Match info
Riverhounds (8-9-7) vs. Hartford Athletic (10-9-5)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Trinity Health Stadium, Hartford, Conn.
Odds: Hounds +195 / Draw +210 / Hartford +130 at Fan Duel
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtags: #HFDvPIT and #Grittsburgh
(Sept. 18, 2025) — A half-dozen matches remain to determine the Hounds’ playoff fate, and the first of those is a six-point road trip to face Hartford Athletic on Saturday.
A win is vital for either side to keep hope alive for a home playoff match. For the Hounds, dropped points would turn a slim path to the top four into a nearly impossible one, while for Hartford — sitting in fifth place and four points ahead of the Hounds — a win could see them end the weekend in one of those top four spots, depending on road results for both Loudoun and North Carolina.
For the Hounds, last week’s 2-0 defeat to league-leading Louisville was a disappointing setback, though one with its share of positives.
The obvious shortcoming was failing to find the net for the first time since July 18, and only the third time since the start of June. However, the Hounds equaled their best possession number of the season at 64 percent, and they generated 13 shots, which continues a positive trend line for a team that didn’t fire more than 10 in any of its first 12 league matches of the season.
While Augi Williams still leads the team with seven goals, a trip to Connecticut always puts additional eyes on captain Danny Griffin, who will have a large contingent of fans from his hometown of nearby Wethersfield in the stands. Griffin scored the only goal in the Hounds’ 1-0 win over Hartford this year in Pittsburgh, and he has a history of big goals when traveling back to New England, including the lone strikes in this year’s win at Rhode Island FC and in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup match at the New England Revolution.
Hartford, meanwhile, has turned into a potent attacking side of late, which has helped propel them to the cusp of their club’s first trophy by reaching the USL Jägermeister Cup Final in two weeks. The team’s 37 goals is good for sixth-best in the USL Championship, and they have no shortage of players who can finish in front of goal.
Kyle Edwards leads the home side with 12 goals on the season, while Michee Ngalina has long been a thorn in the Hounds’ side and scored twice in Hartford’s 2-0 home win a season ago. Any thought of their team backsliding after selling promising young striker Mamadou Dieng to Minnesota United was dispelled when they turned around to acquire former Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry, who won the scoring title while playing for current Hartford coach Brendan Burke in Colorado Springs.
Last year’s loss aside, the Hounds have a good history at Trinity Health Stadium (formerly Dillon Stadium), where they are 5-1-1 all-time. Maintaining that good record and completing a season sweep of Hartford on Saturday could go a long way toward locking up a better playoff seed as fall approaches.
The match will air live in Pittsburgh on KDKA+, which also will re-air the match at 1 p.m. Sunday. For those who prefer streaming options, ESPN+ will have the live broadcast, as well as KDKA.com for viewers located in the Pittsburgh market.
Downloadable Game Notes
