00:00Absolutely gorgeous day here in Pittsburgh, 83 degrees and dropping, not a cloud in the sky as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds
00:06take the field at FNB Stadium in front of their home crowd to welcome the Tampa Bay Rowdies. A look
00:11at the starting lineups here this evening. Brood for victory, I see light. Starting lineups beginning with Rob Vinson's Pittsburgh
00:16Riverhounds.
00:17Three changes to the team that lost in El Paso. More changes than we saw from the Riverhounds. Four changes
00:22to the Rowdies. Yeah, a big surprise there. In comes Deion Acorff, Marco Micheletto, Laurence Weick.
00:29And away we go. First match of this Saturday in the USL Championship. It's the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and the Tampa
00:34Bay Rowdies.
00:39Hard to believe that this is it. This weekend will end August and then we head into September. Finish line
00:47is in sight. Just about every team with single digit games remaining now.
00:52This is the first of 12 games on this Saturday and it feels like every single one, well except for
00:59one, has playoff implications.
01:01That one being Brooklyn Sporting Jacks. Apologies, maybe next year.
01:11Griffin.
01:15Early ball in. Looking back pose. Harmlessly through.
01:20Just looking at both these teams. They're both in good form at the moment, which is why this...
01:29Micheletto. Pens one in. Glanced header. Saved by Camposano.
01:33Santos, who skimmed it along.
01:36Hounds man there. Getting on the end of this. Doesn't get much of a... It's just really a flick. You
01:41can't get much power on it.
01:42This in many ways could be a playoff preview.
01:45If this holds, standings-wise, and it certainly won't between now and the end of the season.
01:50Maybe the Tampa Bay part in first will hold, but not much else.
01:53If Tampa Bay's in first and Pittsburgh's in fourth, and you get chalk in the first round of the playoffs
01:58with the higher seeds all winning,
01:59this would be your second round matchup. Number one, Tampa Bay, against number four, Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
02:04So that's something that'll be in these teams' minds as this day goes further and further.
02:08The intensity picks up in the later stages of this game.
02:10Brownie's already beat the Riverhounds 3-0 this season.
02:13Could very well see them meeting up again down the line.
02:16So today will leave a lasting impression on these players psychologically for if and when that playoff matchup comes to
02:21pass.
02:22Hender Long lays it off. Micheletto with some space.
02:25Thinking about it. Micheletto lets it fly, but it's wide.
02:29Had power. Thought it had direction, but just seemed to float away at the last second.
02:34We'll see it better maybe from this angle, but he's got a bit of space, and we did pick that
02:38out as one of the features
02:39that Dom Caciato mentioned, that you get chances on the edge of the box.
02:43Who's capable of scoring from distance?
02:47Yeah, it was a decent strike, wasn't it? Had power.
02:49Thought it had direction, but just seemed to float away.
02:52Supposed to be, but it's still very lax, especially when you're about to blow the whistle
02:57to send us to halftime, as Elvis Osmanovic just did.
03:00Scoreless, very much a chess match between Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.
03:04A loss last game on the road against Detroit City.
03:06Hoping to avoid back-to-back.
03:08Last and stellar results, and underway now in half number two.
03:12I'm Gary Bailey. I'm Joe Malfoy. Glad to have you with us on ESPN+.
03:19Remember, it was 3-0 Tampa Bay when these teams met first this season back in March.
03:25Something that has to weigh on the minds of these Riverhounds players as well.
03:30Much different team now than they were then.
03:34Reigning champions, yes, but on a turnover on the roster,
03:38they're finding their way early season, which is still a new coach.
03:42Rob Vincent putting more of his fingerprints on this team this season.
03:45It took them a while to gel and finally get to the point they are now.
03:50They really can't take any stock at all from the first meeting between these teams this season.
03:55Now it's Akoff down the right flank.
03:56Akoff, quick delivery on the volley.
03:59Would have been an acrobatic finish, but Myers sends it over the bar.
