San Diego Loyal face Pittsburgh Riverhounds on the road
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. San Diego Loyal SC
Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Saturday, June 24 at 4:00 pm
TV: ESPN+
The last few weeks have been rough for the San Diego Loyal and the road does not get any easier. The Loyal will embark on a 4-game road trip before playing the next home match on July 30 against Colorado Springs FC.
Before the next home match at Torero Stadium, the Loyal will host Borussia Dortmund, who are one of the premier clubs in the world. USMNT’s own Gio Reyna plays for Dortmund and will get a chance to play at Snapdragon Stadium for what will be his second time once the date arrives. This will also be the Loyal’s first appearance in the new stadium.
36 days away.
SD Loyal 🆚 @blackyellow
Buy your tickets now!
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) June 21, 2023
This next match for the Loyal will be on the road in Pittsburgh to take on one of the top clubs in the USL Championship. The Riverhounds sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 27 points and (7-2-6) record. They own a (+9) goal difference which is also the second highest in the East and 4th overall.
As for the Loyal, they are coming off three-straight draws which have placed them 5th in the Western Conference. They have battled it out with two of the top clubs in the USL in Sacramento Republic FC and San Antonio FC. Their record is (6-4-5) with 23 points and (+3) goal difference on the campaign.
Monterey Bay Union has 23 points as well but their (+6) goal difference gives them the edge at the moment. A win for the Loyal Saturday night could move them into third place in the West if San Antonio FC loses and MBU falls to Miami FC. A lot can happen on the season as the midway point is upon us. The Loyal need to take advantage of this long road trip and secure points on the road. Once they do, they will have a plethora of home matches to try and gain control in the West.
San Diego is coming off a back-and-fourth battle against SA in the 2-2 draw. They faced the former USL Champions twice this season and split with two draws. Alejandro Guido got the scoring started for the Loyal and then later in the match, Adrian Perez saved the match with a game-tying goal in the 73rd minute. San Diego will certainly need to score multiple goals on the road Saturday night if they want a chance at claiming three points.
Pittsburgh is a tough squad. They play very physical and have arguably their toughest defense in the USL, allowing just 11 goals on the season. The only team to allow fewer is Sacramento (9). Oakland battled with Pittsburgh last time out, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Before that, The Riverhounds took down Charleston 2-0 at home.
It’s been over a month since the Loyal have claimed a victory. If San Diego comes out victorious against Pittsburgh, then this will go down as one of the biggest wins of the season, and in franchise history.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.