Louisville City FC travels to the Steel City to face Bob Lilley and Riverhounds SC in a major Eastern Conference clash with multiple implications on an already tight playoff picture.
City is looking to rebound off Tuesday’s 0-1 loss to Cincinnati, while Pittsburgh enters off the back of a 4-1 win over Steel FC, their only win in their last five contests.
When & Where
The match is set to take place at Highmark Stadium with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The match will be aired on WBKI as well as streamed on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the match on 790 WKRD. Fans can also follow #PGHvLOU on Twitter & Instagram.
TV: WBKI
RADIO: 790 WKRD
STREAM: ESPN+
DOWNLOAD: LouCity app for iOS | LouCity app for Android
Where They Stand
Louisville City FC:
13-6-8, 47 points – 4th in EC
Riverhounds SC:
13-4-10, 49 points – 2nd in EC
Last Time Out
LouCity dropped just their second home contest of the 2018 season when they fell to FC Cincinnati, 0-1, in the final regular season Dirty River Derby.
On a night with much rain in the forecast, the “Boys in Purple” entered Saturday’s match in search for their first win at Slugger Field since July 21.
Slipping and sliding across the field, both sides spent the first 22 minutes in a back-and-forth battle for possession before FC Cincinnati opened the scoring. A ball from Cincinnati’s Manu Ledesma lead midfielder Corben Bone into the penalty box, who eventually slipped one past Louisville City ‘keeper Greg Ranjitsingh and into the back of the net.
After fifteen more minutes of play, the match was delayed due to lightning in the area. The match would be suspended until Tuesday, September 11, with the game clock set to 37:43 as play resumed.
Once the match resumed, Louisville City pressed in an attempt to strike before the break but came up emptyhanded and headed into the half down a goal.
The team’s scoring opportunity would come for the “Boys in Purple” when Oscar Jimenez’s 66th minute run finished with a foul above the box once again. The ever-dangerous forward Cameron Lancaster stepped up and delivered a beautiful shot, though the bending free kick wound up just right of the far post.
A pressing attack from Louisville City would see the club finish with nearly 60% possession, but a plethora of second-half chances never broke the stingy play from the Cincinnati back line.
Rewind against Riverhounds SC
City’s first home loss of the year came against Riverhounds SC in their last meeting on Wednesday, June 27 at Slugger Field. A goal by Pittsburgh midfielder Kenardo Forbes in the 79th minute helped the visitors steal three points from City, who were in their fourth match in 11 days across all competitions.
Riverhounds SC were first to test the opposition ‘keeper with a breakaway chance in the 23rd minute for midfielder Christiano Francois. Getting past the City defense, Francois closed down on goal only for goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh to make a crucial double save to keep the score level.
Just over ten minutes later, Ranjitsingh was at it again with his heroics. A half chance fell for Riverhounds SC’s Thomas Vancayezeele and the midfielder produced a sweet strike that seemed destined for the back of the net, only for Ranjitsingh to meet the effort and save the scoreline once more.
At the halftime interval, City was locked up at zero with no goals for either side.
The second was a cagey affair as City pushed for the first goal of the match. Reinforcements in the form of Brian Ownby, Pat McMahon, and Cameron Lancaster were brought on for Shaun Francis, Oscar Jimenez, and Ilija Ilic, but City could not break through.
Instead, Pittsburgh hit first on the counter in the 79th minute off a goal by Kenardo Forbes. As a cross come into the box, Forbes was first to the ball and put a shot on frame from inside the box. Deflecting off a defender on the way, the shot somehow snuck through a pile of bodies to give the visitors the lead.
LouCity tried it all from left, right, and central positions but Riverhounds SC would only bend, not break, and at the full-time whistle, their 0-1 advantage would be enough to take three points from Louisville.
Coach John Hackworth’s pre-match comments
On facing Riverhounds SC on Saturday:
“I’m expecting to go there and have a team that has proven this season to be very tough, especially at home on that field. We have a huge challenge in front of us. Not only to be on the road but our opponent is well-coached, they are organized, they know exactly how they want to play and they know how to take advantage of their opponents.”
On seeing Pittsburgh play:
“I don’t think it’s a huge secret, their style and what they’re trying to do. I do think it’s unique that they show some different looks and they press in different ways dependent on who they are playing. We’ll have to make sure that we deal with everything they throw at us and for sure we’re going to have to make some adjustments in game to take advantage of that.”
On what he has and hasn’t liked from his side as of late:
“I really like our attacking soccer right now. We’ve done an excellent job of unbalancing our opponents and creating opportunities but we haven’t taken advantage of those chances. We have to do a better job of executing in the final third. Our transition and our pressure has been really good, and yet we let ourselves down in some moments where defensively we have to be better.”
On the race for the playoffs:
“I don’t think we’re worried about the playoffs at all but we are definitely always focused on the next game ahead because it has such big implications for the playoffs.”
KY Lottery Kees to the Game
Another difficult test for City pits them against a defensively sound Riverhounds side… Here are the KY Lottery Kees to the Game for #PGHvLOU:
- Mute Neco Brett
- Look to strike quickly in transition
- Prevent Pitt from finding space on the break
Team News
OUT – Magnus Rasmussen (Knee Sprain)
OUT – Brian Ownby (Concussion)
