PITTSBURGH (Nov. 8, 2025) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are through to the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final after advancing past Detroit City FC on penalties, 4-3, after a second consecutive 0-0 playoff match tonight at Highmark Stadium.
The stadium-record crowd of 6,220 saw Bertin Jacquesson, Augi Williams, Sean Suber and Beto Ydrach all convert from the spot, the last three scoring in sequence as Detroit’s Devon Amoo-Mensah and Ryan Williams hit posts on consecutive kicks for the No. 8 seed.
The Hounds, the fourth seed, are appearing in their first conference final since the Championship adopted its current format in 2016. They will host the match next Saturday against the reigning Eastern Conference champion, seventh-seeded Rhode Island FC.
First half
Bradley Sample nearly sent the crowd into an early frenzy after some build-up play on the right. He cut quickly across the top of the box and fired a low shot through traffic that forced one of three saves on the night by Carlos Saldaña.
The Hounds’ forward pressure created chances throughout the night, and Augi Williams had an open look at goal but missed just wide from 20 yards in a quick transition moment after 25 minutes. For the match, the Hounds had 58 percent of possession and outshot Detroit, 18-5.
Hounds goalkeeper Eric Dick, who equaled his own team record with his 14th shutout in all competitions this season, ended the half with a bang, knocking over bodies to catch a late Detroit free kick from a dangerous area.
Second half
Charles Ahl had a chance in the opening minute after another Detroit turnover, but his hurried shot sailed high and wide of the goal. The Hounds kept the pressure on, winning an early corner kick, and Robbie Mertz’s delivery found the head of Ydrach, whose headed effort also went high.
Danny Griffin had a golden chance in the 67th minute when Mertz’s free kick was sent back across goal by Ydrach, but the captain’s header bounced wide of the left post.
Williams thought he had put the home team ahead in the 71st minute, heading home a long diagonal ball served into the box by Luke Biasi, but referee Natalie Simon disallowed the goal for a push by Augi Williams against former Hounds defender Shane Wiedt.
Sample had one final look at goal in stoppage time, but his well-struck effort off a second ball kept rising over the bar from the top of the box.
Extra time
Dick made his biggest play of the night — one of only two saves — in the 96th minute when he charged off his line, using his head and shoulder as he slid to block away the chance on a quick break by Detroit’s Jordan Adebayo-Smith.
In the second half of stoppage time, the Hounds had two near-winners. Jacquesson beat his man on a near-post run to meet a Junior Etou cross from the left, only for his header to smack off the left post. Then, with three minutes to play, Saldaña robbed Mertz with a full-extension dive to his right to deny the Hounds once more.
Saldaña had Mertz’s number on the night, getting him again in the shootout. Mertz was denied by another diving save to the goalkeeper’s right, giving Detroit a 2-1 advantage after two kicks each. But Amoo-Mensah hit the left post, and Ryan Williams struck the crossbar to allow the Hounds to take a 3-2 edge to the final kick.
Michael Bryant converted first for Detroit, but Ydrach put the match away with a shot high and to the right side of goal, striking it well enough to go in off the fingertips of Saldaña.
Modelo Man of the Match
Bradley Sample put in a remarkable workmate in the middle of the field, going all 120 minutes. The second-year pro connected on 55 of 61 passes (90.2 percent), was second on the team winning possession eight times, and also connected on 22 of 26 passes in the attacking third.
What’s next?
The Hounds will host No. 7 Rhode Island FC, which advanced with a 2-0 win over North Carolina FC, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hounds won both regular-season matches with Rhode Island this season but were beaten in a USL Jägermeister Cup match by the same opponent.
Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-2-1) — Eric Dick; Luke Biasi, Sean Suber, Beto Ydrach; Junior Etou, Bradley Sample, Danny Griffin, Perrin Barnes (Jackson Walti 90’); Robbie Mertz, Charles Ahl (Bertin Jacquesson 88’); Augi Williams
Detroit City FC lineup (3-4-1-2) — Carlos Saldaña; Darren Amoo-Mensah, Michael Bryant, Shane Wiedt; Isaiah LeFlore (Alex Villanueva 105’), Ryan Williams, Jay Chapman (Stephen Carroll 82’), Haruki Yamazaki (Matt Sheldon 118’); Jeciel Cedeño (Kobe Hernandez-Foster 63’); Ates Diouf (Jordan Adebayor-Smith 82’), Darren Smith (Sebastián Guenzatti 110’)
Scoring summary
None
Discipline summary
PIT — Perrin Barnes 77’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Augi Williams 86’ (caution – reckless foul)
DET — Michael Bryant 90+2’ (caution – dissent)
Penalty kick shootout summary
Detroit (Goalkeeper: Saldaña) — Guenzatti, Hernandez-Foster, Amoo-Mensah (miss), Williams (miss), Bryant
Pittsburgh (Goalkeeper: Dick) — Jacquesson, Mertz (saved), Williams, Suber, Ydrach
