Generally speaking, mindnumbing, maddening, next-to-last-minute losses aren't the stuff of great inspiration.
But with all due acknowledgement of the result, the Riverhounds' 1-0 loss to the Charleston Battery on this Saturday night at Highmark Stadium, one in which the home side surrendered the lone goal in the 88th minute after thoroughly dominating all else, represented the first time I've fully realized how close Pittsburgh's coming to a United Soccer League championship.
Because if Charleston's the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, as the standings now show, then the Hounds, the team the Battery just leapfrogged, are on a much truer trajectory to be at the very top by the time it's done.
"Our best performance," right back Jordan Dover called it before I'd even had a chance to complete the question. And he was hardly alone.
"This is special right now," forward Christiano Francois would essentially echo. "We're doing many good things."
And then there was this from the captain, Kevin Kerr:
"It stings," you heard him confess. And it had to. The Hounds had 11 of the match's 16 shots, with nine of those inside the Charleston box, four on the keeper, one off a crossbar, another off a post and yet another stuffed on a penalty kick by Neco Brett, their top scorer. They also had 56.7 percent of the possession, 10 of 15 corner kicks, 30 of 39 crosses and 58.3 percent of the aerial duels.
Like I said, this was dominating.
And then, in that 88th minute ...
Number 1⃣1⃣ for Ataulla Guerra.
This #CB93 goal is brought to you by @BakerRoofing #PGHvCHS | 0-1 #USL pic.twitter.com/cSK8tCT2Ef
— Charleston Battery (@Chas_Battery) July 22, 2018
That's called capitalizing. It's a spectacular keep in the deep corner by Charleston's Taylor Mueller, one that pulled two Hounds with him. It's a sweet service from Angelo Kelly-Rosales, and it's matched in quality by the diving header from Ataulla Guerra at the back post.
Blame?
Sure. As Bob Lilley conceded, the Hounds "fell asleep" in lapsing on Guerra, particularly Dover and Hugh Roberts. And of course, all concerned could have fared far better in finishing, not least of whom were Francois with both of the post shots ...
Turnin' up the ?. #PGHvCHS pic.twitter.com/JUTOtC9Pec
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) July 21, 2018
Woodwork: 2️⃣ @Cheetahcf7: 0️⃣
Only a matter of time. #PGHvCHS pic.twitter.com/w5FtIZaMB3
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) July 21, 2018
... and Brett with the penalty saved by Charleston's Joe Kuzminsky in the 53rd minute, a ball that was basically booted right along the ground and in saving range had Kuzminsky guessed right, which he did.
Yeah, all that stung, no doubt.
But then weigh the broader picture, and it brightens considerably: The Hounds are now 9-2-7, good for third in the East, behind FC Cincinnati (13-3-5) and now Charleston (9-3-8). They've already tied Cincinnati, tied Charleston, beaten fourth-place Louisville and now dominated Charleston in a loss. Add to that a plus-13 goal differential that's second-best in the conference, an astounding league-low eight goals allowed all season -- Guerra's delivery on a pristine play was the first goal they've given up in six matches! -- and all the peripherals are lining up, too.
Sometimes athletes will try to make themselves feel better by saying stuff like what you read and heard above following an unfortunate outcome. But that's not the sense I got from any of them. They understood what they'd just done, how much they've improved their cohesion since a scattershot start -- half the team and Lilley himself were recruited from the dormant Rochester franchise -- and how much that's allowed them to show all the more ambition while living up to Lilley's relentless expectations at the back end.
Dover and Francois stand out in that regard for me. When those two arrived, both as Rochester refugees, they mostly stayed to the right flank, looked for each other back and forth, and seldom strayed. On this night, both were all over creation while never abdicating duty.
And if it's ambition anyone craves ...
Oh my, @J_dover! #PGHvCHS pic.twitter.com/RKcwbic4eo
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) July 22, 2018
That was Dover and the prettiest spin move you'll find in any midfield anywhere, one that brought a loud, amusing gasp from the near-capacity crowd of 3,371, and Lilley confirmed for me that he'd done that once or twice in Rochester.
So did the kid himself with a big smile.
"Yeah, I think maybe I actually had too hard of a first touch on the ball there," Dover allowed, "but the key is then hurry up and get right back on the ball to make it look like it's all one move, right?"
There's talent out there. There's will. There's camaraderie. And it's founded on discipline.
Lilley isn't exactly the type to be satisfied with losing. He's as tightly wound as any coach I've encountered before and after matches -- heck, before and after practices -- and he's been openly critical of his players even after significant Ws like the one in Louisville.
Not this time. Not at all.
He loved what he witnessed, despite the lack of finish, in the attacking third.
"Even though they tried to bunker, we kept after it," Lilley said, somewhat ruefully, of Charleston's customarily passive approach. "We created offense, created corners, created a number of moments where their defense was scrambling. I thought the guys did well. This was our best game in terms of combinations and movements up top."
He then raised his voice to repeat, "Best game by far. It was awesome to see. I've gone against Charleston for a long time, and it's hard to move their backs around. And that was when they used two center backs. This year, they've gone to three and they'll even drop other guys deep. We kept at it, moved them around, pulled them apart."
He's right. It was awesome to see. It's as well as I've seen the Hounds do what he just described in years of covering them.
"Look, we play like that," Lilley continued, "I'm going to be a happy coach. Because we're going to win most of the time."
Yep. The level of play is up. Crowds are up. Expectations are up. Lots looking up.
