Weather delays can be a good thing – because in this case it allowed me full focus on a morning clash ( yes we had a match going on simultaneous with some Premier League and Bundesliga matches of the weekend ) between Miami FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds. It was a fun affair played in the cooler early morning hours.
The wild, weather-delayed encounter at Pitbull Stadium ended with late drama on Sunday morning as Miami FC center back Daltyn Knutson headed home a 100th-minute equalizer to snatch a 2-2 draw against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. It was the opposite of so much of what happened this season for Miami FC where beside often stormed out to leads only to blow them in the second half either via an opposition equalizer or a late winner for the opponent.
The match, originally slated for Saturday evening, was pushed to Sunday at 11 a.m. due to severe South Florida thunderstorms. The morning kickoff culminated in a frantic finish that saw Miami claw back from behind to earn a share of the spoils against the playoff-hunting, reigning-champion Riverhounds.
Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Ricerhounds
Stoppage-Time Flurry Before the Break
Following a measured, cagey opening 20 minutes under the South Florida sun, the contest sparked to life toward the end of the first half. Pittsburgh registered the match’s first genuine attempt in the 25th minute via Eliot Goldthorp, while dangerous deliveries from Sam Bassett and Charles Ahl kept Miami’s backline on high alert.
Despite Pittsburgh’s territorial pressure, the hosts drew first blood in the opening minute of first-half stoppage time Veteran playmaker Rodrigo da Costa carved out space on the right side of the penalty area.
Da Costa slipped a low feed across the goalmouth to Arney Rocha, who poked home from close range to make it 1-0.
The Riverhounds answered almost immediately. In the dying seconds of the half, striker Trevor Amann was bundled over inside the box while challenging for a Danny Griffin delivery. Amann stepped up to the spot and calmly stroked his penalty kick into the bottom-left corner for his 11th goal across all competitions (seventh in league play) to send the teams into the locker rooms level at 1-1.
Miami opened the second half on the front foot, testing Riverhounds goalkeeper Nico Campuzano with a pair of early chances. Campuzano—who finished the morning with five saves—stood tall to keep the hosts from regaining the lead.
Pittsburgh capitalized on that resilience at the hour mark to turn the match around:
An initial corner kick was cleared, but Charles Ahl recycled the possession with a second cross back into the danger zone. Owen Mikoy’s header smashed off the crossbar and rebounded out toward the edge of the 18-yard box. Griffin corralled the loose ball and threaded a pass to Bassett, who drove a low strike through a crowded box to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 advantage.
The Riverhounds appeared poised to claim all three points on the road, absorbing sustained pressure as regulation expired. However, deep into the match’s 10 minutes of stoppage time, Miami launched one final attack.
Rocha lofted a high cross from the left flank into a crowded penalty box. Knutson, who had pushed forward from his center-back role, rose to meet the delivery and directed a glancing header into the bottom-right corner with virtually the final touch of the game, securing a dramatic point for the hosts.
This was the opposite of many matches giving up a lead equalizer or winner to the opposition.