Press Releases

PITTSBURGH (July 12, 2019) –Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC inducted its inaugural Hall of Fame class tonight at Highmark Stadium. The five-member class consists of founder and former owner Paul Heasley, former General Manager Dave Kasper, first-ever head coach John Kowalski, former midfielder Justin Evans and former forward David Flavius.

Founding the club on March 11, 1998, Heasley formed an organization that achieved success within its first professional season. With help from the likes of Kasper and Kowalski, the Heasley-led club was named USL A-League Organization of the Year in 1999.

Under the leadership of Heasley and Kasper in the front office, Kowalski served as the team’s field general for its first two professional seasons (1999-00). In 1999, Kowalski led the club to its first-ever playoff victory – a 4-3 result against the Long Island Rough Riders.

Evans and Flavius were also both a part of the franchise’s inaugural 1999 season. Evans, selected as the club’s first-ever player in a 1999 expansion draft, went on to appear in 101 games and rack up 50 points in his Hounds career. He is one of four players in franchise history to reach both of these plateaus.

Flavius is another player to reach the 100-appearance and 50-point mark in his Pittsburgh career, as the striker currently holds team records in both categories (183 games played and 141 points). Retiring after the 2006 campaign, his 58 career league goals also still hold as the all-time club record.

The Riverhounds SC Hall of Fame was established this year in honor of the club’s 20th anniversary season. The club remains thankful to everyone who has contributed to its success since its conception in 1998, and the Riverhounds SC Hall of Fame is a symbol of this gratitude.

This inaugural Hall of Fame class will also be honored during a special halftime ceremony during the professional team’s match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which kicks off at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium.

Riverhounds SC would like to thank Heinz Healey’s for their partnership and sponsorship of the club’s Hall of Fame induction weekend. 

For more information on the Riverhounds SC Hall of Fame, please visit https://www.riverhounds.com/hall-of-fame.

PITTSBURGH (July 2, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC midfielder Robbie Mertz was named to USL Championship Team of the Week after scoring a brace in the club’s 4-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC this past Saturday at Highmark Stadium.

Mertz scored both of his goals in the first half (25th and 39th minutes), both coming off crosses from Kevin Kerr.  He won a header for the first tally and converted his second goal off of a sliding shot.

This season, Mertz has racked up four goals and one assist for nine points. The rookie has averaged 1.80 points per game over the team’s last five matches.

Also of mention, Kerr was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week bench. The midfielder assisted both of Mertz’s goals en route to setting the club’s all-time assist record.

The Hounds are back in action this Fourth of July, as the club faces Bethlehem Steel FC at 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. Fans can enjoy Point State Park fireworks after the match on Pittsburgh’s South Shore.

For more information on Team of the Week for week 17, visit uslchampionship.com.

HOUNDS NAMED TO TEAM OF THE WEEK:

Robbie Mertz: Week 17 – July 2

Kenardo Forbes: Week 16 – June 25

*Steevan Dos Santos: Week 15 – June 18

Kenardo Forbes: Week 9 – May 7

Ryan James: Week 8 – April 30

Kevin Kerr: Week 6 – April 16

*Also named Player of the Week

PITTSBURGH (June 18, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Steevan Dos Santos has been named USL Championship Player of the Week after posting a goal and an assist in the team’s 5-0 victory at Atlanta United 2 this past Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

In the game’s first 13 minutes, the striker posted three points. Occurring in the 7th minute, his goal came in close after fellow forward Neco Brett sent a ball toward the goalmouth. Just six minutes later, Dos Santos assisted Brett. The Cape Verde native made an excellent hustle play to knock a ball loose from an Atlanta defender over to Brett, who potted home a tally.

This season, Dos Santos has five points (two goals and one assist) for the Black and Gold. He also leads the team with 22 shots.

Also of mention, midfielder Kenardo Forbes was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week bench after recording a game-high seven key passes against Atlanta.

The Hounds are back in action this weekend, as they kick off against New York Red Bulls II at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. This will mark Blackout Night at the venue, as the first 1,000 fans will receive a free blackout t-shirt, courtesy of Image360. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

For more information on Team of the Week for Week 15, visit uslchampionship.com.

HOUNDS NAMED TO TEAM OF THE WEEK:

*Steevan Dos Santos: Week 15 – June 18

Kenardo Forbes: Week 9 – May 7

Ryan James: Week 8 – April 30

Kevin Kerr: Week 6 – April 16

*Also named Player of the Week

PITTSBURGH (June 6, 2019) –Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC defender Jordan Dover has been named to the Guyana National Team final 23-player roster for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Earlier this week, Dover joined the Guyana National Team as part of its 40-player provisional roster. Dover, a native of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, is eligible to compete for Guyana due to family ties.

