Hartford Athletic Struggles Against Pittsburgh Riverhounds
The Latics long-term road woes continued as they lost their fourth straight game at Highmark Stadium
Hartford Athletic limped to another defeat on the road on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, once again failing to score; and at times struggling to get the ball out of their own half.
The Latics have lost 12 of 19 on the road since Brendan Burke took the helm at the beginning of the 2024 season, and 33 of 53 dating back to 2022. It was also the ninth time that Hartford has been shut out away from Trinity Health Stadium over the last two seasons.
The game almost began with a bang for Hartford, with alert pressure from Mamadou Dieng producing a golden opportunity inside the first minute. Dieng forced a turnover deep in the Pittsburgh half, but his resulting shot was too high.
From there, the Latics struggled to get much of a foothold on the game, as Pittsburgh bossed the ball for much of the opening half hour although the Hounds failed to turn their possession into much of the way of meaningful opportunities. Hartford was able to manage its way back into the game and actually had the first shot on target by either team when Michee Ngalina had a speculative effort saved in the 37th minute. Pittsburgh had its first chance on target when Antony Siaha was finally called into action in the 44th minute, making a great reaction save after Roberto Ydrach was able to get a free header in the box.
At halftime, Pittsburgh had controlled much of the game, but there wasn’t much in the quality of chances for either side, and Brendan Burke was probably marginally the happier of the two managers, as his side had been sub-par, but were still in the game.
The Hounds picked up where they left off to kick off the second half, dominating possession from the whistle but once again struggling to transform possession into opportunities. It was once again Hartford who manufactured the first clear-cut chance at goal, when Ngalina fired high following a corner kick in the 64th minute.
Pittsburgh finally broke through in the 76th minute, when, after Hartford failed to properly clear the ball, Danny Griffin was left completely unmarked in the box, and easily headed home from close range to give the hosts the lead.
The rest of the game played out in somewhat desultory fashion — although the Latics fashioned a few chances for an equalizer — and Hartford heads back home for its USL Championship opener still seeking its first win in league play.
Their next game, when the Latics host El Paso Locomotive at Trinity Health Stadium next Saturday, kicks off a busy week that will further stretch an already thin squad as they play three games in eight days, including road trips to Lewiston, Maine for an Open Cup clash with Portland Hearts of Pine, and a league game with Loudoun United.