Pittsburgh Riverhounds eager to open season with revenge game

After six weeks of preseason training, three season postponements and a few weeks to get back into playing shape, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are finally ready to take the field in a competitive game for the first time in 2020.

They begin their season July 11 against Louisville City FC for the inaugural match at Lynn Family Stadium. Last year, Louisville ended Pittsburgh’s historic season with a 2-1 extra time victory in front of a record-setting crowd at Highmark Stadium, so the Hounds are more than eager for the opportunity to return the favor.

“Once we got the layout of the groups that we were going to be playing this year, there are certain teams that you still want to get a chance at, and Louisville is one of those teams,” midfielder Jordan Dover said. “They kind of ruined our party last year, so we want to ruin theirs.”

Getting to this point during the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t easy for the Riverhounds. During their preseason camp, they had the opportunity to come together as a team after an offseason filled with turnover. Then, just days before their first match, the season was postponed.

Players had to separate for quarantine. Some went home and some stayed close to Pittsburgh, but they all kept in touch. Over the past few weeks, the Hounds have had the opportunity to redevelop that chemistry through small group training sessions and most recently when they returned to full team sessions.

“There have been a few growing pains along the way, but there is still that familiarity,” Dover said. “We were together for like six weeks before we got sent home for covid and everything. But we’re still relearning everyone’s tendencies. It’s like riding a bike though. It’s come pretty naturally.”

During the offseason, the Riverhounds lost key players such as goalkeeper Kyle Morton, defender Joe Greenspan, leading goal scorer Neco Brett and others. But the defending Eastern Conference champions also retained a core group of players — and leaders — in the locker room.

“I can’t say enough about the guys that we have in the locker room, not physically because we aren’t actually in the locker room right now,” Riverhounds midfielder and Upper St. Clair product Robbie Mertz said. “But I think we have a good group of guys that are really getting along very well, and that’s something that can go a long way.”

As a part of the shortened season, USL Championship teams were split into eight groups, with some containing four teams and some containing five. The teams will play 12 of their 16 games against group opponents.

The Riverhounds will play in Group F against Hartford Athletic, Loudon United, New York Red Bulls II and Philadelphia Union II. They will also play four games against teams in close geographical proximity.

The 2020 schedule was released Thursday, and it was revealed the Riverhounds would play against Louisville City, Indy Eleven (twice) and Saint Louis FC for their four out-of-group matches. Three of those matches come in the first seven games, and Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said it will be crucial for his squad to get off to a hot start.

“If you don’t do well in your first seven games, you’re going to be looking up at everyone, and you’re putting a lot of pressure on having to get three points,” Lilley said. “It’s not easy to be digging a hole and chasing and trying to get out of it when you put yourself in that position.”

The Riverhounds will have a tough first half of the season as they follow up their opener with two games apiece against Indy Eleven, Philadelphia Union II and New York Red Bulls II. Two of their first three games will be televised on ESPN2.

Fans will be allowed to attend their season opener at Louisville, but that won’t be the case at home. The Riverhounds announced Thursday their games at Highmark Stadium will be played without fans at least through the end of July.

That’s disappointing news, but with everything going on, they are just eager to get back onto the field.

“This whole year so far, with everything that’s happened, has put soccer into a new perspective for a lot of us,” Mertz said. “There’s just so many more important things than soccer and what happens in the game. But to just have the privilege to play soccer is good enough. So we’re just going to go out and enjoy it.”