A big night

Riverhounds SC dominant in 4-0 victory against Philadelphia Union II.

PIttsburgh Post-Gazette

If a cross leaves Kenardo Forbes’ foot, there’s a good chance it’ll find the back of the net.

The Riverhounds SC midfielder set up two header goals in a 4-0 win over visiting Philadelphia Union II Saturday night, breaking the USL Championship’s all-time assist record and adding to his league-high total on the season.

The Riverhounds have owned the Union in both meetings this season, outscoring them by a combined 10-0. The dominant victory was a necessary one after the Riverhounds suffered back-to-back narrow losses to Indy Eleven and New York Red Bulls II.

“We certainly have more ambition for this year than hovering around the .500 mark,” coach Bob Lilley said. “We have to string games together and be consistent.”

Possession swung in the Riverhounds’ favor from the start, although they couldn’t make things happen in the box for the first 20 minutes. Then it became the Steevan Dos Santos show.

The forward made his first start of the season after undergoing groin surgery in May, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back on the bench anytime soon. Dos Santos opened the scoring with a header in the 22nd minute before firing an impressive bomb from 40-plus yards out for the Riverhounds’ third goal of the night. It was their first unassisted score this season.

Dos Santos is now the Riverhounds’ leading scorer despite getting limited minutes. All four of his goals in 2020 have come against the Union.

“It’s just a matter of time” before he finds the back of the net against tougher opponents, he said.

The Riverhounds got their backs involved on the other two goals, with center back Thomas Vancaeyezeele and outside back Ryan James scoring their first goals of the season.

After the Riverhounds’ last home loss against Indy Eleven on July 22, Lilley noted that his team needed

to focus on the simple passes to break down opposing defenses. That wasn’t a problem against the Union.

The Riverhounds completed nearly 80% of their passes — a particularly impressive feat in the wet playing conditions. There was no shortage of set pieces given Philadelphia’s 17 fouls and seven conceded corner kicks, and the Riverhounds took advantage of those opportunities rather than trying for the hero ball. Two of their four goals resulted from corners.

The defense held strong to earn the Riverhounds their second shutout of the season, allowing the Union only three shots on goal. Philadelphia couldn’t seem to mount an organized attack to counter the Riverhounds’ scoring, putting up a meager 51.4% passing accuracy in their attacking half.

Regardless of the final score, Lilley believes the Riverhounds did not perform nearly as well as they could have.

“We’re losing a lot of balls, our choices aren’t what they should be and our defending’s still not good enough,” he said. “At the end of the day, we can’t measure ourselves against Philadelphia. They’re not the bar right now.”

The Union remain winless through five games and sit in last place in the USL Championship’s Group F.

Despite having two losses, the Riverhounds sit at first in that group. But they can’t celebrate the win for too long; they’ll be tested the next two weeks in their second matches of the season with New York and Indy.

Already well into the abbreviated 16-game season, Lilley acknowledged the Riverhounds must make quick improvements if they want to be competitive as the season continues.

“The winning runs out if you’re not getting better,” he said.