The Howler

Just two minutes into last weekend’s 4-0 win over Ottawa Fury FC, Steevan Dos Santos buried the first goal of the match. It then only took seven minutes for Neco Brett to increase the team’s lead to two. By the end of the first half, Brett had a brace, and the Hounds led 3-0. 

Sammy Kahsai added to the onslaught with a missile in the 86th minute, giving the Black and Gold their fourth goal of the night. 

Last Friday was yet another explosion of offense for this Hounds team, which has now notched four or more tallies five times this season. Pittsburgh has netted 48 goals in 2019, and is on pace for the most goals scored in a season in team history. 

“It’s just the movement of the ball that we’ve been getting the last 15 games,” midfielder Kenardo Forbes said on the team’s scoring efforts. “The movement’s been good, so obviously we’re going to score goals. That’s one thing we’ve been trying to make work, to get these guys moving in front of the ball. We’ve finally gotten in, and it’s working.” 

Forbes, who leads the team in assists, credits the club’s chemistry for the surge in production. Brett agreed with his teammate, and noted that as chemistry has improved throughout the season, results have as well. 

“It’s just the chemistry,” Brett said. “Everybody is working together. We found our form at the right time. We’ve been playing more attacking football as well. The team is playing much better than we were earlier in the season. It feels pretty good.” 

For Forbes, the team’s ability to get on the scoreboard early has been another factor in the blowout wins. Goals in the opening minutes of the match have drastically swung momentum in Pittsburgh’s direction, and they’ve been able to keep their foot on the gas. 

“When we get an early goal, the confidence goes up,” the midfielder said. “Then we continue to get after them again and we get a second and a third. Then teams will put their heads down and we might get a fourth. It’s good for us as a team, and I think we’re moving in the right direction.” 

Just nine games remain on the schedule, and plenty of points are up for grabs as the season winds down. The Black and Gold now hold the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed and are gaining on the team’s ahead of them. 

If the club can continue to do what it’s been doing of late, the homestretch of the season should be a memorable one for all of those involved.

“All we need to do is work hard, follow the coaches’ instructions,” Brett said, “and we can get big results.”

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13-4-8) hosts Louisville City FC (12-7-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds will look to stay unbeaten (8-0-5) at home this season.

Clash of the Titans

Both the Black and Gold and Louisville City FC are on dominant stretches heading into this weekend’s matchup. Louisville is unbeaten in its last five games, posting a 4-0-1 record in that span. The team is coming off of a 1-1 draw against Indy Eleven last weekend. 

Pittsburgh is 4-1-0 in its previous five matches, and has scored 10 goals during the stretch. The Hounds currently hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting just four points ahead of Louisville. 

Louisville’s Slugger

Danish midfielder Magnus Rasmussen has spearheaded Louisville City FC’s attack this season. Through 24 appearances, the 26-year-old has netted a team-leading 10 goals. Rasmussen has converted on 19.6 percent of his shots, with eight goals coming from inside the penalty area. 

Neco Never Stops

Midfielder Neco Brett notched the lone tally on a penalty kick in the Hounds’ win over Louisville earlier this year. Brett now leads the club with 10 goals, and put together a two-goal performance last weekend in Ottawa.

By the Numbers: 29

With 29 career league goals, Kevin Kerr is just one score short of tying Thiago Martins for second-most career league tallies in club history.

Key to Victory: Slow Them Down

Given the amount of shots Louisville City FC is capable of producing, Pittsburgh’s backline will need to slow down their attack on Saturday. If the Hounds can take care of business on their defensive half, and keep their offensive momentum going, they will be in good position to walk out with a victory. 

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13-4-8) returns home to take on Louisville City FC (12-7-7) at 7 p.m. this Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds defeated Louisville, 1-0, earlier this past April.

The Season So Far

Louisville City FC has been one of the most consistent teams in all of the USL Championship. The back-to-back USL Cup champions came into this season with high aspirations looking to make it three straight years, however this season has had its challenges.

Louisville City currently sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. Inconsistent play at the beginning of the season has hampered the club from rising higher in the table. In the month of August, Louisville had been picking up steam with a combined record of 4-0-1 in their last five matches.

