PITTSBURGH (June 12, 2021) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC battled to a 1-1 draw in their first-ever meeting with Miami FC at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.
Russell Cicerone netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season after just nine minutes to put the Hounds (2-3-2) in front, but a goal in first-half stoppage time by former Hounds winger Christiano Francois helped Miami (3-3-1) pick up a point on the road.
The match, played in front of a season-high crowd of 3,115 with pandemic capacity restrictions now lifted, provided plenty of opportunities for each team to snag a winning goal. The Hounds ended up outshooting Miami, 10-4, but nothing changed for the teams who entered the match holding fourth and fifth place in the USL Atlantic Division.
First half
The Hounds signaled their intent early, as Albert Dikwa had the ball in the net in under a minute, though the offside flag negated his scoring chance.
But the home side stayed on the front foot and went ahead after Jordan Dover, making his 100th USL regular season appearance, won the ball just inside the Hounds’ half.
Dover found Dikwa, who sprung Alex Dixon for an attacking jaunt down the left side. Dixon wisely waited for the second man to make a run through the box, and it was Cicerone who shot Dixon’s service into the bottom corner of the net with his first touch.
The Hounds were the more dangerous attacking team in the first half, but Miami got their tying goal against the run of play on their first shot of the game just before halftime.
Francois, who played for the Hounds in 2018, got behind the defense on a long ball and circled charging goalkeeper Danny Vitiello. Francois put the shot on goal from a tight angle after being forced wide, but retreating Hounds defender Preston Kilwien got caught wrong-footed at the goal line, and his last-ditch clearance attempt pinged off the post and in.
Second half
The second was more of the same, though Miami was the first to threaten to take the lead when Ariel Martinez won the ball and made a long run from his own half. He received a return pass at the top of the box, and his shot narrowly missed high.
Dixon then had a chance to put the Hounds ahead just after the hour mark, when Kenardo Forbes hit a pinpoint, 40-yard diagonal ball to the left flank that hit Dixon in stride. Dixon’s hard shot forced a leaping save from Connor Sparrow, and the rebound opportunity bounced high but couldn’t be corralled by the Hounds.
Late in the half, Kilwien almost put the Hounds ahead with his header from one of only three corner kicks in the entire match. Forbes’ delivery found the defender at the near post, but his attempt flashed wide across the face of goal.
The Hounds also had two reasonable penalty appeals go unanswered. The first, on another driven cross by Dixon, was a claim for handling against Miami’s Callum Chapman-Page, but even replays left it difficult to know if Chapman-Page’s arm struck the ball. On the game’s final attack, Dikwa went down after seemingly having his heels clipped by a Miami defender, but no call was forthcoming despite the Hounds’ protests.
Hounds Man of the Match
Alex Dixon again gets the honor, despite Cicerone being the man with the finishing touch. Dixon got his team-leading third assist on that goal, and he was a constant menace breaking behind the Miami back line.
What’s next?
The Hounds hit the road for a Tuesday meeting with Indy Eleven that will be nationally televised on ESPN Deportes. That 8 p.m. kickoff will be the Hounds’ first trip to Indy’s new home, Carroll Stadium. Indy (3-3-1) was off this weekend after losing 2-0 to El Paso on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC lineup (4-3-3) — Danny Vitiello; Preston Kilwien, Jelani Peters, Mekeil Williams (Shane Wiedt 63’), Jordan Dover (Jalen Robinson 63’); Kenardo Forbes, Todd Wharton (Anthony Velarde 77’), Danny Griffin; Alex Dixon, Albert Dikwa, Russell Cicerone (Tommy Williamson 77’)
Miami FC lineup (4-2-3-1) — Connor Sparrow; Janos Loebe, Luca Antonelli (Callum Chapman-Page 57’), Paco Craig, Richard Ballard; Junior Palacios, Jahshaun Anglin (Adonijah Reid 87’); Robert Baggio (Billy Forbes 57’), Ariel Martinez (Lamar Walker 65’), Christiano Francois; Pierre da Silva
Scoring summary
PIT — Russell Cicerone 9’ (Alex Dixon)
MIA — Christiano Francois 45+3’ (Ariel Martinez)
Discipline summary
PIT — Mekeil Williams 45+4’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
MIA — Lamar Walker 90’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
MIA — Junior Palacios 90+4’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
