The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will host the Charleston Battery in another crucial match for playoff position in the USL’s Eastern Conference.
The Riverhounds sit just outside the top six, and need to keep winning to maintain playoff pace, while the Battery is fighting to secure a home playoff game.
It won’t be easy for the Riverhounds, as they’ll be without a pair of important players at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.
Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson has still been unable to shake off a lingering knee injury that he suffered while playing for the Jamaican National Team in the Gold Cup. He was scheduled to undergo another MRI this week.
In his stead, Calle Brown has earned his second consecutive start between the sticks. He had to make only one save to preserve his fifth clean sheet of the season, but Riverhounds head coach Mark Steffens praised his keeper’s performance.
“In the locker room the next Monday, I told him he was the MVP,” said Steffens. “He didn’t bobble a ball. He was sure-handed.”
Steffens thinks that Brown, who is in his first professional season, has done some maturing as the campaign has gone on.
“He was really kind of a nervous young man and as he’s coming into his own, he’s getting more and more confident and communicating more back there.” Steffens said. “We feel very confident with Ryan being injured, that Calle is the guy back there.”
Central defender Anthony Arena said the team doesn’t play any differently regardless of who is in goal.
“We’re comfortable with whoever we’ve got back in goal,” Arena said. “I think they’ve all done a good job. Calle didn’t play two weeks ago, and he comes back in, and he’s expected to perform. We don’t really expect the performance to drop just because (Thompson) isn’t in there.”
Also missing for the Riverhounds will be attacking midfielder Rob Vincent, who will sit out Saturday’s game to serve his one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards.
Expect Boris Zivanovic to play in Vincent’s usual spot on the left side along with Lebo Moloto and Kevin Kerr as attacking midfielders.
Arena, Kerr, and holding midfielder Stephen Okai are all dealing with minor injury issues, but Steffens is hopeful that they’ll be able to play on Saturday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. for the next-to-last regular season home game on the Riverhounds schedule. They will wrap up their home slate with a weeknight game on Wednesday, September 16 against Rochester.
Photo credit: Brian Mitchell
