After a quick two game road trip, RIFC are back home on Saturday for a matchup with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. It’s the first of back to back meetings between the two teams, with the second coming in Pittsburgh in the Jägermeister Cup next Saturday. But for now, all focus is on the league.  It’s hard to believe, but after this match we will have finished the first third of the season.  With the addition of the Jägermeister Cup this year, the total league games has decreased from 34 to 30, with those 4 games now being the first round of the cup.  This puts an even bigger emphasis on this weekend’s game so without further ado, let’s take a look at what to expect from both teams.

RIFC come into this one off of back to back wins in Birmingham and Tampa Bay.  Strong defensive performances and long range bangers fueled the two victories. The boys will be looking to keep the momentum and get their first home win this year after drawing twice in the league and losing in the Open Cup. They should be well rested for this one, as they’ve finally had 7 days off between games after a run of 5 games in 15 days. With some actual decisions to make that shouldn’t involve tired legs, here is what I have for a lineup against Pittsburgh:

• Goalkeeper
  • Koke has quietly had a great past few games and is solidified as the #1
• Defense
  • This is currently the best back 4 that we have for the system that Khano has been playing. Sanchez has been a revelation at LB, Nodarse and Mabika have already formed a solid partnership centrally, and Rio is perfect for a hybrid RB/RCB role. I’m also interested to see if Karifa Yao gets some playing time late in this one as he returns from injury
• Midfield
  • After finally getting a full week’s rest, Amos and Clay should slot back in and provide their energy and bulldog mentality
• Attack
  • There aren’t many opportunities for change here, but I have Joe Brito getting the start over Jojea Kwizera. I haven’t been the biggest fan of either player this year and this really could go either way. Kwizera coming off with an apparent head injury and visions of Brito’s wondergoal last time at home are probably the deciding factor for me. Noah and Maxi are nailed on starters and retain their spots, while there isn’t a replacement for Chico, so he keeps his job up top

Keys to the Game

• Dominate the Air
  • With two tall CBs, including a 6’6″ Mabika, RIFC should continue to be strong in the air defensively. Translating that into the attack via set pieces could be another way to get goals while you’re struggling to score from inside the box
• Midfield Energy
  • We can expect to see Clay and Amos running all over the field at Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday. Their energy and the crowd feed off of one another and winning your duels in midfield can go a long way into getting 3 points
• Get in the Box!
  • With all 3 goals against Tampa Bay coming from outside the box, you might think the team needs to keep that up. I’m just of the mind that that isn’t a way to consistently win games. Credit to Clay, Zach, and Noah for banging those in. But I have to expect that Bob Lilley won’t allow his team to give RIFC so much space to shoot. Chico needs to occupy the box and look for some poacher’s goals in this one, though I’m admittedly not confident in that happening

Pittsburgh comes into this one having lost 4-1 to Philadelphia Union in the Open Cup on Wednesday night. They were the last USL team in the competition, so we were all rooting for them to keep the dream alive. The short rest will do the team no favors as they head into a 4pm matchup on Saturday.

Pittsburgh were the definition of a streaky team last year. They had a 10 game winless run that they followed up with a 10 game unbeaten run. That unbeaten run helped them sneak into the playoffs where they lost 1-0 to Charleston Battery. As for this year, it’s been a tough start with 8 points from 9 games so far. 6 of those points came in back to back wins over Hartford and Birmingham earlier in the season. Since then, Pittsburgh has gone winless in their last 5 league games with 4 losses and 1 draw which came against Louisville City.

The biggest issue for the Riverhounds has been their attack. They’ve only scored 6 goals this season, tied for 2nd fewest in the league. The team is solid defensively, tied for 5th fewest goals conceded. That isn’t quite on par with last season, where they had the best defensive record in the league, but it’s still good enough to where they probably should have grinded out a couple more results this season.

Pittsburgh brought back a lot of players from last year with the two biggest departures being forward Edward Kizza, who led the team with 12 goals, and RB Langston Blackstock. As for who will be on the field Saturday, here are the ones to watch:

• Eric Dick (GK)
  • In his 2nd season with Pittsburgh. Reigning Golden Glove winner. Critical to the team’s defensive stability and success
• Sean Suber (DF)
  • Often plays in the middle of a back 3. Also in 2nd season with the team. Important organizer of the defense
• Danny Griffin (MF)
  • Captain. Leads the team with 2 goals this season. 6th season in Pittsburgh after playing at Providence College
• Jackson Walti (MF)
  • Key central midfield player. Fan favorite after playing 4 years in college with the Pitt Panthers.
• Augie Williams (FW)
  • Lone striker and replacement for Edward Kizza. Signed this offseason from Indy Eleven, which coincidentally is where Kizza would end up. 1 goal so far this season

Keys to the Game

• Close Down Shooters
  • With multiple players capable of burying long range strikes, Pittsburgh will need to make sure they prevent those opportunities and make RIFC work the ball into the box where they’ve struggled to get goals
• Get Augie Going
  • Augie Williams had 10 goals and 2 assists with Indy Eleven last season but is off to a slow start with only 1 goal so far this campaign. With Pittsburgh struggling to get goals, there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders. He’ll need to get hot for Pittsburgh to turn the season around like they did last year and they would love for that to start this weekend
• Get Bertin Jacquesson Going
  • Jacquesson looked really impressive when he came in on loan late last season. He scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists in his 7 games with the team. That included a debut goal against RIFC. He’s since signed permanently but has only appeared in 3 league games with 1 start due to a hamstring injury in preseason. He can help solve a lot of the problems with this Pittsburgh attack if he gets fully fit and replicates his form from last season

I have this as a 2-1 RIFC win. Even though Pittsburgh has had a tough time getting goals, I’m scared of the prospect of Jacquesson coming back to full health. It’s also hard for me to predict RIFC getting a third straight clean sheet, as much as I would love that to happen. On the RIFC end of things, I think the team is capable of getting goals from multiple sources, even if it hasn’t been from a central striker. I think we could see a set piece goal headed in by either Frank or Aime, and maybe another late run from Maxi to take us over the top.

I’ll be watching this one from my seats up in 205. My dad will be with me, attending his first ever game. He’s not a soccer fan, but he spent time between Pawtucket and Central Falls as a kid and is looking forward to seeing the stadium. I’m hoping he brings some good luck and if we end up coming away with the 3 points, he may have to come with me more often. I’ll be back with the Riptide Report at some point after the game on Saturday but until then, UP THE TIDE!