PITTSBURGH (December 19, 2018) – The USL Championship released its entire 2019 regular season schedule and expanded playoff format earlier today. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is geared for a 34-game slate in its 20th anniversary campaign.
The Hounds will face every team in the Eastern Conference twice in a home-and-home format. Pittsburgh will open the 2019 season on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on March 16 before playing Hartford Athletic in their first-ever meeting for its home opener on April 13 at Highmark Stadium.
Every home match for the Hounds will be played on a Saturday with the exception of the team’s July 4 showdown against Bethlehem Steel FC – a Thursday rematch of this past season’s first-ever playoff game at Highmark Stadium. All home games are scheduled to take place at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh’s final home contest, a match against Atlanta United 2, will take place on Oct. 5. The club will close out the season at Birmingham Legion FC on Oct. 20.
The USL Championship also announced today a brand-new playoff format that will be implemented in 2019. The top 10 teams from each conference will make the postseason with the No. 7 through No. 10 seeds competing in a Play-In Round. After this round, the single-elimination format will continue over the next four weeks in a fixed-bracket tournament. The USL Cup will be held between Nov. 14-18.
As the Hounds prepare for their 20th anniversary season, $99 season tickets and flexbooks are now on sale. To ensure your spot in a historic campaign, visit https://www.riverhounds.com/season-tickets or call 412-865-GOAL.
The full 2019 regular season and provisional playoff schedule are below. Kickoff times are to be announced.
2019 Regular Season Schedule:
Saturday, March 16 – @Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, March 23 – @Swope Park Rangers
Saturday, March 30 – @Bethlehem Steel FC
Saturday, April 6 – @Louisville City FC
Saturday, April 13 – Hartford Athletic
Saturday, April 20 – Saint Louis FC
Saturday, April 27 – Nashville SC
Saturday, May 4 – @Charleston Battery
Saturday, May 18 – @Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, May 25 – Charlotte Independence
Saturday, June 1 – @Indy Eleven
Saturday, June 8 – Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, June 15 – @Atlanta United 2
Saturday, June 22 – New York Red Bulls II
Saturday, June 29 – Birmingham Legion FC
Thursday, July 4 – Bethlehem Steel FC
Sunday, July 7 – @Charlotte Independence
Saturday, July 13 – Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, July 20 – North Carolina FC
Saturday, July 27 – @Hartford Athletic
Saturday, Aug. 3 – Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, Aug. 10 – Swope Park Rangers
Wednesday, Aug. 14 – @New York Red Bulls II
Saturday, Aug. 17 – @North Carolina FC
Friday, Aug. 23 – Loudoun United FC
Friday, Aug. 30 – @Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, Sept. 7 – Louisville City FC
Saturday, Sept. 14 – Charleston Battery
Saturday, Sept. 21 – @Nashville SC
Saturday, Sept. 28 – Indy Eleven
Tuesday, Oct. 1 – @Loudoun United FC
Saturday, Oct. 5 – Atlanta United 2
Saturday, Oct. 12 – @Saint Louis FC
Sunday, Oct. 20 – @Birmingham Legion FC
2019 USL Cup Playoffs Schedule:
Play-In Round – Oct. 23
Conference Quarterfinals – Oct. 25-27
Conference Semifinals – Nov. 1-3
Conference Finals – Nov. 8-10
USL Cup – Nov. 14-18
