Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

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Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. Since 2013, the Riverhounds have played their home games at the 5,000-seat Highmark Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in Station Square. Their current head coach is Bob Lilley.<ref name="Coaching Staff">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Saint Lucian international David Flavius currently holds the club records for most appearances and goals which he set over his eight seasons with the Riverhounds between 1999 and 2006.<ref name="Pittsburgh Riverhounds-Stats">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Riverhounds have an affiliated women's soccer team, Pittsburgh Riveters SC, that plays in the USL W League.

History

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An ownership group led by local banker Paul Heasley was awarded a Pittsburgh expansion franchise in the USL A-League by USISL on March 11, 1998. Organizers planned for the team to begin play in the 1999 season, making it the first professional outdoor soccer team in the city since the Pittsburgh Phantoms folded after the 1967 NPSL season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name "Riverdogs" was initially selected until the threat of legal action by the Charleston RiverDogs led the team to change their name to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in December 1998.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Riverhounds played their first match on May 1, 1999, against the Cincinnati Riverhawks at Bethel Park Stadium in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The team lost 3–2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw in front of a sellout crowd of 5,639 spectators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pittsburgh drew an average attendance of 4,178 in their inaugural season—the second-best in the league—and qualified for the A-League playoffs, where the Rochester Rhinos eliminated them in the second round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team's attendance declined in later seasons as Heasley unsuccessfully pursued plans for a soccer-specific stadium to replace Bethel Park by 2005.<ref name="PG-2003">Template:Cite news</ref> The Riverhounds moved a tier below the A-League (later the USL First Division) to the USL Pro Soccer League (later the Second Division) in 2004 amid financial issues.<ref name="PG-2003"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team underwent several ownership changes and continued to have unstable finances; it withdrew from competition for the 2007 season but continued to run its youth programs and the senior team returned the following year.<ref name="PBT-2019">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PPG-Stadium">Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2013, the team opened Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh with an initial capacity of 3,102 seats and plans for future expansions. The stadium cost $10.2Template:Nbspmillion to construct, entirely with private contributions, and was the result of several design and location changes.<ref name="PPG-Stadium"/> The Riverhounds successfully drew larger crowds at their new stadium and averaged 3,273 spectators during the 2013 season. The remaining financial issues and debts incurred from stadium construction caused the team to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2014, but it continued to play.<ref name="PBT-2019"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tuffy Shallenberger, a construction company owner and member of the ownership group, acquired majority ownership of the team and shifted its focus toward expanding its youth academy business. The Riverhounds unveiled a new crest and identity in 2018, replacing a cartoon dog with a modern roundel, and expanded Highmark Stadium to 5,000 seats.<ref name="PBT-2019"/>

The Riverhounds continued competing in the USL's third-division league as it evolved into USL Pro and later the USL Championship after receiving second-division sanctioning.<ref name="PBT-2019"/> In 2013, the team announced a plan to join Major League Soccer, the country's top-flight league, within the next decade as an expansion franchise. The plan would require further expansion of Highmark Stadium to meet the league's minimum seating capacity of 18,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Riverhounds have never submitted a formal bid for an MLS franchise during previous rounds of expansion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The organization announced in 2024 that they would form a women's team, later named Pittsburgh Riveters SC, to play in the pre-professional USL W League the following year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Former academy director Scott Gibson was named as the team's head coach.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Colors and badge

Initially, the Riverhounds' colors were predominantly red with smaller amounts of black and white. Pittsburgh-based BD&E designed the original logo. The firm made a strategic decision not to make the club's colors black and gold. The choice meant the Hounds would not align with the region's established professional sports identity but would allow the soccer fans' jerseys to stand out in a Pittsburgh crowd.<ref name=recognition>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The club adopted new colors, predominantly blue with white and black added, before the start of the 2008 season to honor their academy and training partnership with Everton. The use of blue was also an allusion to the blue collar populace of Pittsburgh.<ref name=Zeise>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=McLeod>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Beginning in 2014, the Riverhounds began wearing black and gold uniforms more regularly, aligning the club with the colors representative of Pittsburgh's other professional sports teams. The team continued to wear blue and black kits as their alternate third kit.<ref name="2015 Kits">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On February 16, 2018, the Riverhounds unveiled a new crest as part of its rebranding.<ref name="New Era">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The new crest incorporates traditional Pittsburgh sports colors with essential symbols of the city such as bridges and rivers. Oregon-based graphic designer Brian Gundell designed the crest.<ref name="New Era for Club">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sponsorship

