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PITTSBURGH (Nov. 1, 2025) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds advanced in the USL Championship Playoffs in dramatic fashion, winning a penalty kick shootout 4-2 over Hartford Athletic after playing to a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes of regulation and extra time tonight at Highmark Stadium.

Hounds goalkeeper Eric Dick saved the first penalty kick of the shootout, Hartford missed on their fourth attempt, and Bertin Jacquesson, Robbie Mertz, Augi Williams and Sean Suber made the Hounds a perfect 4-for-4 from the spot to advance in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.

The fourth-seeded Hounds advance to host No. 8-seed Detroit City FC, which sprung a 1-0 upset over No. 1 Louisville City FC tonight. That Eastern Conference Semifinal will be Saturday, Nov. 8 at a time to be determined.

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First half

Hartford jumped out on the front foot and had the ball in the net on a rebound after just two minutes, only to have the goal disallowed for forward Kyle Edwards being offside on the initial shot.

Once the Hounds settled into play, chances began to come on their end. The best came in the 29th minute, when Beto Ydrach headed a free kick from Mertz on goal, but Hartford goalkeeper Antony Siaha got low to make the lunging save.

Siaha and Hounds goalkeeper Eric Dick each made three saves in the match to record the dual shutouts. The clean sheet is Dick’s 27th with the Hounds, moving him past Hunter Gilstrap for second in club history.

Second half

The Hounds looked to create more after the break, and Junior Etou hit a good early cross to Danny Griffin that forced a save two minutes after halftime. Hartford mostly operated on the counter, though Michee Ngalina got an early open look from the top of the box, only to curl his shot wide of the right post.

Griffin slipped Mertz through toward goal in the 68th minute, but a sliding block kept him from hitting the target. 

Mertz had one more chance in stoppage time on a cross from Ydrach. Players from both teams dove and threw their bodies to get the ball, and Mertz was barely beaten to the crucial touch at the top of the 6-yard box.

Extra time

Set pieces provided most of the chances in extra time, with Hartford needed to scramble away multiple corners and Suber missing the mark on a header just before the midway point.

Jacquesson slipped a ball through through to Mertz in the box late in stoppage time, but it was a sliding block by former Hounds defender Joe Farrell that again kept the Hounds’ man from testing Siaha.

Once the match reached the shootout, Dick stopped the first shot by Hartford’s Hadji Barry with his trailing leg. Both teams converted until Hartford’s fourth kick, which Samuel Careaga put over the crossbar. That meant Suber was able to put the match away with his low conversion, as the Hounds advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

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Modelo Man of the Match

Robbie Mertz was ever-present in the match, playing all 120 minutes and converting in the shootout. The Pittsburgh native also connected on 46 of 51 passes (90.2 percent), had a team-leading seven recoveries of possession and won a trio of free kicks. 

What’s next?

After improving to 3-4 all-time in penalty kick shootouts, the Hounds are set to host Detroit City FC at a time to be determined on Saturday, Nov. 8. The teams met once before in the postseason, when Detroit scored a 1-0 upset over the Hounds to open the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs.

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Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-2-1) — Eric Dick; Guillaume Vacter (Illal Osumanu 88’), Sean Suber, Beto Ydrach; Junior Etou, Bradley Sample (Bertin Jacquesson 91’), Danny Griffin, Luke Biasi (Perrin Barnes 62’); Robbie Mertz, Charles Ahl (Jackson Walti 78’); Augi Williams

Hartford Athletic lineup (3-4-3) — Antony Siaha; TJ Presthus, Joe Farrell, Adrián Diz Pe (Owen Presthus 80’); Emmanuel Samadia, Beverly Makangila (Junior Moreira 45’), Marlon Hairston (Jack Panayotou 117’), Sebastian Anderson; Michee Ngalina (Josh Belluz 90+3’), Kyle Edwards (Jonathan Jiménez 60’, Hadji Barry 117’), Samuel Careaga

Scoring summary

None

Discipline summary

PIT — Luke Biasi 8’ (caution – tactical foul)
HFD — Beverly Makangila 43’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Robbie Mertz 58’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
HFD — Antony Siaha 58’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
HFD — Marlon Hairston 90’ (caution – reckless foul)
HFD — Head coach Brendan Burke 90’ (caution – dissent)
HFD — Junior Moreira 90+8’ (caution – tactical foul)
HFD — Josh Belluz 109’ (caution – reckless foul)