04:04That's a good cross in from Dion Akoff.
04:06He hasn't tried to control it.
04:07A lot of fullbacks would try and bring it under control first.
04:10He's hit that on the volley almost, and MD Myers has tried to do exactly the same on the volley.
04:17Didn't quite come off, but good move there, and very positive start to the second half from the Rowdies.
04:31That's it.
04:32Good service to head on the wrong side of the post.
04:35It fooled half the crowd.
04:36I thought for a second it had gone in.
04:39Trevor Ammon doing so well here at the near post.
04:42Gets up there and just wondered if it was sneak in.
04:45We'll get a much better view here.
04:46I think Jamali Wade, to be fair, had come back to his post.
04:49Probably sealed off that gap at the near post.
04:51Flick up!
04:52Throw from Walti.
04:53Didn't get the flick on they were looking for.
04:56Good MD.
04:56There you go, Charlie!
04:57Where it started.
04:58Walti.
04:59Good pressure.
04:59Go with Bassett.
05:00And he can take the same throw from the same spot if he wants to.
05:06I feel like he needs a longer run up there.
05:08There's not much space between the board and the sideline.
05:11He's trying to angle it.
05:13I think it's a little more on it this time.
05:16Not much.
05:17Up!
05:17Up!
05:18Up!
05:20Good, Charlie!
05:24Scooped in.
05:25Good ball.
05:25Looking for Ammon.
05:26Settled by Charles Hall.
05:27Makes space.
05:28Hall curling!
05:29Didn't miss by much.
05:31Promising from Pittsburgh.
05:35Nice sort of buildup on the right-hand side here.
05:38Decent ball whipped in from Bassett.
05:40As it comes out, Charles Hall just kills it.
05:43Opens up a little bit of a gap.
05:45And then he puts some pace behind that ball.
05:51And it had to be a great goal.
05:53It would have to be a golasso to have beaten Jamali White.
05:56But to be fair, I don't think Camposano has had anything to do in terms of a save.
06:00Neither has Jamali White.
06:02Maybe the odd catch, cross, whatever.
06:05But neither goalkeeper has really been tested.
06:08So, in that sense, defense is on top so far.
06:12Well, it takes us one moment, though.
06:14Both teams with pieces capable of providing that moment as Akoff runs down the wing.
06:27Ciceroni.
06:29Back for Akoff.
06:30Dropped in.
06:31Dolabella was lurking.
06:32Big aerial threat to Dolabella.
06:36Wiken again.
06:37A challenge deemed clean.
06:38Now it was Osmanovic.
06:39He's the one who's down.
06:41Play on now from a long way out.
06:42Luis Perez.
06:46It seemed to be a fair tackle.
06:48Junior Etta went in to win the ball.
06:49I don't know if there was a hand in the face as the tackle was being made.
06:55Likely they're going to be playing all their games at home.
06:58And at Al Lang, they are a very, very difficult team to beat.
07:02So, this away form is good.
07:06But I think at home, they can afford to be a little bit more on the front foot with their
07:12wonderful crowd behind them.
07:16They want to be at home the whole way.
07:18They're almost certainly going to be at home the whole Eastern Conference portion of the playoffs.
07:23And they're home in the finals.
07:24A different story.
07:25New Mexico might have something to say about that.
07:26Here's Ciceroni on the cut.
07:28Deflected.
07:29Turn and a great strike.
07:31The power he generates.
07:33Defender comes up to him.
07:35Robbie Mertz.
07:35He goes right around him and then hits that so hard.
07:38Don't think that's too far away.
07:40Right around him and then hits that so hard.
07:42Don't think that's too far away from that top corner.
07:47Crater for Tampa Bay Rowdies.
07:50And there is the final whistle.
07:52It seemed to be heading this way for a while.
07:54It finishes scoreless between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
07:57It's a match we may very well see again.
07:59It's a match we may very well see again.
