PITTSBURGH (January 21, 2021) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has signed defender Preston Kilwien to a one-year contract with a club option for the 2022 season, pending USL Championship and USSF approval. Kilwien, 24, is a third-year pro who played his first two seasons in the USL Championship with the New York Red Bulls II. As one of the team’s primary center backs, he appeared in 36 of a possible 50 matches over the past two seasons, and he was third in minutes played for Red Bulls II in the 2020 campaign. He also scored his first professional goal on Aug. 13 last season in a 2-1 loss to Loudoun United.
In addition to his USL experience, Kilwien brings needed height to the Hounds back line at 6-foot-4, which makes him the tallest player currently under contract for 2021. “We are excited to bring Preston on board for the 2021 season and are looking forward to working with him,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said. “He is an athletic center back that is comfortable on the ball, good in the air and a physical presence that is needed at this level.” Kilwien played college soccer at Florida Gulf Coast University from 2015-18, and as a senior he was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He helped lead FGCU to two Atlantic Sun championships and the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
In total, the defender played 60 games for FGCU and scored four goals, the first of which — a 35-yard, lobbed volley to beat Princeton in the 89th minute as a freshman — landed him at No. 3 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 that night.
A native of Lubbock, Texas, Kilwien holds dual citizenship with both the U.S. and Costa Rica. He spent part of his childhood in Washington state before graduating from high school in California. During his college years, Kilwien also played a season each with the Tampa Bay Rowdies U-23s (2017) and the Seattle Sounders U-23s (2018) before turning pro ahead of the 2019 season.
The signing brings the number of players under contract with the Hounds to 10, as plans continue to take shape in anticipation of the 2021 season.
Players currently under contract:
Forwards – Russell Cicerone, Albert Dikwa, Alex Dixon
Midfielders – Danny Griffin, Kenardo Forbes, Anthony Velarde
Defenders – Jordan Dover, Preston Kilwien, Dani Rovira
Goalkeepers – Danny Vitiello