Penalty kick shootout summary

Hartford (Goalkeeper: Siaha) — Barry (saved), Farrell, Panayotou, Careaga (miss)
Pittsburgh (Goalkeeper: Dick) — Jacquesson, Mertz, Williams, Suber

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 25, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC battled to a 0-0 draw with Phoenix Rising FC to close the regular season tonight at Highmark Stadium, and the result was enough to secure a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference and a home match to open the USL Championship Playoffs next Saturday.

The Hounds (12-10-8) were on the front foot for the majority of the match, holding a 17-8 edge in shots, a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks and holding 63.1 percent of possession against Phoenix (9-8-13), which clinched its playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Eric Dick needed to make only one save for the shutout, his 12th in all competitions this season and his 26th with the Hounds, which ties him with Hunter Gilstrap for the second-most in team history.

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First half

The Hounds began pushing forward from the opening whistle, and in the fourth minute, the team made a claim for a penalty kick for handling when Augi Williams’ header was blocked behind in close quarters by Phoenix’s Carl Sainté.

Undeterred, the Hounds continued to attack, and in the 20th minute, Luke Biasi lashed a shot across goal after getting into the right side of the box to receive a long, diagonal pass forward. Phoenix largely settled for long-range efforts, and Dick made his only save of the match only 11 minutes into play.

Phoenix goalie Patrick Rakovsky made four saves for his clean sheet, and in the 38th minute, he stood tall to deny Williams at close range as the striker tried to poke a high-bouncing ball around the keeper.

Biasi came closest to scoring in the 41st minute, when he again gained the right side of the box. Rather than crossing, he took a near-post effort on goal that struck the right post and bounced to safety for Phoenix.

Second half

Phoenix adjusted and saw more of the ball early in the second half, but the Hounds began to fire toward goal again with a rising volley by Bradley Sample in the 61st minute.

A few minutes later, Junior Etou curled a cross behind the back line for Williams, but the striker didn’t make clean contact on the ball, which allowed the Phoenix defense to scramble the chance clear of the goal line.

Phoenix’s best chance of the match came in the 79th minute when Ihsan Sacko got behind the defense on a long ball down the right side, but Guillaume Vacter tracked back with speed to make a last-ditch block on the shot, snuffing out the chance.

Sample had one final chance for the Hounds, getting on the end of a cross by Robbie Mertz, but his header took a deflection off the back of a defender and ricocheted into the arms of Rakovsky. As the final whistle blew, it secured a milestone for center back Sean Suber, who became only the fourth Riverhounds player to play every minute of a regular season, logging all 2,700 minutes of the 2025 campaign.

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Modelo Man of the Match

Guillaume Vacter was a ball winner extraordinaire, winning 16 of 19 duels and adding four clearances. He also contributed 15 final third entries, a shot on goal and an exceptional blocked shot to deny Ihsan Sacko’s clear chance in the 79th minute.

What’s next?

The Hounds will host Hartford Athletic (13-12-5) in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals next Saturday at Highmark Stadium, time and TV listings to be announced. The Hounds swept both meetings with Hartford this season, winning 1-0 at home on March 22 and taking a 2-1 win in Connecticut on Sept. 20.

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Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-2-1) — Eric Dick; Guillaume Vacter, Sean Suber, Beto Ydrach; Junior Etou, Bradley Sample, Danny Griffin, Luke Biasi (Perrin Barnes 79’); Robbie Mertz, Charles Ahl (Jackson Walti 73’); Augi Williams (Bertin Jacquesson 79’)

Phoenix Rising FC lineup (3-4-3) — Patrick Rakovsky; Carle Sainté, Rafael Czichos, Pape Boye; Ryan Flood, John Scearce, Jean Moursou, Ascel Essengue; Darius Johnson (Rémi Cabral 77’), Hope Avayevu (Ihsan Sacko 77’), Charlie Dennis

Scoring summary

None

Discipline summary

None

(Oct. 18, 2025) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds turned on an offensive onslaught on the West Coast, as Sean Suber, Augi Williams and Jackson Walti all found the net in a 3-0 win tonight over Monterey Bay FC at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside, Calif.

