Rowdies withstand early barrage to take home a valuable point from Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay was second best much of the night - that's nothing new in Pittsburgh. But getting a point there is always a positive
The Rowdies looked out-of-sorts for much of the first half on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Given the Pittsburgh Riverhounds awful start to the new USL Championship campaign, we knew Bob Lilley would get a reaction out of his side. But ultimately the Riverhounds finishing touch was elusive and despite a high-energy and spirited effort, Tampa Bay came away with not only a a point but probably the best chance to steal all three late. The overall quality of the match was among the poorest, I have seen of any USL Championship match this season.
Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh had several pinpoint chances in the match, most of which never made it to goalkeeper Jordan Farr. The Rowdies back line anchored by Forest Lasso were not only well-organized but did not lose their shape out of possession very much all night.
For Pittsburgh, wing-backs, Pat Hogan and Langston Blackstock were particularly influential making effective forays forward and linking the play. But both wingbacks when presented golden opportunities to score before halftime failed to take their chances.
Early in the second half Kenardo Forbes and Kazaiah Sterling both had multiple chances to score and the excellent midfield play of Brunaliergene Etou was giving Tampa Bay fits. Still the Rowdies defenses weren’t breached and by about minute 70 it became obvious that Tampa Bay has withstood a storm and if their was to be a winner it probably would come from the Rowdies side.
And it almost did- minutes before Full Time, Lewis Hilton struck a free kick beautifully, beating the Riverhounds wall but Eric Dick, the Pittsburgh goalkeeper made a good save.
“I thought the boys worked really hard,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “It’s obviously a really hard place to come. The surface makes it really difficult to pass the ball at all. It’s really tight and the way (Pittsburgh) plays is really aggressive. Tonight is not how we want to play, but sometimes you just have to take the clean sheet, take the point, and get (home).”
Ultimately it was a match severely lacking in quality- a bit of a shocker from the two teams that finished atop the Eastern Conference table in the 2023 USL Championship Regular Season. Pittsburgh’s rebuilt squad is taking time to mesh while Tampa Bay seems to have trouble stringing together the sort of passing sequences you need to settle things down in this league. Plus Leo Fernandes absence certainly contributed to preventing the Rowdies from playing with confidence and controlling tempo.
Much like Tampa Bay’s 1-1 draw in Cary, NC a few weeks ago, this is a case of the Rowdies playing poorly, managing a draw and going home to regroup.
It's always how the clubs do towards the end of the season that dictate success in the post-season. But why did the Riverhounds jettison their players from last season and force a rebuild? Solely for budgetary reasons or were some key players sold off?