The only thing more damp than the Highmark Stadium pitch was the mood itself late Saturday night. The Riverhounds were all strewn about, Danny Earls seated with elbows on knees, Matt Dallman over at the bench staring into space, Jose Angulo limping on his bum knee toward a group of fans to either console or calm them.
It was hard to tell which was needed most at the moment, given his animated, how angry the sellout crowd had been mere minutes earlier leading up this season-ending -- literally -- 2-1 loss to Arizona, one that mathematically ended an almost surreal bid to make the USL Pro playoffs after failing to win any of their first 10 games.
"Tough," Angulo called this one. "Really tough."
Tougher for the league's reigning MVP than most. Angulo hurt his knee a month ago and, after missing two games of the Riverhounds' stretch, he met with Niko Katic, the team's interim coach, and asked to play, anyway.
With a promise.
"Put me in," Angulo told Katic, according to both men. "I'll get you into the playoffs."
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