Win Or Go Home For Riverhounds In Harrisburg
Game Preview provided by Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
PITTSBURGH (Sept. 17, 2015) - There was a feeling in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' dressing room at the start of this season that the four Keystone Derby Cup games against the Harrisburg City Islanders would prove pivotal to the playoff hopes of both teams.
That feeling has been borne out as the final weekend of the United Soccer League's regular season arrives.
A win for the Hounds at Harrisburg's Skyline Sports Complex Saturday night will lift Mark Steffens' side to at least sixth place in the Eastern Conference and guarantee a playoff spot. Anything less and the season is over.
Harrisburg can also secure its place in the postseason with three points. Defeat is terminal. A tie leaves the Islanders nervously awaiting the outcome of the Charlotte Independence's trip to the Charleston Battery to see if they will sneak in. Harrisburg trails the sixth-placed Independence by one point in the standings. Bill Becher's side holds the head-to-head advantage over Charlotte should the teams end the season tied on 40 points.
This season's three previous Keystone Derby games have produced some explosive action. Steffens' tenure as the Hounds' head coach began with a commanding 5-2 win over Harrisburg at Highmark Stadium on March 28 that was inspired by Kevin Kerr's hat trick.
One of the greatest games in American soccer history took place May 30 when the Islanders traveled to Western Pennsylvania again for the second leg of the series. Harrisburg led 3-0 at halftime and held a 5-3 lead with fewer than five seconds of regulation time remaining when Hounds captain Danny Earls cut the deficit to one.
Rob Vincent blasted a piledriver of a free kick into Nick Noble's top corner to tie the game in the first added minute before Kerr coolly stroked a shot past the Harrisburg goalkeeper to cap a sensational comeback.
Harrisburg launched an incredible turnaround of their own at the Skyline Sports Complex on July 26 to pull out a 4-3 win despite being two goals and a man down with 20 minutes remaining. Jason Plumhoff struck the final blow one minute into added time to prevent the Hounds from clinching the inaugural Keystone Derby Cup.
There are no new injury concerns for Steffens following Wednesday night's 1-1 tie with the Rochester Rhinos. Recently signed defender Ben Newnam sat out the Hounds' final home game to give his strained calf a few extra days to heal. Stephen Okai and Fejiro Okiomah lined up on the substitutes bench against the Rhinos after recovering from their respective lower leg and Achilles tendon issues.
Sterling Flunder is available for selection after serving a one-game suspension in midweek leaving Ryan Thompson as the only expected absentee. The Jamaican national team goalkeeper is still recovering from a left knee problem picked up playing for his country in this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup tournament.
Harrisburg boasts a 6-3-4 record at home this season with those defeats coming against playoff qualifiers Charleston, the New York Red Bulls II and Louisville City. Islanders games have resulted in a USL high 99 goals with 25 of those coming in the three previous Keystone Derby games.
The Islanders' defensive record of conceding 51 goals is the poorest in the Eastern Conference. Only Arizona United's back line has been breached more often. Harrisburg's offense ranks fifth overall in the USL with the attack being boosted by recent 6-0 and 5-0 wins over F.C. Montreal. German-born forward Plumhoff leads his side with 10 goals and six assists.
Saturday's contest will also see the inaugural Keystone Derby Cup being presented to the victorious team at the conclusion of the game. Pittsburgh currently leads the series by six points to Harrisburg's three.
An Islanders win will leave the teams tied overall. The following tiebreakers will be used to determine the winner in the event of both teams finishing level on points:
1) Goal differential from the four Keystone Derby games.
2) Away goals scored during the four contests.
3) Final USL standings.
Harrisburg will need to win by a 3-goal margin to wrestle the trophy from the Hounds' grasp.
Kickoff Saturday is at 7 p.m. Fans will be able to watch the action as it unfolds on Riverhounds.com.
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