Match info
Riverhounds (11-10-12) vs. El Paso Locomotive FC (8-17-8)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Highmark Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Odds: Hounds -280 / Draw +340 / El Paso +650 (FanDuel)
TV: KDKA+
Streaming: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center
Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter
Match hashtags: #PITvELP and #HOUNDTAHN
PITTSBURGH (Oct. 24, 2024) — It all comes down to one final match at Highmark Stadium for the Hounds, who can extend their postseason streak to seven consecutive seasons with a win over El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night.
It is the first time since 2015, when the Hounds got a 2-1 victory at the Harrisburg City Islanders to clinch on the final day, that so much has been riding on the last game of the season. A win puts the Hounds in somewhere between the No. 5 and No. 7 seed out of the Eastern Conference, while a draw or a loss will require at least one of North Carolina or Hartford to slip up and give the Hounds either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed. (See a full playoff breakdown here.)
On paper, the Hounds — with one loss in their last 15 matches and three wins on the hop — should have the edge over an El Paso team that has been eliminated in the Western Conference for multiple weeks. However, the Locomotive have played much better since the midseason hiring of veteran boss Wilmer Cabrera, and they enter the match 3-1-1 in their past five matches, which includes a 2-1 home win last week over Sacramento, a top-four Western side.
Only lowly Miami (25) has scored fewer goals than El Paso’s 27, and that duo are the only two teams to not score three in a match all season, but Saturday’s visitors have been challenging to break down. Their 44 goals allowed puts them in the middle of the league at 14th, and former Hounds goalkeeper Jahmali Waite has posted a career-best save percentage facing significantly more fire than he did his two seasons in Pittsburgh.
For the Hounds, Bertin Jacquesson has been a spark plug with seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists) in six matches, and Edward Kizza has been lethal with a goal in each of the past four games. It is the first time a Hounds player has scored in four consecutive matches since Corey Hertzog did it from July 30-Aug. 13, 2016, and if Kizza can add a fifth, it will equal the longest scoring streak in team history, a mark held jointly by Romeo Parkes (2016) and José Angulo (2013) and Thiago Martins (twice in 2003).
Eric Dick also has team history in his sights, having matched the club record for shutouts by equaling the 13 posted by Kyle Morton in 2019. A 14th clean sheet would give Dick sole possession of the record, while anything short of a six-goal meltdown will secure the USL Championship Golden Glove for the Hounds’ goalkeeper.
As the final regular-season home game, it is Fan Appreciation Night at Highmark Stadium, complete with $1 IC Lights before kickoff, starting at 5 p.m. in the Tailgate Zone and in-stadium after gates open at 6 p.m. There will also be assorted giveaways throughout the night, with chances to win 2025 season tickets, a Gateway Clipper cruise, a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel stay and much, much more.
With a mostly sunny day in the Saturday forecast and game time temperatures expected to be cool but pleasant in the 50s, things are gearing up for a big home finale with everything on the line. Tickets are limited but still available for Saturday’s contest; fans can purchase online via Ticketmaster or through the Highmark Stadium Box Office.
Fans catching the game at home can tune in live to KDKA+, while streaming will be available locally on the KDKA website and anywhere via the CBS Sports Golazo Network. KDKA+ also will air a replay Sunday at 1 p.m.
Downloadable Game Notes
