Game 26 Recap: Road Draw

pittsburgh-cincinnati

The Hounds continued their good run of form over the weekend by heading down to Cincinnati and snagging a point. No small feat considering Cincinnati has proved to be a tough place to play since coming into the league, and for us in particular they seem to have our number. The Hounds may still be looking for a win against Cincinnati, but they didn’t let them trip up our streak to the finish line.

The Hounds came out hungry to start the game and were rewarded with an early goal from Hertzog. The re-emergence of Hertzog continues to be the catalyst for the Hounds offense down the stretch. 4 goals in the last 3 games from him alone. I’m not sure if anyone else in the league is as hot has he is right now. Hertzog can’t stop, won’t stop. It’s the offensive output we’ve been hoping for. The Hounds have put the ball in the back of the net 10 times in the last 5 games. Prior to that it took 14 games to get 10 goals. If they could’ve been this hot all year it goes without saying we’d be at the top of the table. At any rate we’ve recent complained about draws but they have kept us in the hunt, and this one is no different. A month ago a draw was frustrating. This one felt good. It’s all about how the team looks in the processes, and I like the way the Hounds are looking right now.

After the strong start to the match the Hounds settled down and didn’t have many good chances the rest of the game. As the possession start indicates (65/35 against), the Hounds went back to their bunker and counter style. To be fair to them, the Hounds looked much better playing that way than they did in July. An unlucky bounce in the 40th got Cincinnati their first and only goal, and that was about all she wrote. You may see some Cincinnati fans complaining about a lack of a handball call, to which I make a certain motion with my hand. The “deliberate act” part of the rule always gets left out when people complain about handballs, and making that call when the guy fell over and the ball ended up under him would have been incredibly harsh.

As luck would have it almost every team around is drew this weekend, keeping the battle for the final few playoff spots as tight as ever. The Hounds may not have moved up the standings, but there’s only a 2 point difference between their 10th place and 6th place. Ever match continues to be a big match, and the one this coming weekend is no different. The Hounds may be hot in the middle of the table, but Louisville is on a roll at the very top. It should be a high octane game on Saturday, so let’s make sure we’re out there in full force. Tailgate starts at 4 pm. Kick off at 7.

#UNLEASH