It’s a brief conversation, and it’s all in good fun.
Before Keasel Broome arrived in Pittsburgh this offseason, he protected the goal of the in-state rival Harrisburg City Islanders during the 2016 season. On July 17 at Highmark Stadium, the goalkeeper faced off against his would-be future team.
In that match, Riverhounds captain Kevin Kerr got the best of Broome, putting a shot past him in the 60th minute.
“I remind him every now and again,” Kerr said. “It’s a short [conversation].”
When Kerr scored on Broome, he gathered the ball at the top of the 18-yard box. The Hounds veteran took one touch before he ripped a left-footed shot at the target
“At that point, I tried to make myself big to get a block,” Broome said.
Broome came out a step past the six-yard box, but the ball sailed over his right shoulder into the back of the net.
“I remember just shutting my eyes and kicking it hard, hoping it went toward the goal,” Kerr said. “I caught it well and fortunately it went in.”
That was the only goal Broome let in that match, and Harrisburg ultimately won, 2-1. The goalkeeper also started in the head-to-head finale against Pittsburgh later that season at FNB Field, a 1-1 tie.
This year, Broome trades in the Blue and White for the Black and Gold. And as he did with the City Islanders in 2016, he will once again try to capture the Keystone Derby Cup, presented by K&L Gates and the Pennsylvania Lottery, but with the Hounds in 2017.
“He’s embraced Pittsburgh,” Kerr said. “He loves it here. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but I think he’s very happy to be on this side of the rivalry.”
As Broome made a total of six saves combined in both of his starts against Pittsburgh last year, Hounds head coach Dave Brandt took notice to the goalkeeper’s athleticism.
“Keasel made some great saves against us,” Brandt said. “Especially the third game at their place last year, Keasel kept them in it a couple times.”
The Claymont, Delaware native had a successful training camp and preseason to begin his Hounds career, and started the season opener against New York Red Bulls II on March 25. Broome blocked away four shots in the match, helping Pittsburgh clinch one point in the standings with a 3-3 draw.
Now just a little more than a month later, Broome and the Hounds turn their focus to his old team – the rival City Islanders.
“With soccer, you try to take emotion out of it, but it is an emotional sport sometimes,” Broome said.
Before the game, the goalkeeper is looking forward to meeting and shaking hands with former friends, teammates and coaches from Harrisburg. Despite old friendships and memories, it will be a different story after the game starts.
“Once the whistle blows, they’re the enemy,” Broome said. “Even though I know them personally off the field, when it comes to on the field, you just want to beat them.”
He isn’t the only Hound who will be on both sides of the rivalry in back-to-back seasons. Like Broome, defender Shane Campbell came to Pittsburgh this offseason after spending the 2016 campaign with Harrisburg.
Last year, the University of Louisville product appeared in eight games with the City Islanders, including a cap in the second installment of the Keystone Cup on July 17. Contrary to Broome, Brandt knew of Campbell years before he started playing professional soccer.
When the York, Pennsylvania native was 10 years old, he played for the club team FC Orange – a squad that Brandt had coached.
“He taught me how to be a true team player, and just worry about the team first and not yourself,” Campbell said. “Team success builds individual success, and I’ve learned that from him and carried that with me my whole career.”
Campbell was introduced to the backline for the first time while playing under Brandt at FC Orange. Now 13 years later, he has made a career from the position change and is reunited with the coach who had shaped his future.
“I was always a forward,” Campbell said. “When I got there, he took me aside and was like ‘look, I think you’ll be a better defender as you get older and as you grow up.’“
Already being familiar with Brandt’s expectations has helped the defender in his first year with the Black and Gold. Also helping with this transition has been a bond that was formed back in Harrisburg with another teammate.
“It was good to know somebody coming in,” Broome said about his friendship with Campbell. “We’re also roommates so that made it even better. It’s good to have somebody to talk to, and I know that we’ll both be looking forward to getting out there for the match when Harrisburg comes here.”
The Hounds pulled off an unfathomable feat in the inaugural season of the Keystone Cup.
In the second game of the four-match 2015 series, Pittsburgh found itself trailing Harrisburg 5-3 with 60 seconds left in regulation, but the Highmark Stadium scoreboard told a different story just minutes later.
The Hounds scored three goals in the final minute and stoppage time to complete a miraculous comeback. The game-winning tally came off the foot of Kerr.
“Probably the most enjoyable goal of my career,” Kerr said. “A game like that, in the Derby, 6-5, it was a good turnout. It’s just a game no one will ever forget.”
Starting the play at the edge of the 18-yard box, Kerr passed the ball into the center of the penalty area to Lebo Moloto, who then sent it back to Kerr. The midfielder then placed a shot on the ground just by the opposing goalkeeper.
Nearly two years later, Kerr is still reminded of the game and thinks about the goal from time-to-time.
“It always pops up on social media,” Kerr said. “I can’t not watch it, even though I watched it a thousand times. Every week or two, someone will tweet something or it will pop up and I have to watch the highlights again. I can’t see that changing.”
Pittsburgh went on to take the Keystone Cup in 2015, winning three out of the four matches. The Hounds clinched the series, and a playoff spot, with a 2-1 victory in the final meeting that season.
In 2016, the Hounds fell just short of repeating, as they recorded a 0-1-2 record against the Eastern Conference foe. Each game was close until the final whistle, and a 2-1 loss to the City Islanders in the second match of the three-game series ultimately decided the outcome.
“I feel like it’s become a bigger deal as the years have gone on,” Kerr said. “I think the fans have really embraced the rivalry.”