Players to Watch

The Riverhounds will be looking to limit the potency of Louisville City’s most dangerous weapon, midfielder Magnus Rasmussen. Rasmussen leads Louisville City FC with 10 goals on 51 shots in 24 total appearances. Look for the Hounds to also seek out forward Luke Spencer, who is second on the team with seven goals and 35 total shots.

Defensively, Paco Craig has been the most effective player for the club. Craig leads Louisville City in clearances, blocks and interceptions this season. If Pittsburgh looks to be successful in front of the net, limiting Craig and other Louisville City defenders will be an integral part of the Hounds’ game plan.

Strength: Championship Pedigree

With being the back-to-back defending USL Cup champions, Louisville City FC comes to the Steel City with championship pedigree and playoff experience. Louisville understands what is needed to make a serious playoff push with the end of the regular season within sight.

Weakness: Conversion Rate

Louisville has been unable to successfully convert on its scoring chances this season. It currently has a conversion rate of 11 percent which ranks as the lowest mark in the Eastern Conference and second lowest in all of the USL Championship.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13-4-8) did not hold back against Ottawa Fury FC (10-5-9) and powered its way to a 4-0 victory on Friday at TD Place Stadium.

The match had it all for the Hounds. A former Ottawa striker potting a tally against his old team. Another striker becoming just the second player in club history to score at least 10 goals in back-to-back seasons. And not to mention a midfield bomb of a goal to cap it all off.

2’ Steevan Dos Santos assisted by Neco Brett

The scoring barrage began with a ball won in the midfield.

Kenardo Forbes (orange arrow) collected a faulty clearance and passed the ball up to Neco Brett (yellow arrow). The forward then shields Ottawa defenders, as Steevan Dos Santos sprints down the middle of the pitch. The Cape Verde native splits the backline, fielding a through-ball from Brett. The rest is left in his right foot, which beats his old team and goalkeeper Callum Irving to the bottom left-hand corner.

11’ Neco Brett assisted by Steevan Dos Santos

For the team’s second goal, Dos Santos (yellow arrow) started things off by winning a header following a goal kick.

The headed ball finds Brett (green arrow), who is surrounded by a couple Ottawa defenders. The key becomes Dakota Barnathan (red arrow). As Barnathan collapses inside, Brett makes a move outside, as the center back becomes off balance. The Kingston, Jamaica native finishes the play from there, striking a ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

34’ Neco Brett assisted by Steevan Dos Santos

For the third tally, it was Ryan James’ (orange arrow) turn to intercept a ball. The outside back sprinted up the left flank to take an attempted cross-pitch pass.

James then sends the ball in to Dos Santos, who lofts the ball to the back post. As the ball approaches the end line, Brett (green arrow) sprints behind the defense and fires the sphere into the cage for his second goal of the game. This tally gave him his second straight season of at least 10 goals with the club – something only Corey Hertzog had achieved.

86’ Sammy Kahsai

Before he sent the ball flying more than 40 yards into the net, Sammy Kahsai made an excellent play at the halfway line.

Making his highlight reel goal possible was his ability to pick the pocket of Ottawa’s Aidan Daniels. Following this takeaway, Kahsai notices Irving off of his line and makes him pay.

Tale of the Tape

The key stat of the match was the Hounds’ six shots on goal to only two takes on target for Ottawa. This advantage propelled the team to its four tallies.

Breaking this down further, Fury FC had just four shots from inside of the 18-yard box. Pittsburgh more than doubled this total, recording nine such shots. With these shot discrepancies, the Hounds earned three points on the road.

Steevan Dos Santos is used to scoring goals. The striker has already netted seven this season, and has established himself as one of the most dangerous scorers in the Eastern Conference. 

Even with that experience finding the back of the net, he still can’t quite describe the feeling of doing so.

“Of course, the first thing is to help the team,” Dos Santos said. “That is the first thing for me. I can’t describe the feeling of scoring a goal. It’s just joy. I don’t have words for that feeling.”

