Pittsburgh still pointless after 10 games away from home
If the Pittsburgh Riverhounds had played all their games in the friendly confines of Bethel Park Stadium, they could well be challenging for first place in the Atlantic Division instead of being mired in last with a 6-11-1 record.
At Bethel Park, the Hounds are a respectable 6-1-1. The road has been a very inhospitable place, as Pittsburgh has yet to pick up a point in 10 away games this season.
Despite the futility away from home, Coach John Kowalski remains optimistic that the Riverhounds still have time to turn things around. A July 16 visit to Rochester, although resulting in a 1-0 loss, offered him proof that his team’s road woes may be waning.
“If you look at the stats from that game, their goalkeeper [Scott Vallow] had four saves, ours [Randy Dedini] had one, so you know something was happening,” Kowalski said. “If we continue going in the right direction, we will win most or all of the rest of our games. … With 10 games left to go, it will pick up [and] I still feel we will be in the playoffs.”
Against Rochester, Kowalski was particularly pleased with the play of midfielder Justin Evans and forward John Jones, both MLS castoffs who are trying to rebound with the Riverhounds.
Evans, who was a fixture with Pittsburgh much of last season when he led the team with 14 assists, has returned to the fold after a 13-game stint with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Evans, released by San Jose in late June, became a welcome addition for the Riverhounds’ midfield, which had lost playmaking Pole Adam Fedoruk to a season-threatening knee injury.
However, Kowalski lamented that Evans, instead of making progress while with the Earthquakes, had regressed as a player.
“He came back a different player,” Kowalski said. “He’s not delivering the ball the way he was last year. … And he’s not playing the same type of defense that he was last year. We have had to kind of re-do his game, but he was terrific against Rochester.”
Jones, who spent much of his time with the Los Angeles Galaxy last season on injured reserve with a broken leg, has finally started to regain his form as well.
“He had a really tough time to get fit and put his game together,” Kowalski said. “He’s now beginning to play with tenacity and speed. … Before, he was always a half-step too slow, not making the decisions fast enough. … Now he’s back in the flow of the game.”
One of the steadiest players for Kowalski all season has been defender Tenywa “T-Bone” Bonseu, who scored the goal on a penalty kick in a 1-1 tie with the Columbus Crew in a June 21 friendly, but whose strength is being the hard man in the back.
“He’s playing real well for us,” Kowalski said.
Another bright spot has been striker Phil Karn, who scored a hat trick in a 3-1 win over Hershey July 7. Karn has recovered from a broken foot he suffered in preseason. He didn’t return to the squad until mid-June.
“He’s coming on slowly,” Kowalski said. “He’s starting to put his full game together. I think we’ll see a lot more of Karn before the season is over.”
Kowalski hopes all the pieces will come together in a hurry for the Riverhounds, who will have to figure out how to win on the road if they want a sniff at the postseason. The schedule includes stops in Montreal and Hershey, as well as a pair of home games against division leader Richmond.
“Those are going to be difficult games,” Kowalski said. “But I really feel we can put a win streak together and make the playoffs.”
by Soccer America associate editor Poul Swain