PITTSBURGH (February 19, 2021) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has signed veteran midfielder Todd Wharton to a one-year contract with a club option for 2022, pending USL and USSF approval.
Wharton, 27, most recently played for Saint Louis FC in the club’s final season in the USL Championship. He appeared in all but one match last season, as SLFC qualified for the 2020 playoffs on the final day of the season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“Todd is a proven veteran in the USL. He brings a professional mentality and technical quality to the group and has been a versatile midfielder with all of his teams,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said. “We look forward to having his consistency and talent here in Pittsburgh for the 2021 season.”
Wharton brings five years of USL experience, including his first three seasons with Rio Grande Valley FC from 2016-18 and the 2019 season with Portland Timbers 2. With Rio Grande Valley, Wharton worked his way into the lineup over his three seasons, making 61 total appearances and scoring six goals over that span. After making the move to join Portland, Wharton had a career-best six goals while playing all 34 matches for the Western Conference side.
Wharton entered the professional ranks after a successful college career at Virginia, where he was part of the Cavaliers’ NCAA Championship victory in his junior season of 2014. A Richmond, Va., native, he scored 11 goals in 85 matches during his four years in Charlottesville but went undrafted in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, leading him to sign with Rio Grande Valley as a free agent.
The addition of Wharton brings the Hounds’ roster to 16 players under contract for the 2021 season. The Hounds are striving for a club-record fourth consecutive playoff berth, having made the postseason each year under Lilley’s leadership.
Players currently under contract:
Forwards – Russell Cicerone, Albert Dikwa, Alex Dixon, Josh Gatt
Midfielders – Danny Griffin, Kenardo Forbes, Louis Perez, Anthony Velarde, Todd Wharton
Defenders – Ezra Armstrong, Alex DeJohn, Jordan Dover, Preston Kilwien, Dani Rovira
Goalkeepers – Chris Morrish, Danny Vitiello