The 29-year-old notched his seventh tally of the year in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Loudoun United FC. Neco Brett chipped a pass to the striker, who sent a low shot by the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

To cap off the goal, Dos Santos formed a heart shape with his hands and showed his love to the Pittsburgh crowd. 

His celebrations have varied throughout the year. Sometimes he chooses to hit a dance move. Other times he’ll go with whatever is on his mind. It’s never planned, but always looks smooth and natural.

One of his most notable celebrations this season came when he pretended to take the wheel of a car. Dos Santos has spent a lot of his free time of late learning to drive, so the celebration fit the occasion perfectly. 

“That was the moment. I’m trying to get my drivers license,” Dos Santos said. “That was me driving a car. It was just the moment, it was nothing planned.”

Dos Santos’ first season with the Black and Gold has come with plenty of success. He’s made 20 starts with the club and is second on the team in goals scored. He spent the previous two seasons with Ottawa Fury FC, and he buried 15 goals during his tenure up north.

On Friday, the striker will return to Ottawa as a visitor for the first time. While he noted that his main focus will be on getting a crucial three points, there will be some extra emotions flowing on Friday night. 

“I still have friends there. The staff is the same staff from the year before. I have some players there as well. We’ve been talking since I left Ottawa. The city as well. It’s good to go back to Ottawa.”

The match between Pittsburgh and Ottawa will make quite the mark on the Eastern Conference leaderboard. The Hounds currently hold the sixth seed, with 44 points. Ottawa isn’t far behind the Black and Gold, with 39 points on the year.

Back in June, the two sides played to a 2-2 draw in a game the Hounds once held a two-goal lead. With a chance to redeem themselves on Friday, Dos Santos hopes the team can play a cleaner game and earn a better result.

“We’re going there to get three points,” Dos Santos said. “We’re going to try not to make the same mistakes that we did here against them. They have good players and a good team. They can punish you if you make those kind of mistakes.”

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-4-8) travels north of the border to take on Ottawa Fury FC (10-4-9) at 7 p.m. this Friday at TD Place Stadium. Both teams played to a 2-2 draw earlier this season on June 8 at Highmark Stadium.

Taking Care of Business

The Riverhounds will be traveling to the Canadian capital for only the third time in team history. In Pittsburgh’s two previous meetings in Ottawa, Pittsburgh prevailed in both of those matches with victories. This season, Fury FC has constructed a formidable roster that threatens to chase down the Hounds and others at the top of Eastern Conference table.

Keepers in Net

With two of the better USL Championship Eastern Conference teams facing off this Friday, goalkeepers are going to play a pivotal role in who comes out on top. Most likely, Pittsburgh will be seeing Ottawa’s Callum Irving in net Friday. Irving allowed two goals in the match earlier this season between the clubs but is only averaging one goal let up per game. The Hounds have mostly been relying on Kyle Morton to guard the 18-yard box. Morton did not start against Fury FC earlier this season but has played excellent in recent weeks against top competition.

On the Road

The Riverhounds continually put together fantastic performances from the confines of Highmark Stadium, not surrendering a single loss at home all season. On the road, however, the Riverhounds own a 4-4-3 record. The Hounds will need to look to create early chances if they look to take three points in Ottawa this Friday.

By the Numbers: 0

Zero represents the total number of times the Riverhounds have ever lost to Fury FC. In five all-time meetings against Ottawa, Pittsburgh holds a combined record of 3-0-2.

Key to Victory: Score Early and Outshoot the Opponent

This season, Pittsburgh has been successful when it has been able to both score first and outshoot its opponents. This season, the Riverhounds have a combined record of 11-1-5 when they have scored first and 11-0-6 when they outshoot their opponent.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-4-8) will take on Ottawa Fury FC (10-4-9) at 7 p.m. this Friday at TD Place Stadium. Since Ottawa joined the USL Championship in 2017, the club has posted an 0-3-2 all-time record against the Black and Gold.

The Season So Far

With 39 points, Ottawa holds the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Fury FC is riding a two-game win streak into Friday’s match and the club is 3-1-1 in its last five outings. 