Suber had the Hounds (12-10-7) ahead before halftime, before the team struck twice in the second half to produce its first three-goal outing of the season. The Hounds also held 58 percent of possession and matched their season high of seven shots on goal on 12 total shots at the Monterey Bay (7-15-7) net.

The win propels the Hounds into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with one match to play, meaning the team would secure a home playoff match with a win next week.

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First half

Though the Hounds were able to manufacture a pair of early corner kicks, it was the home side that had the game’s first good look at goal in the 23rd minute. Johnny Klein one-touched a high ball down into the path of Xavi Gnaulati, and the young midfielder cut onto his right foot and hit a shot from the top of the box that curled just wide of the left post.

The Hounds would break through in the 27th minute after cycling the ball in the attacking half when Monterey Bay only partly cleared a corner kick. Williams received a pass on the ground into the box and played the ball wide to Danny Griffin on the right. Griffin’s low cross took a glancing touch off Guillaume Vacter that redirected the ball to an unmarked Suber for a tap-in at the back post. It was the second goal in as many matches for Suber, who had not scored this season before last week.

Less than a minute later, Charles Ahl had a shot to double the lead when Robbie Mertz picked him out alone on the left side. Ahl cut the ball onto his right foot, but his shot was too close to goalkeeper Nico Campuzano — a former University of Pittsburgh standout — who made one of his four saves.

Second half

The home team again produced the first chance of the half, as Klein put a shot into the breadbasket of goalkeeper Eric Dick less than 60 seconds after play resumed. Dick made two saves on the night for his 11th shutout of the season across all competitions.

Though the Hounds continued to press forward — both Luke Biasi and Mertz had chances in the box — it was in the 73rd minute that Williams doubled the lead. 

Walti, who entered the match only four minutes earlier, won the ball and rolled a perfectly weighted pass that found Williams’ right foot while curling away from the defender to his teammate’s right. Williams took one touch to accelerate into the box and ripped a shot over the arm of the goalkeeper for his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Walti would apply the finishing touch to the match in the 86th minute after Williams created with a low cross that found its way all the way across the box. The Hounds continued to move the ball with Monterey Bay’s defense stretched, and Griffin knocked the ball onto the feet of Walti, who lifted a shot under the crossbar from inside the box.

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Modelo Man of the Match

Jackson Walti played a 21-minute shift off the bench, and his impact was immediate with an assist after four minutes, followed by the game-sealing goal. He also connected on 13 of 14 passes while in the match and won possession twice, with one of those turnovers created leading to his assist.

What’s next?

Home playoff matches are on the line when the Hounds play their regular-season finale against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds will host their opening playoff match if they win, while Phoenix (9-8-12) would do the same out West with a win and a loss by El Paso.

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Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-2-1) — Eric Dick; Guillaume Vacter, Sean Suber, Beto Ydrach (Illal Osumanu 68’); Junior Etou (Perrin Barnes 76’), Bradley Sample, Danny Griffin, Luke Biasi; Robbie Mertz (Jorge Garcia 89’), Charles Ahl (Jackson Walti 68’); Augi Williams (Brigham Larsen 89’)

Monterey Bay FC lineup (5-4-1) — Nico Campuzano; Grant Robinson, Alex Lara, Nicholas Gordon, Pierce Gallaway (Mobi Fehr 57’), Joel Garcia Jr. (Miles Lyons 69’); Johnny Klein (Luke Ivanovic 74’), Wes Fonguck, Xavi Gnaulati, Diego Gutiérrez (Mayele Malango 57’); Tarik Scott (Anton Søjberg 57’)

Scoring summary

PIT — Sean Suber 27’ (Guillaume Vacter)
PIT — Augi Williams 73’ (Jackson Walti)
PIT — Jackson Walti 86’ (Danny Griffin)

Discipline summary

PIT — Guillaume Vacter 5’ (caution – tactical foul)
MB — Joel Garcia Jr. 20’ (caution – reckless foul)
MB — Pierce Gallaway 37’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Augi Williams 47’ (caution – tactical foul)