Watch CBS News

Playoff Push Picks Up In Louisville

PITTSBURGH (Aug. 27, 2015) - The road to the United Soccer League playoffs gets a little steeper for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds this Saturday when they visit Slugger Field for the first time to take on expansion side Louisville City F.C.

James O'Connor's team overtook Pittsburgh as the USL's top scorers last weekend with a 3-1 win over the Charleston Battery. Louisville has found the net 48 times in 23 games with the Riverhounds scoring one fewer. Former Hound Matt Fondy scored twice against Charleston to bring his season tally to an Eastern Conference-leading 18 goals, one ahead of Pittsburgh midfielder Rob Vincent.

"Good players will always find ways to be dangerous," said Riverhounds assistant coach Josh Rife. "Our goal is to limit Fondy's opportunities and force situations that are difficult for him and favorable to us.

"We're up to the task."

An impressive debut season from the Kentuckians sees them sitting second in the Eastern Conference with a 13-4-6 record (45 points from 23 games). The Hounds (9-9-5, 32 points) slipped out of the playoff spots Wednesday night due to their inferior head-to-head record against the Charlotte Independence after Charlotte's 1-0 win at F.C. Montreal.

Fondy's recent scoring run for Louisville has moved him into third place in the USL's all-time leading goalscorers list ahead of Jose Angulo, another ex-Hound, and Charlotte's Jorge Herrera. The 26-year-old Californian now has 34 career goals in the league.

Pittsburgh captain Danny Earls misses this week's trip after his late dismissal in Charlotte last weekend. Head coach Mark Steffens has an otherwise full roster to select his traveling party from. Kevin Kerr returns from a one-game ban for yellow card accumulation. Kerr continues to lead the USL in assists with nine.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Hounds fans can watch a live stream of the game on Riverhounds.com.

The Hounds return home Sept. 5 when the Charleston Battery visit Highmark Stadium for what promises to be another tense battle for playoff positioning. Charleston won 3-1 in this season's only previous meeting in South Carolina on May 9.

Visit Riverhounds.com for ticket information or call the Highmark Stadium box office on (412) 325-7241 to speak to a representative.

Louisville City vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Venue: Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
Date and Time: Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Referee: Marco Antonio Vega
Assistant Referees: Brandon Rinkenberger, Caleb Riley
Fourth Official: Tony Crush

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.