound, has scored five goals this season while recording 22 key passes and four assists.
“I think you’ll always see his fire competitively, he’ll talk,” Lilley said about Mertz. “And he doesn’t hide in big games.”
Mertz has received USL Championship Team of the Week honors three times this season.
Meanwhile, Mensah has been a reliable forward since joining the Hounds this year, his fourth season in the USL Championship. Mensah leads the club with 27 shots while also being a key player in getting the ball upfield and into the penalty box for goalscoring opportunities.
The added depth on offense this season has become a blessing in disguise for the Hounds. Rookie players and new additions to the lineup, such as midfielder Danny Griffin and forward Lukas Fernandes, have made an impact on the pitch to help propel the team forward.
As the team heads into the postseason, the added depth will give the squad a boost.
“For me, our job is to get ready,” Lilley said after the 2-1 win against Philadelphia on Oct. 3. “Maximizing our points tonight was key, and we can only control how we perform. I would love to play as many games as possible at Highmark [Stadium], but if we have to play on the road, we’ll be ready.”
