PITTSBURGH (May 17, 2016) – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds welcome Lansdowne Bhoys FC to Highmark Stadium for their first match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, May 18. Set to kickoff at 7 p.m., fans unable to attend the match can follow along with the action via live Twitter updates at @pghriverhounds.
Know Thy Enemy
Hailing from Yonkers, New York, the Lansdowne Bhoys are making their first appearance in the U.S. Open Cup. The squad competes in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League and nabbed a victory in penalties, 2-1, against the Long Island Rough Riders of the PDL in round one of the Open Cup this past Wednesday.
Lansdowne has competed in the Cosmo Soccer League since 1997 and have experienced their greatest success to date recently, nabbing league titles in each of the past two seasons. Their road to qualification for the U.S. Open Cup came thanks to victories over Newtown Pride of Connecticut and Worcester FC of Massachusetts in the fall of 2015. For a further in-depth look at the Lansdowne, click here.
The 103rd Edition
In its 103rd edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the longest running competition in American soccer. The tournament presents a unique format for American soccer, as it is open competition to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams. This presents the opportunity for teams hailing anywhere from the USL to the MLS to compete against each other.
Last year saw the Hounds make a run to the fourth round of the tournament. Earning victories over the West Virginia Chaos of the PDL and Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL in their first two matchups, respectively, the Hounds had their run come to an end at the hands of D.C. United.
Held at Highmark Stadium, the draw in attendance was the biggest of the season for Pittsburgh, as they fell 1-3 in a highly contested matchup in extra time. D.C. got on the board early, scoring in the eighth minute. The Hounds though would respond following a foul on Kevin Kerr in the box, as Rob Vincent converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute. From there, both teams traded chances up until extra time. D.C. would eventually break through with goals in the 92nd and 103rd minutes to secure the victory.
Last Time Out…
Pittsburgh travelled to Cincinnati for a highly anticipated matchup against USL upstart, FC Cincinnati. Competing in front of a USL-record 23,375 fans for the orange at Nippert Stadium, the Hounds fell just short of nabbing a fourth-straight point on the road as they fell, 0-1.
Mauricio Vargas, making his first career USL start in net, was stellar in the losing effort, stopping eight of nine shots faced. Only Jimmy McLaughlin found a way to get past Vargas, as he cashed in on his own rebound in the 27thminute for the lone goal of the match.
A native of Costa Rica, Vargas’ eight shots stopped were a season-high by a Hounds keeper. His effort was also the best by any Hounds keeper in the past three years as no goalie had made seven saves or more up until this past Saturday.
Up Next
The Hounds (0-4-3), still in search of their first win of the season, will host Toronto F.C. II (2-4-2) on Saturday, May 21, at 7 p.m. The two squads have already met once this season, battling to a 2-2 draw in Ontario. Conor Bransonprovided the late equalizer for Pittsburgh in extra time. The draw for the Hounds gave them their first point on the season and sparked a three-match road unbeaten streak that recently came to an end in Cincinnati.
Tickets for Saturday’s match can be found on ticketmaster.com, while a live stream will be available on the USL’s YouTube stream. For more information, visit www.riverhounds.com.
