This past week saw the Pittsburgh Riverhounds taking a trip to Richmond to face-off with the Kickers. Columbus Crew SC loanees Marshall Hollingsworth and Abuchi Obinwa saw significant game action for the Riverhounds. Here is a recap of how they fared:

Marshall Hollingsworth

From the opening whistle Marshall Hollingsworth continued his run of form for Pittsburgh. The loan move to the Riverhounds has proved beneficial for the second-year professional as he is benefiting from added playing time.

Against Richmond, Hollingsworth demonstrated defensive proficiency and his work rate was superb. He challenged for balls in the midfield and tracked back to help on defense. If Pittsburgh lost possession, Hollingsworth looked to regain the ball as quickly as possible and start the break. He demonstrated fantastic movement off the ball and was a threat going for goal.

Hollingsworth found his way on the scoresheet in the 60th minute. Pittsburgh won the ball back in the final third and cycled it back to fellow loanee Abuchi Obinwa who seized the moment. Hollingsworth was the beneficiary of a ball played in by Obinwa that found the midfielder’s feet. Hollingsworth calmly took a touch, applied a spin move and unleashed a howler that beat the Kickers keeper to the top left.

Abuchi Obinwa

Much like Hollingsworth, Obinwa is benefitting from his time in Pittsburgh. He is earning more minutes and becoming a contributor for this young team, especially in the absence of fellowing Crew SC loanee Ben Swanson. Against Richmond, Obinwa went 70-plus minutes and was serviceable. He was called into action to aid the defense when one of his teammates inevitably slipped on the rain-soaked pitch.

Obinwa moved forward from his central midfield role to aid on the attack. His play was key in setting up Hollingsworth on the aforementioned goal in the 60th minute. The two loanees appear to play with a tremendous amount of chemistry when they are on the pitch.

Pittsburgh is back home at Highmark Stadium this week. They will take on the Harrisburg City Islanders at 7pm.