After a brief road trip, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-3-7) will carry a three-game winning streak into its showdown against the Charlotte Independence (7-9-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. This will be their first of two meetings this season.

Crazy Eights

The Hounds will shoot for their eighth home victory this weekend. Eight home wins would be the most the club has amassed since 2004. Only three other times in franchise history has it totaled at least eight home wins (2004, 2000 and 1999). Pittsburgh will look to keep its momentum at Highmark Stadium going on Saturday against a Charlotte team that has just two road wins this campaign.

Distributing Dimes

The Hounds’ midfield has racked up assists in recent showings, totaling five helpers in the past three games. Kenardo Forbes and Christiano François have led the way during this stretch, posting three and two assists, respectively. Look for the duo to continue to catalyze the offense this weekend.

Holding It Down

Holding midfielder Mouhamed Dabo has been tough on the opposition, recording 16 tackles in the Hounds’ last four matches. Furthermore, the Senegal native has been successful on the bulk of his challenges, posting a 78 percent win rate on his tackles this season. Dabo should continue to be a force in the holding midfield moving forward.

Neco Brett is tied for first in the USL Golden Boot race with 13 goals after Week 22 action. The striker has scored in Pittsburgh’s last three matches.

Charlotte’s Jorge Herrera is a dangerous scoring threat each time he takes the field and leads the club with 10 goals this season. Herrera has had past success against Pittsburgh, scoring 11 career goals against the Black and Gold - the second most an opponent has scored against the Hounds in their history. Pittsburgh will need to lock down Herrera this Saturday.