Let’s get physical
Riverhounds battle Rowdies to scoreless draw in playoff-type match
Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay battled for 90 minutes but neither side could find the back of the net in a 0-0 draw on Saturday night at F.N.B. Stadium in Pittsburgh.
The USL Championship league-leading Rowdies defeated the Riverhounds, 3-0, on March 31 in St. Petersburg, but Pittsburgh stayed right with Tampa Bay in a match that featured 31 fouls and Hounds head coach Rob Vincent was sent off in the 74th minute for entering the field to protest when no foul was given after Rowdies veteran Laurence Wyke pushed through the back of Trevor Amann in front of the Tampa Bay bench.
Keepers coach Jon Busch, who took over for Vincent, also protested the no-call. Vincent, who received his first red card, was sent to the dressing room for abusive language.
“We think it’s a bad foul,” said Busch in reference to the push on Amann. “We are, obviously, animated about it a bit, but at the same time, I don’t understand, and this is just me, but it should be a yellow card.
“He (referee Elvis Osmanovic) has a yellow card in his hand when he comes over and changes it to a red card on Rob (Vincent). I’m not sure why he did that, but only Elvis can answer that question, and I have a lot of respect for Elvis. I think he’s a good referee, but there were some things tonight where the players weren’t protected. That could have been a serious injury when Amann was pushed from behind.”
Amann was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute. Teammates Eliot Goldthorp (72nd minute) and Charles Ahl (75th minute) also received yellow cards.
The Rowdies’ Max Schneider received a yellow card in the 27th minute for a tactical foul.
Pittsburgh (10-9-4) kept its record of having only one home loss to Tampa Bay (13-3-6) in 11 all-time meetings.
The Riverhounds remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 34 points. The Rowdies top the table with 45 points.
The physicality didn’t lead to many scoring opportunities for either club, as Tampa Bay had a 12-8 advantage in shots, including a 2-0 edge in shots on target. The Rowdies won five corner kicks, while the Hounds took two.
Pittsburgh’s Nico Campuzano made two saves for his ninth clean sheet of the season and eighth in league play.
Former Hounds keeper Jahmali Waite didn’t face a shot on target, but still recorded the shutout.
“They are a very good team,” Busch said. “They have great coaches and players. We have been in a good groove defensively for a while now. It’s your typical Pittsburgh work, and that’s what Pittsburgh is about, and I’ve seen that in the four years I’ve been here.”
Goldthorp’s left footed shot was blocked in the fifth minute before Campuzano stopped Nathan Dossantos’ header from the center of the box in the ninth minute.
The Riverhounds’ Sam Bassett sent a cross to Owen Mikoy, who missed his shot from point-blank range to the left in the 12th minute.
Tampa Bay’s Marco Micaletto missed a right footed shot from outside the box in the 35th minute after receiving a pass from Karsen Henderlong.
Goldthorp retrieved a pass from Bassett and sent in a right footed shot from the center of the box high and wide to the right in the 40th minute.
Pittsburgh won its first corner kick of the match in the 53rd minute. Bassett’s corner was sent in to Amann, who had his header go off target to the left of Waite and off target.
Ahl had his right footed shot sail over the box in the 61st minute. Ahl’s right footed attempt from the left side of the box missed to the right. Jackson Walti set up Ahl’s chance.
Campuzano stopped Louis Perez’s shot from outside the box in the center of the goal to keep the match scoreless in the 80th minute.
Walti was named the “Modelo Man of the Match” in completing 94% of his passes (34 of 36). He won 8 of 11 duels and had two interceptions and two clearances in a box-to-box performance.
The Hounds head south to face Miami FC (5-10-7) on Sept. 5. Pittsburgh earned a 2-0 victory over Miami in their first meeting on May 30 at F.N.B Stadium.