Pittsburgh Riverhounds hand Detroit City FC its first loss of the season

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC scored two first-half goals and handed Detroit City FC its first loss of the league season, 2-0, in a United Soccer League Championship match in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the 20th minute, as Robbie Mertz lofted a pass to the front of the goal, where Patrick Hogan headed it past Nate Steinwascher.

The second goal came in the 35th minute, after Devon Amoo-Mensah was called for a debatable foul in the penalty area. Replays appeared to show that Amoo-Mensah got ball first with his sliding tackle, but the referee saw it differently and awarded a penalty kick, which Danny Griffin converted with a low-left shot despite Steinwasher getting a hand on it.

DCFC's best chance of the night came in the 57th minute, when Maxi Rodriguez sent a well-taken header at the Pittsburgh net which the keeper needed to be alert on.

Le Rouge's Stephen Carroll was sent off with a red card in the sixth minute of second-half injury time, but by then the Riverhounds victory was well in hand.

The result left DCFC with a 5-1 record, in third place in the Eastern Conference, although first-place Charleston Battery has played three more matches and second-place Louisville City FC has played one more.

DCFC's next match will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Loudoun United FC in Leesburg, Virginia.