With a 7-1-4 record at TD Place Stadium, Ottawa has dominated its home slate this season. Fury FC carries an 11-game unbeaten streak at home, having not dropped a result since April 6. 

Earlier this season, the Hounds played Ottawa to a 2-2 draw on June 8 at Highmark Stadium.

Players to Watch

Five members of Fury FC have scored five or more goals this year. Forward Carl Haworth leads the way with eight tallies and has also posted a team-high eight assists. Fellow striker Mour Samb and midfielders Wal Fall and Christiano François are right behind Haworth in the goal category, each with seven goals so far.

Callum Irving has locked down the cage for Ottawa this year. Through 20 appearances, the keeper has made 48 saves and has notched six clean sheets. Fury FC has only conceded 20 goals in 2019, which is tied as the 30th-fewest mark in the entire USL Championship.

Strength: Offensive Depth

Goals have come from all over the place this year for Ottawa. With the contributions from Haworth and Samb, as well as the others mentioned above, Fury FC can rely on a number of different contributors to find the back of the net on any given night.

Weakness: Stiff Competition

Seven of Ottawa’s 10 wins have come against teams currently not in the playoff picture. While Fury FC has taken care of business against teams one would expect them to defeat this year, they have had a bit more trouble with the Eastern Conference’s strongest club.

It just took one goal for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-4-8) to remain unbeaten at home this season, as the club defeated Loudoun United FC (5-12-5), 1-0, on Friday at Highmark Stadium. Here’s how the Hounds notched yet another three points on home turf.

5’ Steevan Dos Santos assisted by Neco Brett

One striker fed another.

With Steevan Dos Santos (green arrow) timing his run, Neco Brett (yellow arrow) lofts a ball into the 18-yard box for the Cape Verde native. The key to Dos Santos becoming open is Loudoun defender Collin Verfurth (red arrow), who moves up – perhaps to try to catch the striker offside.

However, this movement backfired and left the forward alone in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Dos Santos wins the battle, placing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner for the only tally of the match.

Tale of the Tape

Loudoun battled toe-to-toe with the Hounds throughout the match, posting one less total shot (10-to-9) but one more shot on target (3-to-2). Keeping the USL newcomer in the game was its ability to keep Riverhounds SC outside of its 18-yard box. Eight of Pittsburgh’s 10 total shots came from outside of the penalty area.

Despite this, Loudoun could not come away with a point. Two of its shots on goal were saved by goalkeeper Kyle Morton, while the other was cleared in the nick of time by defender Joe Greenspan to preserve the 1-0 win.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (11-4-8) hosts Loudoun United FC (5-11-5) at 7 p.m. this Friday at Highmark Stadium. Loudoun carries a two-game losing streak into this weekend’s contest, and is 1-3-1 in its last five matches.

Young Blood

16-year-old striker Griffin Yow has impressed through nine outings with Loudoun this season. Yow has made seven starts and has netted three goals, which is tied for second most on the team.

Striker Orlando Sinclair has also notched three tallies for the club. The 21-year-old has made 18 appearances this season, and is second on the team in shots taken (28).

A Familiar Face

Erie, Pennsylvania native Andrew Lubahn returns to Highmark Stadium this weekend. The defender spent the 2018 season with the Black and Gold before inking a deal with Loudoun this past winter.

Lubahn has logged 719 minutes of action through 11 games played and has buried two goals so far this year.

Scoring Depth

The Black and Gold have gotten offense from all over the field this season. Four players have reached the five or more goal mark, with Neco Brett leading the way with eight tallies. Pittsburgh’s offensive depth will put a lot of  pressure on a Loudoun squad that has struggled at points defensively.

By the Numbers: 1

This will be the first-ever meeting between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Loudoun United FC. 

Key to Victory: Create Pressure Up Top

Loudoun’s roster is relatively young bunch that has struggled on the road this year. Its offensive play has shown to be limited, and they are in the bottom quadrant of the Eastern Conference for shot attempts.

With that being said, the Hounds need to put pressure on Loudoun’s backline this weekend. If Pittsburgh can strike first, and can hold off Loudoun’s streaky attack, they could grab a win on Friday.