Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh Riverhounds is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid
American Soccer Pyramid
The United States soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation , oversees the system but does not operate any of its component leagues—with one temporary...

.

The Riverhounds play their home games at Chartiers Valley High School
Chartiers Valley High School
Chartiers Valley High School is a public school in the Bridgeville borough of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The school's on-site stadium is home to the professional soccer team the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The school has an indoor swimming pool which is open to the public three evenings a...

's athletic stadium, located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bridgeville
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
Bridgeville is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bridgeville is located along Chartiers Creek, about southwest of downtown Pittsburgh at ....

, where they have played since 2007. Their current head coach is Justin Evans
Justin Evans
Justin Evans is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division.- College :...

. The team's uniforms are black, blue, and white.

History

The Riverhounds were founded by Paul Heasley in 1999 as a member of the USL's A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....

, now known as USL-1. It played its home games in Bethel Park
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Bethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 7 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...

, at Bethel Park High School
Bethel Park High School
Bethel Park High School, also called BPHS, is a four-year, comprehensive high school located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 1,937 students in grades 9–12. Set up much like a college campus, it consists of eight buildings on an campus. Its curriculum includes ten Advanced...

's football stadium. That same year the Riverhounds were named the A-League Organization of the Year. John Kowalski
John Kowalski
John Kowalski is a former coach of the professional United States soccer clubs Tampa Bay Mutiny , Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Pittsburgh Spirit...

 was the first head coach of the club; Justin Evans
Justin Evans
Justin Evans is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division.- College :...

 was the first player drafted to play for the Riverhounds. In their 1999 inaugural season, they advanced to the conference semi-finals in the A-league playoffs. Two years later in 2001, they reached the US Open Cup
2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
-Schedule:Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.-First round:Four PDL and four USASA teams start.-----Second round:...

 quarterfinals after beating the Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...

 of the Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 and then-A-league opponent El Paso Patriots
El Paso Patriots
Chivas El Paso Patriots is an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference.The team plays its home games at...

 in their first two games, but the Hounds were eliminated in the quarterfinals by their second MLS opponent of the tournament, the Chicago Fire, in a two-overtime, 3-2 defeat. The Riverhounds have not reached that level of success since that time due in large part to undergoing multiple ownership and location changes.

In 2004, the club moved down to the USL's Second Division
USL Second Division
The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...

. The team also moved to Moon Township
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Moon is a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The origin of its name is unknown for certain, although it has been suggested that it derives from a...

 to play at Moon Area High School
Moon Area High School
Moon Area High School is a public high school located in the Moon Area School District in Pennsylvania. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Crescent and Moon townships. It is now located at 8353 University Boulevard...

's football stadium for just one season. In December 2004 Heasley sold the team to Sports Facility LLC, owners of the Washington Wild Things
Washington Wild Things
The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Wild Things are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

 baseball team of the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...

. The Riverhounds played both the 2005 and 2006 seasons at the Wild Things' minor league baseball stadium, CONSOL Energy Park
CONSOL Energy Park
CONSOL Energy Park is a 3,200-seat multi-pupose baseball stadium in North Franklin Township near Washington, Pennsylvania that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 29, 2002, as the primary tenants of the facility, the Washington Wild Things, lost to the Canton Coyotes, 3-0. The...

, on the outskirts of Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...

, about 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Pittsburgh. The franchise continued to hold soccer academies and training to youth across the tri-state area
Tri-state area
There are a number of areas in the 48 contiguous United States known as tri-state areas where three states either meet at one point or are in proximity to each other. The best known of the latter type is the New York metropolitan area...

, but did not play during the 2007 season due to a structural reorganization. During that hiatus, the Riverhounds were sold yet again to a new ownership group.

On October 29, 2007, the organization announced another venue change. Beginning with the 2008 season, Chartiers Valley High School
Chartiers Valley High School
Chartiers Valley High School is a public school in the Bridgeville borough of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The school's on-site stadium is home to the professional soccer team the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The school has an indoor swimming pool which is open to the public three evenings a...

's stadium, located just off the Kirwin Heights exit of Interstate 79
Interstate 79
Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania...

 in Pittsburgh's South Hills
South Hills (Pennsylvania)
The South Hills is a term generally used to collectively describe the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh south of the South Side Slopes. The city neighborhoods include Knoxville, Mt. Oliver, Allentown, Banksville, Beechview, Brookline,...

, would be the new home of the Hounds.

