June 7, 2017 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds preview (from riverhounds.com)
What2Watch4: Toronto - 6/10 By Anthony Picardi, 06/07/17, 4:30PM EDT The Riverhounds (4-5-3) hit the road for their final meeting of the regular season against Toronto FC II (1-7-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Pittsburgh won the first meeting by a score of 1-0 at Highmark Stadium. The Rundown Milestone watch Corey Hertzog is sitting on 19 goals in his Hounds career, which is No. 8 all-time in club history. If the forward scores in his second straight match this Saturday, he would become only the eighth player to reach the feat of 20 career goals while donning the Black and Gold. Hertzog would be the second Hound to reach the plateau this season, as Kevin Kerr scored his 20th career tally in the team’s season opener against New York. Topping the charts Jamal Jack’s seven-clearance performance from this past weekend moved him past Joe Greenspan for the team lead in clearances. The center back has cumulated 52 clearances thus far into the season. Appearing in 11 of 12 of Pittsburgh’s games this year, Jack should once again hold down the backline against Toronto FC II. Treading water After falling to Orlando City B this past Saturday, the Hounds find themselves in ninth place in the Eastern Conference (as of June 6). Despite falling below the postseason cutoff line of eighth place, Pittsburgh still remains very much so in the hunt. Holding a season point total of 15, the Black and Gold are just two points behind third place New York Red Bulls II. Earning three points against Toronto FC II this weekend could catapult the Hounds back into postseason position. By the numbers: 19 Last time out against Orlando City B, the Hounds registered a season-high 19 shots. In addition, nine of these shots were on target – another season-high total. As forward Romeo Parkes becomes more comfortable on the frontline after signing with the team on May 5, look for the Hounds to generate greater offensive pressure moving forward. Key to victory: Scoring the “magic number” This season, Toronto FC II has not scored more than one goal in any of its 12 games. Furthermore, the Eastern Conference foe has scored three goals all season, which ranks last in the USL. If the Hounds can score the “magic number” of two goals, it could very well mean a victory on Saturday.
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