The Tampa Bay Rowdies will kick of their first taste of US Open Cup action on the road this Wednesday when they take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL. Both the club and its supporters are hoping this year’s Open Cup run is not a one-and-done scenario like last year when the Rowdies crashed out in the first match. If the Rowdies are victorious, they will host DC United of MLS on May 17. The Rowdies will need to focus on beating a talented USL side, though, before they can entertain the prospect of replicating the electric Al Lang atmosphere during the Rowdies 2013 Open Cup upset over MLS’ Seattle Sounders.

Where To Watch

The match will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with a video stream available on Pittsburgh’s YouTube page. Unused Substitutes podcast hosts Matt and Dan will be providing audio commentary on Rabble TV live from the official Rowdies watch party at the Rowdies Den in downtown St Petersburg. Check in with the our social media accounts on gameday for links to those viewing and listening options.

Scouting the Riverhounds

At 3-3-3, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds sit in sixth place of the USL’s Eastern Conference. The top six teams in each conference qualify for the USL playoffs.

The opening weeks of were not pretty ones for the Riverhounds. They lost their first two matches, conceding three goals both times. However, Pittsburgh should be coming into Wednesday’s match with a good amount of confidence. Along with their convincing 3-0 win over the West Virginia Chaos (PDL) in last week’s Open Cup match, they also drew and defeated the Eastern Conference’s third-place side Richmond Kickers in their last two league matches.

Head coach Mark Steffens is a man with a strong record of success in the USL ranks. During his 17 year run with the Eagle he lead the team to two league championships and earned individual Coach of the Year honors twice.

The midfield has been the undeniable lifeblood for Steffens and his squad in 2015 thus far. The Riverhounds typically line up with five midfielders, with two attacking midfielders cheating forward on the wings most of the time. Those attacking midfielders, Rob Vincent and Kevin Kerr, lead the team in both goals and assists. Vincent has six goals and four assists, while Kerr has notched four goals and five assists. The duo also grabbed a goal each in last week’s Open Cup victory. Combined the two have more than half of the club’s 19 goals scored this year. The team’s goal tally is the best in the Eastern Conference and third best in the entire league, behind only Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Sacramento Republic FC.

As prolific as the Riverhounds attack has been in the opening stages of the season, their defense has shown vulnerabilities in most of their matches. They have conceded 15 goals. Rough turnovers from young defenders and lackadaisical marking have left them exposed on many occasions.

Former Rowdies, keeper Ryan Thompson and defender Willie Hunt have been regular fixtures for Pittsburgh this year. Hunt has played in every match, starting seven, primarily as a center back. Thompson has been in net for all but one match. He sat out the club’s 1-1 draw on May 16 with a back injury, but was back in action this past weekend for the 2-1 victory.

What to Watch For

Wednesday night’s match will be the Riverhound’s fourth in 11 days. With the Rowdies coming off of their NASL bye week, they might have in an edge in fitness as the match wears on. Tampa Bay shouldn’t and likely won’t rely on the fitness factor, though. An early aggressive start could benefit the Rowdies greatly considering that the Riverhounds have allowed the opponent to score first in six of their nine matches.

Thomas Rongen has said that he will treat this opening Open Cup match with the utmost importance and will field a starting XI close to the usual contributors in NASL play. While the team is mathematically alive in the NASL’s Spring title race, the gap to the top seems unlikely to bridge with the Cosmos so far out ahead. So putting priority on the Open Cup in this early stage makes sense.

has said that he will treat this opening Open Cup match with the utmost importance and will field a starting XI close to the usual contributors in NASL play. While the team is mathematically alive in the NASL’s Spring title race, the gap to the top seems unlikely to bridge with the Cosmos so far out ahead. So putting priority on the Open Cup in this early stage makes sense. The back line for the Rowdies should be the most unchanged compared to NASL action. With Pittsburgh fielding an effective attack, sticking with one of the best defenses in the NASL seems like the most assured path to victory. The Rowdies will need to stay organized and look to eliminate potential dangerous crosses into the penalty area from Kerr and Vincent.

The attack is where Rongen can likely get away with a few changes. On Saturday the Rowides travel to play on Indy Eleven’s rough artificial turf, The notion of Maicon Santos starting two straight matches on turf with only a few days of rest in between seems unlikely given his injury problems. So the question is which match the target man will appear in. The Brazilian provides an option that no other attacker does up top.

starting two straight matches on turf with only a few days of rest in between seems unlikely given his injury problems. So the question is which match the target man will appear in. The Brazilian provides an option that no other attacker does up top. The good news is that with the depth of speed that the Rowdies have at forward, they should be able to create a few opportunities on the counter even without Santos. This match would be a good opportunity to get Darwin Espinal back on the field after few weeks of inaction. With Espinal or Robert Henrnadez on the field, the Rowdies could be set up to pounce on any poor giveaways.