The first match for Guyana in the Gold Cup will come against the United States, taking place at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The defender has started all nine of his appearances and has an assist for Riverhounds SC in 2019 USL Championship action. He also ranks fourth on the club with 14 clearances and ranks third on the team with 12 interceptions. In 2017, Dover played in 30 matches for 2,569 minutes for the Black and Gold.

The Concacaf Gold Cup is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, June 15. For more information on the Gold Cup, please visit goldcup.org.

PITTSBURGH (June 6, 2019) – Announced today, Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) player Nathan Dragisich has been named 2018-19 Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

An original player of the very first RDA training program in 2007-08, the RDA 2000-01 Boys team member was named a Boys ECNL and high school All-American, in addition to Boys ECNL Midwest Conference Player of the Year this past year.

“We are extremely proud of Nathan on obtaining this incredible achievement,” Academy Director Scott Gibson said. “He has grown tremendously on and off the field since entering our Academy in 2007 as an original player on the boys side. He has come through the entire program from start to finish, and we wish him the best of luck as he prepares to play collegiately at Duquesne University this fall.”

The Duquesne commit also helped lead West Allegheny High School to a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) title this past campaign. As Dragisich prepares for his freshman season with the Dukes, he is a current member of the organization’s Pathway Program, which allows older RDA Boys players to train alongside the Riverhounds SC professional team.

This is the second straight year an RDA athlete has been named Gatorade Pennsylvania Soccer Player of the Year. In 2017-18, Delaney Snyder earned the award on the girls side. Snyder now competes at the University of Louisville.

PITTSBURGH (June 5, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC defender Jordan Dover has joined the Guyana National Team as part of its provisional 40-player roster ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Dover, a native of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, is eligible to compete for Guyana due to family ties. The final 23-player rosters are scheduled to be announced by Concacaf during the first week of June.

The defender has started all nine of his appearances and has an assist for Riverhounds SC in 2019 USL Championship action. He also ranks fourth on the club with 14 clearances and ranks third on the team with 12 interceptions. In 2017, Dover played in 30 matches for 2,569 minutes for the Black and Gold.

The Concacaf Gold Cup is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, June 15. For more information on the Gold Cup, please visit goldcup.org.

PITTSBURGH (June 3, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has announced a partnership with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (P.A.A.R.), which will be the sole fundraising focus of Riverhounds SC during June.

This month, Riverhounds SC matches will have special fundraising efforts with P.A.A.R., including cocktail specials and raffles, in addition to other fundraisers to be announced periodically throughout June. P.A.A.R. will have a presence at all three Riverhounds SC home games this month (June 8, June 22 and June 29). For information on tickets, please visit groupmatics.events/group/WomensMonth2019.

Additional dates centered around this month’s “Saturdays are for the Girls” theme include Women’s Health Night, presented by Allegheny Health Network, on June 8, a blackout t-shirt night, courtesy of Image360, on June 22, and Celebration of Cultures Night on June 29.

Riverhounds SC will also host a Women’s World Cup Watch Party on Sunday, June 16 at Highmark Stadium with Allegheny Health Network. For girls ages 8 to 18 years old, the Father’s Day event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Those interested in the Women’s World Cup Watch Party can register at AHN.org/soccer.

For more information about P.A.A.R., please visit paar.net.

PITTSBURGH (May 30, 2019) – Announced today by U.S. Soccer, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC will battle Columbus Crew SC in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. This match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. All Open Cup matches can be streamed live on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.

This will be the first-ever time the clubs will meet in Open Cup action.

To this point in the tournament, the Hounds defeated the Dayton Dutch Lions (3-0 result in the second round) and Indy Eleven (1-0 result in the third round). Both of these prior games took place at Highmark Stadium.

The last time Pittsburgh met an MLS club in the Open Cup tournament was in 2015, when the team hosted D.C. United in a fourth round showdown at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds lost this match 3-1 in extra time.

In club history, the Hounds are 1-4 against MLS teams in Open Cup play. Their one victory came in 2001 – a 2-0 result against the Colorado Rapids.

For more information, visit ussoccer.com.

PITTSBURGH (May 28, 2019) – The abandoned May 18 match between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Memphis 901 FC has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee.

This match, which was halted after 45 minutes of action due to inclement weather, will be replayed in its entirety.

Just prior to this Sept. 24 date, Pittsburgh has an away match against Nashville SC on Saturday, Sept. 21 at First Tennessee Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Hounds are currently in the midst of a two-game week, first playing Indy Eleven in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Highmark Stadium before traveling to Indianapolis to play Indy, once again, in league action at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets to Wednesday’s Open Cup match at ticketmaster.com.