The stakes get higher for the Riverhounds as they now go on the road for the next two matches, starting in the club’s first-ever match in Brooklyn on Saturday.
The Hounds traveled to New York City’s most populated of its five boroughs to take on a club that hasn’t exactly drawing big crowds at Maimonides Park, which is located adjacent to famed Coney Island Park and Beach and serves as home of Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets.
Key Storylines
The Hounds have real momentum coming into this match, having defeated second place, Old Guard Shield rival Charleston, 3-1, last Saturday and are now 2-0-1 in their first three matches of the month.
The early goals in last week’s match by Trevor Amann and Danny Griffin allowed the Hounds to sit and dictate the style of play, and the set piece finish by Victor Souza — a NYC native returning home this week — made the finish a relatively comfortable one.
The Hounds are now 12-1-0 across all competitions when scoring the first goal this season, which has the team further emphasizing the need for a quick start on the road.
This remains a tricky contest against an expansion team that can be challenging to break down, will play physical and not only already beat them this season — but left them frustrated after an ugly incident that resulted in Albert Dikwa getting sent off with a red card.
While composure has been a strong characteristic of the Hounds this season as they are one of the most disciplined squads in the league, they have to use that as a strength against an opponent that will try to rattle them again — especially as their form is not great as the long season may be catching up to them.
In fact, Brooklyn are coming off three straight defeats, the most recent being a 2-1 setback in Las Vegas last weekend. Players to watch will be Markus Anderson (5 G, 3 A) and CJ Olney (2 G, 5 A) a 19-year old on loan from the Philadelphia Union who scored the opener in the first meeting with the Hounds. And former Riverhound, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, who assisted on Olney’s goal at FNB Stadium on the 4th of July, has been a steady presence for the squad too.
The continuing theme that Rob Vincent cited as even more important as his team is now in the final third stretch of the season that he told PSN’s Kevin Hutchinson after Thursday’s training, he may sound like a broken record, but the team needs to keep finding consistent performances and will have consistent results.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for one Riverhounds player, as Victor Souza, is a native of Ozone Park, which is in neighboring Borough of Queens. Souza played in the New York City FC Academy as a youth player, helping them to a 2019 national championship before beginning his college career.
PSN’s Kevin Hutchinson did catch up with Souza after training on Thursday to discuss his return.
Injury Report
One interesting note — two players who have been on the injury list for much of the season, Beto Ydrach and Bradley Sample, have been upgraded from out to questionable.
John K’s Projected Hounds Lineup
With three matches in eight days coming up — the Hounds will certainly lean into another heavy use of squad rotation. In the last similar three-match stretch, Vincent and staff went with a rotation of wider players and forwards — for example splitting time for the wide and winger options between Eliot Goldthrope, Junior Etou, Perrin Barnes and Max Viera. Last week, Robbie Mertz was on the bench, and in a rare move, came on for Danny Griffin at the eight, while Jackson Walti stayed in the pivot for 90 plus minutes. The success of last week’s match indicates that Vincent may go with the hot hand here in Brooklyn and build his rotation from there.
Match Info
Riverhounds (9-8-3) vs. Brooklyn FC (3-11-4)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Maimonides Park, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Odds: Hounds +140 / Draw +230 / Brooklyn +165
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtag: #BKNvPIT
John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).
