PITTSBURGH (March 12, 2021) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has signed goalkeeper Jake Leeker to a one-year contract with a club option for 2022, pending USL and USSF approval. Leeker, 25, comes to the Hounds for his fourth pro season after debuting in the USL Championship in 2018 with Real Monarchs and spending the past two seasons with Portland Timbers II.
“We look forward to bringing Jake into our team for the 2021 USL Championship season. He is a very capable shot-stopper with athleticism and length that we feel will grow in our system,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said. “Along with Danny Vitiello and Chris Moorish, our goalkeeping group is young and talented and will continue to develop during the course of the season.”
A native of St. Louis, Leeker played his college soccer at the University of Memphis, where he recorded ten shutouts in his 47 matches for the Tigers from 2014-17. Undrafted out of college, he signed with Real Monarchs as a free agent and had a successful rookie campaign with six shutouts in 17 starts, as he split time in net and helped the Utah club to fourth place in the Western Conference and a playoff berth.
Leeker then made the move to Portland, where he was a teammate for one season of newly acquired Hounds midfielder Todd Wharton. During his two years in the Pacific Northwest, Leeker made 25 appearances, recorded two shutouts, and made 90 saves for a Timbers 2 side that missed the playoffs both years and especially struggled defensively in 2020. In addition to his USL experience, Leeker has a big asset in his size at 6-foot-5, which makes him the tallest player on the Hounds’ roster currently.
The Riverhounds now have 17 players under contract for 2021, with just over two weeks until players begin to report for preseason at the end of March.
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, Jordan Dover, Preston Kilwien, Dani Rovira, Mekeil Williams
Goalkeepers – Jake Leeker, Chris Morrish, Danny Vitiello
