Match info
Riverhounds (17-5-9) vs. FC Tulsa (9-13-9)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds -340 / Draw +390 / Tulsa +750 (FanDuel)
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+ (national), KDKA+ (local)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter
Match hashtags: #PITvTUL and #HOUNDTAHN
PITTSBURGH (Sept. 29, 2023) — The Hounds aim to close their regular-season home schedule with a sixth consecutive win at Highmark Stadium when they host FC Tulsa for a 7 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
The match will be vital in the Hounds’ chase for the Players’ Shield, which goes to the team with the top regular-season record in the USL Championship. The Hounds hold a three-point lead over the Tampa Bay Rowdies with each team having three matches to play. That includes next week’s trip to St. Petersburg for the Hounds, who could clinch the Shield in that match should they win this Saturday.
With so much to play for and another sellout crowd expected for Fan Appreciation Night at Highmark, the Hounds are seeking to cap off the biggest home season in club history. The team already has set the club record for most overall home wins (15) and most league wins at home (12) in a single season, and a win over Tulsa would equal the USL Championship record for home wins in a season with 13. Unsurprisingly, the last two Eastern Conference champions — Louisville in 2022 and Tampa Bay in 2021 — are two of the teams with a share of that feat, and the Hounds would be more than thrilled to follow in their footsteps.
Albert Dikwa remains tied atop the race for the league’s scoring title with 17 goals, and in Tulsa, he faces an opponent he has scored against three times in three matches, including his first career two-goal game last season in Oklahoma. The Hounds’ set piece excellence was a driving force in the team’s last match, a 2-1 win over New Mexico, and a Dikwa shot that was barely cleared off the goal line was the only thing that prevented him from taking the Golden Boot lead and kept Kenardo Forbes from his second career three-assist game. As it stands, Forbes’ nine assists place him second in the Championship, one behind San Antonio’s Jorge Hernandez.
The Hounds will want to tighten up on the back end, having logged just one shutout — a scoreless draw in San Antonio — in their past six matches. Still, the team leads the Championship with 13 clean sheets, and the next one for goalkeeper Jahmali Waite will make him the third Hounds goalkeeper to have at least 10 shutouts in a single season, joining Kyle Morton (13 in 2019) and Dan Lynd (12 in 2018).
Tulsa’s attack is led by talented striker Phillip Goodrum, an all-USL player a season ago with Memphis who has 10 goals this season, and playmaking winger Marcus Epps, who leads the club with five assists. Tulsa managed to keep the Hounds off the board in the teams’ first meeting, a 0-0 draw back on March 28, but their 48 goals allowed this season ranks them 20th out of 24 teams in the league.
Fan Appreciation Night at Highmark Stadium is presented by Mike’s Beer Bar and comes with a chance for fans to win great prizes. All fans will receive a scratch-off ticket that gives them an opportunity to take home one of the grand prizes — 2024 season tickets, a $500 Mike’s Beer Bar gift card, a team-autographed Hounds jersey or a club suite for a 2024 match. Other prizes include special giveaway items and concessions discounts, and all tickets are redeemable for 15 percent off at Mike’s Beer Bar.
Saturday’s drink special will be $5 Olimpicos, the official canned cocktail of the Riverhounds crafted by our partners at Quantum Spirits. The refreshing rum, cola and lime combination will be sold in the Tailgate Zone and in-stadium.
In addition to the Fan Appreciation Night festivities, Allegheny Health Network will be on hand for their annual Kick Out Cancer promotion, and the Hounds will conclude the first year of the Change Makers series by recognizing Ebtehal Badawi, founder of Building Bridges, a Pittsburgh-based anti-bullying organization.
The match will air live and local on KDKA+ and the KDKA website, and ESPN+ subscribers will be able to tune in to the live stream of the match. Limited tickets are still available for the match through Ticketmaster, but parking in the West Lot is sold out, so fans are encouraged to make use of the other lots at Station Square or utilize other transit options.
Downloadable Game Notes
