Riverhounds Notebook: 5 takeaways from Pittsburgh’s season opener
Share this post:
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds opened their 2020 season with a bang this weekend.
They scored three unanswered goals and defeated Louisville City FC, 3-1, in their inaugural game at Lynn Family Stadium in front of 4,000 fans. Coach Bob Lilley met with the media Wednesday via a Zoom call and talked about several different topics.
From the Riverhounds’ slow start to the play of a few different individuals, Lilley took a lot away from the first game of the season. Here are just a few of those topics and what he had to say.
1. Slow Start, Hot Ending
All week leading up to the opener, Lilley talked about getting started on the right foot. On Sunday, it was a little bit of the opposite for the black and gold as Louisville City FC came out strong and RMU alum Speedy Williams scored in the 15th minute to put LouCity up, 1-0.
Slowly but surely, the Riverhounds climbed back into the game. Jordan Dover scored just before the end of the first half. Then, Robbie Mertz and Anthony Velarde both tallied a goal in the first six minutes of the second half to put the game away. From there, the Riverhounds were able to settle in and Lilley was proud of the way his team was able to adjust and manage the pressure.
“We didn’t do a good job on the execution of our game plan in the first 30 minutes and it got us in trouble,” Lilley said. “Fortunately, we were only one goal down and the game plan worked really well the last 15 minutes of the first half and certainly the early stages of the second half. Once we had the lead, we didn’t need to chase and take risks. We could sit, manage the game and defend well.”
“I thought we showed a lot of heart and guts. Guys were cramping. Fitness was always going to be difficult. But I thought our guys showed a lot of character hanging in there, and I am really proud of just the focus and concentration to manage that second half. To come in at halftime and really clean things up and get on the board and show them, they were all over it.”
2. Timeouts in Soccer?
As a part of the shortened USL Championship season, the league implemented some rule changes. One of those changes calls for two “water breaks,” one in each half, at the 30 and 75-minute marks.
The water breaks have been viewed in different ways. Some look at them as an interruption in the game flow. Others see them as somewhat of a welcome “timeout.” Either way, Lilley plans on using them to the fullest, and the first one worked out well for the Riverhounds on Sunday.
“For me, if there’s something that we need to clean up, I’m probably going to take that opportunity and try to maximize what our team could do.” Lilley said. “I think other coaches are going to do it as well, but does it affect the flow of the game? Maybe it does, but for us, it made us play better and I think it helped us in a good way.”
“They are kind of like timeouts, but it’s tricky because we aren’t supposed to huddle. So, you’re trying to relay information, but it’s tricky. We train every day and we don’t train with masks on. You’re in that playing environment, and I think coaches are going to use it.”
3. Welcome to the Party, Ropa
Striker Ropapa Mensah made his presence known Sunday in the first game of his Riverhounds career.
The 22-year-old striker tallied two shots and one was on target, but it wasn’t his shooting that stood out. It was his creation. Mensah assisted on both second-half goals for the Riverhounds. On the first, he received a ball at the top of the box and laid it off to an overlapping Robbie Mertz, who delivered with a strike to the bottom-right corner of the net.
His second assist, which came about six minutes later, was the one that left his coach impressed after the game. He intercepted a pass in Lou City’s 18-yard box and was routed away from the net after gaining control of the ball. Rather than play the obvious drop pass to Forbes, Mensah sent a mini-cross to the back post that found a wide-open Anthony Velarde for the goal.
“There are not many people who make that play,” Lilley said. “We see that in practice. His ideas, he’s very creative and composed.”
Although Lilley was impressed by Mensah’s play on Sunday, he wasn’t surprised. He’s seen what Mensah can do, and creating opportunities in the final third is his specialty.
“He does see a lot of things. He’s not an out-and-out goal scorer,” Lilley said. “I mean we are hoping he scores more goals. He’s scored goals in this league, not at super levels. He’s a young player and he needs to get better in front of goal. But he’s pretty good in the final third, finding the right pass, so it wasn’t a surprise.”
4. Captain Consistency
With a minimal amount of training time leading up to the first game, a few Riverhounds players were still working towards their top form. But, Lilley said, there was one player that stood out throughout the game Sunday.
“I think the one player that really looked like they were in midseason form, I think was Kenardo (Forbes),” Lilley said. “I think a lot of the other players are still trying to get there. It shows his experience and his quality, but for me, he was the most consistent that game.”
Forbes didn’t tally any goals Sunday but he created two opportunities, recorded one assist and produced a 70% passing accuracy throughout the game. He also played a crucial role by dropping back into the defensive half in the second half after the Hounds had went ahead.
5. Room to Grow
The Riverhounds left Louisville with a victory, but their first 30 minutes left them with a lot of room for improvement. Lilley is happy about what the future might hold for his team.
“We can get a lot better, and we talked to the team on the bus coming home right away,” Lilley said. “I said, ‘Great win, but we can play much better. Louisville will play much better the next time we see them, if we get a chance to play them in the playoffs.’ We have a lot of work to do, though, to put ourselves in that position, and this is just a one-off game. We have to stay focused.”