RIFC fell 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds this afternoon.  It was another frustrating result at home after back to back draws in the first two league games at Centreville Bank Stadium.  I can’t help but leave this one disappointed and I know Khano and the players feel the same.  As always, I’ll try to hit you with my quick hitting thoughts

Can’t Take Advantage of Promising Start

I thought the boys started well in this one, with RIFC being the better team through the first 30 minutes.  Pittsburgh didn’t look all that dangerous and play seemed to be mostly taking place in their half of the field.  Clay Holstad and Maxi Rodriguez had some pretty memorable chances that unfortunately weren’t converted.  They weren’t what some of us stat nerds would call high xG chances, but with their ability to strike a ball, I think all of us in the crowd were optimistic.  RIFC were made to pay in the 37th minute when Danny Griffin fired in a shot after a corner was headed out of the box.  Koke seemed unsighted and didn’t move as the ball passed by into the back of the net

Attack Out of Sorts

I mean, the heading does speak for itself.  But as tempted as I am to just leave it at that, I’ll elaborate.  The front 3 of Kwizera, Fuson, and Dikwa just isn’t working.  And unfortunately, there aren’t really any alternatives at the moment.  Kwizera has been nowhere near what he was for large parts of last season.  He constantly took players on and looked dangerous.  But now, he hesitates too often and routinely plays the ball backwards.  Fuson hasn’t been anywhere close to his old self either.  I still have faith in him, as he had similar struggles in the first half of last season.  I was hoping his goal last week was a sign of better performances to come but we’re still waiting.  And Dikwa has been a mess for the most part.  I thought his positioning was better in this game but he couldn’t take advantage of it.  Overall, this needs to improve significantly or it’s going to be a long season. 

Day Out with the Dad

I often put personal anecdotes in here, so allow me to do so again.  After all, there’s nothing else I want to talk about from this one.  I brought my dad to his first game today and it was a great day out.  This was in spite of the result and the crazy weather.  Speaking of the weather, what was that?  I don’t mind rain but I’d rather not be stuck with sunshine one minute and random downpours the next.  At least it produced a rainbow, which was much brighter than anything we saw on the field.  Despite not being a soccer fan, my dad had a good time and hit me with comments like “there isn’t a bad seat in the house” and “I was born in that building over there across the water that used to be a hospital”.  Genuinely though, I think he had fun and would definitely go back.  I say it a lot, but they really did a great job with the stadium experience.

Up Next

Be sure to check out the socials to get involved with the conversation around this one.  And if you can, join the podcast live on YouTube tomorrow night at 8:30.  The live chat is the place to be and is always a great time.  Timmy will also have his player ratings soon and it’s fun to get on him for some of his takes.  I’ll be back near the end of the week for a preview of our next match, another meeting with the Riverhounds, this time at their place in the Jägermeister Cup.  As always, we appreciate anyone who takes the time to check out our content.  UP THE TIDE!