File:Riverhounds Kits.jpg
Very early Riverhounds kit by Umbro (left) and 2013/2014 secondary kit by Nike (right)
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1999–2000 Umbro —
2001–2004 Adidas
2005–2006 Select Toyota
2008–2010 ACES, Inc.
2011–2012 Umbro #1 Cochran
2013–2014 Nike<ref name="Nike Extends">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2015–2017 AHN
2018–2021 Adidas<ref name="Adidas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2022–2023 AHN (home)
84 Lumber<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation 		CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (away)

2024–present Charly
  • Source(s):<ref name="2005-2006 Uniforms">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="2006 Photo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Stadium

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has played at Highmark Stadium, a 5,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Station Square, since 2013. The stadium is owned and operated by the Riverhounds organization.<ref name="Permanent Home">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Supporters

In November 2007, supporters formed the first Pittsburgh Riverhounds fan group, known as the Steel Army. The Steel Army held their first meeting at Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side. The group started as 5–10 local people interested in supporting the reorganized Riverhounds Soccer Club and in supporting the efforts of growing the sport of soccer in Western Pennsylvania as well.<ref name="Steel Army">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Members are from Pittsburgh and nearby states like Ohio and distant states such as Oregon and Florida. Membership in the Steel Army is also international. Members have joined from Portsmouth, Sunderland, Surrey and Derbyshire in the U.K., Bray in the Republic of Ireland, and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.<ref name="Steel Army"/>

The Steel Army supports the Riverhounds from the South Gate end of Highmark Stadium. The terrace there holds 1,000 supporters. On August 1, 2015, the supporters' section was renamed the Paul Child Stand in honor of Pittsburgh soccer legend Paul Child.<ref name="THREE-GAME SKID">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Steel Army had fierce rivalries with United Soccer League clubs Rochester Rhinos (Oak Street Brigade) before the club moved to USL League One.<ref name="Steel Army"/><ref name="Intervju med Dan Yost">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Players and staff

Current roster

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Team management

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Honors

Team

Players

Front Office
Coaching Staff
Riverhounds Development Academy
Honor Player Name Season
USL Championship Most Valuable Player José Angulo 2013
Albert Dikwa 2023
USL Championship Golden Boot Albert Dikwa 2023
USL Golden Glove Danny Vitiello 2020
Eric Dick 2024
USL Championship Defender of the Year Award Joseph Greenspan 2019
Arturo Ordoñez 2023
USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year Eric Dick 2024

Head Coaches

Honor Player Name Season
USL Championship Coach of the Year Bob Lilley 2023

Record

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The following is a summary of the Riverhounds' most recently completed five seasons. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC seasons.

Season League Position Playoffs USOC Continental Average attendance Top goalscorer(s)
Div League Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts PPG Conf. Overall Name Goals
2020<ref name= MediaGuide>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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2 USLC 16 11 4 1 39 10 +29 34 2.13 3rd 5th R1 NH DNQ 760 Template:Flagicon Ropapa Mensah 6
2021 USLC 32 17 8 7 52 34 +18 58 1.63 5th 7th R1 NH 3,132 Template:Flagicon Russell Cicerone 16
2022 USLC 34 16 9 9 50 38 +12 57 1.32 5th 7th QF R3 3,934 Template:Flagicon Russell Cicerone 13
2023 USLC 34 19 5 10 50 29 +21 67 1.47 1st 1st R1 QF 5,077 Template:Flagicon Albert Dikwa 20 ♦
2024 USLC 34 12 10 12 41 28 +13 48 1.41 7th 12th R1 Ro32 5,048 Template:Flagicon Edward Kizza 12

Template:Note1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
Template:Note2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, league playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

File:Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Historic League Performance.png
Historical chart of the Riverhounds' regular season performance

See also

References

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