Welcome to the Classic Championship Game of the Day, where today we go back to a notable game from the Eastern Conference playoff race in the 2018 regular season as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC played host to Indy Eleven at Highmark Stadium.

Going into the contest, the matchup between the Hounds and Indy was a prospective Eastern Conference Quarterfinal with Pittsburgh sitting in third position in the standings and the Eleven in sixth. Both teams had games in hand on the sides around them, however, and with Indy sitting only five points back of Pittsburgh there was the chance for Head Coach Martin Rennie’s side to push forward. The visitors were coming off a defeat to Penn FC in their prior outing, but before that had put together a nine-game undefeated streak to solidify their place in the playoff positions.

The Hounds, meanwhile, had been on a fine run of form of their own with only one loss in their previous nine outings, and that on the road against Eastern Conference leader FC Cincinnati. In Head Coach Bob Lilley’s first season at the helm, Pittsburgh had become one of the toughest teams to defeat in the Championship, having lost only four times in 29 outings prior to Indy’s visit. Sitting a point behind Louisville City FC with a game in hand, a chance to move into the top two in the East was at stake for the hosts.

The scene is set, so sit back, relax and enjoy a classic clash from the Championship’s history.