Match info
Riverhounds vs. New Mexico United
Date: Saturday, March 9
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, N.M.
Odds: Hounds +200 / Draw +240 / New Mexico +110 (FanDuel)
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: SiriusXM FC, Channel 157
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on Twitter
Match hashtags: #NMvPIT and #HOUNDTAHN
(March 8, 2024) — The 25th season of Riverhounds soccer is ready to begin tomorrow afternoon when the Hounds face New Mexico United in one of two matches being played at 4 p.m. ET to start the USL Championship schedule.
Coming off winning the 2023 Players’ Shield with the best record in the league, expectations are high for the Hounds despite some key departures in the offseason. But with a veteran midfield group led by Danny Griffin, Kenardo Forbes and Robbie Mertz, and players such as Dani Rovira, Junior Etou and Edward Kizza with experience in coach 2023 Coach of the Year Bob Lilley‘s system, there is enough quality to expect the Hounds to claim a seventh consecutive playoff berth this season.
Mertz will hit a milestone Saturday, likely at the opening whistle, by making his 100th Riverhounds appearance in all competitions. The Pittsburgh native will be the 17th player to hit the century mark and the fourth active player to do so, joining Forbes, Griffin and Rovira.
The Hounds will be aiming to offset the loss of Golden Boot winner Albert Dikwa in free agency with some lively young attacking players joining Kizza up top. Babacar Diene was a standout at Rider University who already recorded two goals this preseason, newly signed Emmanuel Johnson comes in with plenty of pace and potential, and 2022 USL League One Final MVP Kazaiah Sterling will add a proven scorer atop the line when he reaches full match fitness.
Another area to watch for potential breakouts are the Hounds’ second-year pros. Langston Blackstock became a solid contributor as a rookie for the Hounds, despite playing sometimes as a wing back, not his natural position, while newcomers Jackson Walti and Sean Suber both developed last year in MLS Next Pro and are making the next step up.
On the New Mexico side, the home team is coming off a season in which they slipped into the playoffs by winning their final three matches. Their last meeting with the Hounds, coincidentally, was their last loss before that winning streak; the Hounds took a 2-1 win on Sept. 30, 2023 at Highmark Stadium.
Like the Hounds, New Mexico is bringing in its share of new players, including goal scorer Marco Micaletto from Columbus Crew 2 and physical midfielder Nanan Houssou from Loudoun, though the latter of those will miss tomorrow’s opener through suspension. They do have their own veteran pieces, including goalkeeper Alex Tambakis and midfielder creator Sergio Rivas, and finding out which side has come together more quickly as a unit could be a determining factor in who gains the result.
Weather is not expected to be a major factor with sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s predicted in Albuquerque, but the Hounds will have their fitness tested by the mile-high altitude at Isotopes Park, the second-highest stadium in the league behind Colorado Springs’ Widener Field.
The March 9 opening date makes this the earliest season opener in Hounds history, coming two days sooner than last year’s March 11 kickoff in Birmingham. The Hounds are 7-8-9 all-time in opening matches, including a 2-2-2 mark under Lilley. All seven season openers under Lilley have been played on the road.
The Hounds’ 25th season opener will be shown live on KDKA+, which begins its second season as the team’s local broadcast partner. The match also will be streamed locally on the KDKA website and nationally via ESPN+, while fans in the car or using their app can listed to a national radio broadcast on SiriusXM FC Channel 157.
