Even when he slips out of his work shoes, Austin Pack refuses to punch the clock on a day’s worth of labor.
Switching out of his cleats for a pair of flip-flops, the goalkeeper often will stay on the field after training sessions to complete stretches and strength exercises, even occasionally bringing dumbbells onto the Highmark Stadium turf.
“I love it,” Pack said. “They got the new turf down, and it’s super nice with the city in the background. I didn’t know what to expect coming here, but the fans have been great. I couldn’t be happier.”
For the past two games, three if including the abandoned Memphis 901 FC match, Pack has found a home between the pipes for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Signing with the club on May 2, he has two clean sheets in two career starts for the Hounds, including the team’s 3-0 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory against the Dayton Dutch Lions on May 14 at Highmark Stadium.
In these two games, the Atlanta, Georgia native has recorded five saves. In addition, he saved two shots in a scoreless half against Memphis before this game was postponed due to inclement weather.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition to plug in and play with these guys,” Pack said. “The backline is experienced, and they’ve played together a lot.”
Over the past month, Pack has helped fill a void for the Black and Gold, as fellow goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard has missed time recently due to a back injury. As the goalkeeper position has been on more of a rotation, the backline for the Hounds has been a constant.
Defenders Joe Greenspan, Tobi Adewole, Ryan James, Jordan Dover and Thomas Vancaeyezeele (who alternates between the holding midfield and a center back position) hold five of the top six spots on the team in terms of minutes played. These five would likely have held all top five positions if not for Greenspan picking up a red card during the team’s 0-0 draw against the Charlotte Independence last time out.
With these five in front of him, the midseason transition to game action has been seemingly flawless. In addition to his teammates, goalkeeping coach Hunter Gilstrap has helped bring the ex-Portland Timbers 2 athlete up to speed.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Pack said. “I’ve never met Hunter before. When I first got up here, I was really impressed. His sessions are great. He’s straight out of playing. It hasn’t been too long since he was in goal himself, so he knows the mentality and has a good understanding of what we need to do.”
Facing a two-game week, it is still to be determined to whether Pack receives the nod between the pipes for either match for the Hounds. The team will play Indy Eleven twice in a span of four days, first being Open Cup action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Highmark Stadium before traveling to Indianapolis for a match at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Whether he finds himself in the starting 11 or somewhere along the bench, Pack remains focused on staying ready. All exemplified by his extra work after practice under the shadows of the city skyscrapers.
“It’s been a fast few weeks to come in and play and just try to be as sharp as I can,” Pack said. “I’ve been training all offseason leading up to it. The guys have been amazing. To have the defenders in front of me blocking shots and defending well, it’s made my life a lot easier.”
