PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Birmingham Legion FC dropped a tough match at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 4-1 on Saturday night to reach the midpoint of the inaugural USL Championship season.
Pittsburgh started the match on the front foot, with Steevan Dos Santos scoring the match’s first goal in the 13’ minute on a breakaway. Then the home side’s Kevin Kerr-Robbie Mertz connection put in two more, as Kerr swung in two crosses from the right wing that Mertz latched on to and finished in the 25’ and 39’ minutes.
Head Coach Tommy Soehn shook things up to start the second half, bringing on both #14 Daniel Johnson and #22 Mathieu Laurent for #5 Mikey Lopez and #88 Femi Hollinger-Janzen in the 46’ minute. But, with the three-goal cushion, Pittsburgh were happy to hold the ball mostly in their own half, or allow Legion FC non-threatening possession themselves, before the home team put in a fourth goal in the 75’ minute. Much like the previous two, Pittsburgh got the ball out on the right, and swung in a cross was headed in.
#9 Chandler Hoffman got Legion FC on the board in the 82’ minute with a nice goal that he chipped past the onrushing ‘keeper. #10 Prosper Kasim whipped a ball in that #7 Brian Wright expertly dummied, and due to his run a Riverhounds defender slightly misplayed the bouncing ball, letting Hoffman in on goal to finish.
“I think right now we lack in confidence,” said Soehn. “We’re giving up early goals and all we talked about was making sure the first 15 minutes we came out square, and again we let one go. We’re going to need to take this break and reinvent ourselves.”