This is Part 3 of a series counting down the Riverhounds’ top five moments of 2023. Click here to read yesterday’s entry, No. 4 on the countdown.
After defeating NISA’s Maryland Bobcats and advancing to the Round of 32 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 25, attention turned to the draw for the next round, when the remaining set of MLS clubs were added to the field.
A home game against an MLS team was the hope, and the Hounds felt due for some luck in the draw, having been sent on the road for their previous two matches against MLS opponents in 2019 and 2022. Unfortunately, the envelopes on draw day didn’t cooperate. The Hounds were drawn to face the New England Revolution, but the venue would be Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and the match date — May 9 — would be just four days after the Hounds faced Monterey Bay in a league match in California.
It was a difficult draw — oddsmakers offered the Hounds as a +550 underdog entering the match — but the Hounds planned to make the most of their opportunity.
The pre-match headlines touted a battle between the two coaches with the most professional wins in U.S. Soccer; the Hounds’ Bob Lilley entered at No. 1 with 337, and the Revolution’s Bruce Arena was at No. 2 with 318. Both coaches had to weigh the wear and tear on their teams, however, and both sides featured heavily rotated lineups from their weekend league outings.
For the Hounds, that included playing all three of their former Revs players: Edward Kizza and Mike DeShields in the starting lineup, and Trevor Zwetsloot as a second-half substitute. For New England, that still meant the Hounds would have to deal with former U.S. internationals Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez, along with plenty of weapons who would factor in off the bench.
The match started as expected, with the Revolution holding more of possession but the Hounds being a little more incisive with their time on the ball. The Hounds logged the only three shots on goal in the first half, while the Revolution dodged a bullet when Latif Blessing stayed on the field after receiving only a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Joe Farrell.
The game appeared headed to halftime deadlocked until the Hounds’ New England-born player, Danny Griffin, came up with the biggest goal of his pro career.
Griffin’s first goal since rejoining the Riverhounds came from the first professional assist by Ybarra, and suddenly the game was turned on its head before the break.
New England sensed the danger when the second half began in similar fashion, and Arena went to his bench in the 63rd minute with four subs that brought on nearly six times the Hounds’ payroll, led by 2021 MLS MVP Carles Gil.
Lilley responded by immediately bringing in his own MVP-caliber midfielder, Kenardo Forbes, but Gil’s influence provided a spark the Revs lacked. Vrioni recorded their first shot on goal in the 73rd minute, and less than four minutes later, Gil lofted a beautiful pass to Altidore, only to watch the shot get skied over the bar.
But the Hounds defended stoutly over the final minutes, getting nearly everyone behind the ball and blocking four shots in the final six minutes to reach the final whistle, setting off a deserved celebration.
The win was the Hounds’ first over an MLS team since 2001, when they defeated the Colorado Rapids, and it was the club’s first-ever road win at an MLS side. The final stats revealed the Hounds’ triumph was no fluke, as Opta’s stats showed Pittsburgh with a superior expected goals (xG) number, 1.13 to 0.92, while the Revs only pulled ahead in total shots, 12-10, during their final 15-minute flurry.
With the historic win, the Hounds advanced to the Round of 16 in the Open Cup, setting up another massive contest… one that is likely to appear later in this year’s best moments countdown.