The Riverhounds' games were broadcast from 2000 through 2002 on WPTT-AM (now WMNY-AM) and on Fox Sports Radio - WBBG-AM in 2003, and 2005 and 2006, and on WPIT-AM in 2008 by Chris Shovlin. Shovlin was partnered with former Riverhound midfielder Steve Bell on WPTT and with former assistant coach Paul Child on Fox Sports Radio. Shovlin and Bell won the 2003 Pittsburgh March of Dimes A.I.R. Award for Best Play-by-play. Shovlin also served as the team's Director of Publicity during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Only one jersey number, "99", has been officially retired by the Riverhounds. That honor was bestowed upon original owner Paul Heasley for founding the club in 1999.

Colors and badge

The Riverhound colors - black, blue, and white - were adopted before the start of the 2008 season to honor their academy and training partnership with Everton FC of the Premier League. The use of blue is an allusion to the blue collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...

 populace of Pittsburgh.

The term Riverhound is derived from the expression, river dog, which refers to the barge workers that ply the three rivers at their confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...

 in Pittsburgh. In fact, the team's mascot, AMO, is named for the Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

, Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

, and Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

s.

Stadium

  • Bethel Park High School
    Bethel Park High School
    Bethel Park High School, also called BPHS, is a four-year, comprehensive high school located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 1,937 students in grades 9–12. Set up much like a college campus, it consists of eight buildings on an campus. Its curriculum includes ten Advanced...

    ; Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
    Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
    Bethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 7 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...

     (1999–2003)
  • Moon Area High School
    Moon Area High School
    Moon Area High School is a public high school located in the Moon Area School District in Pennsylvania. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Crescent and Moon townships. It is now located at 8353 University Boulevard...

    ; Moon Township, Pennsylvania
    Moon Township, Pennsylvania
    Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Moon is a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The origin of its name is unknown for certain, although it has been suggested that it derives from a...

     (2004)
  • CONSOL Energy Park
    CONSOL Energy Park
    CONSOL Energy Park is a 3,200-seat multi-pupose baseball stadium in North Franklin Township near Washington, Pennsylvania that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 29, 2002, as the primary tenants of the facility, the Washington Wild Things, lost to the Canton Coyotes, 3-0. The...

    ; Washington, Pennsylvania
    Washington, Pennsylvania
    Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...

     (2005–2006)
  • Chartiers Valley High School
    Chartiers Valley High School
    Chartiers Valley High School is a public school in the Bridgeville borough of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The school's on-site stadium is home to the professional soccer team the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The school has an indoor swimming pool which is open to the public three evenings a...

    ; Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
    Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
    Bridgeville is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bridgeville is located along Chartiers Creek, about southwest of downtown Pittsburgh at ....

     (2008–present)

Future home

There has been no official announcement concerning a permanent home for the Hounds, but much has been speculated since GM and manager Gene Klein, on 13 July 2007, said that the Riverhounds "are to the point on the stadium complex where it is a matter of paperwork and it will get done. We hope to make an official announcement on it...but like everything else, we'll walk with it before we try and run. We are doing things the right way." More recently, on 9 July 2008, Dan Onorato
Dan Onorato
Daniel "Dan" Onorato is the current Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Onorato won a crowded four-way primary to become the Democratic nominee for governor...

, Chief Executive
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...

 of Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

, announced a planned development of a 78 acres (315,655.1 m²) sports and recreation park that covers area near Pittsburgh in Coraopolis
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Coraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 5,677 at the 2010 census. In 1940 the population peaked at 11,086. It is a small community located to the west of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsburgh International Airport...

, Robinson, and Moon
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Moon is a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The origin of its name is unknown for certain, although it has been suggested that it derives from a...

 known as Montour Junction. The land was donated to the county's Redevelopment Authority by the Sports Legacy Foundation, which is chaired by Riverhounds founder and former owner Paul Heasley. The SLF has owned the land since 2002 and has already spent about $60k for the environmental cleanup of the land, which was once owned by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...

 and had been declared a brownfield
Brownfield land
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations. Cf. Waste...

. The proposed uses for the park include soccer pitches as well as other multipurpose team sports fields such as rugby and lacrosse. It is believed by many that a stadium will be built around one of the fields and that it would likely become a permanent home for the Hounds.

Supporters

In November 2007, the Steel Army was formed when their first meeting was held at Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...

. The group started as 5-10 local people interested in supporting the reorganized Riverhounds Football Club and to support the efforts of growing the sport of soccer in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...

. The group has since in a short amount of time grown from those humble beginnings, with the Steel Army message board active daily with members discussing the Hounds, events, meetings, and the international game of football.

Members are not only from Pittsburgh but also from states as close as Ohio to states as far away as Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. Membership in the Steel Army is now even international with members joining the group from Sunderland and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, as well as Bray
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...

, in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, who will be following the Riverhounds from abroad.

The section of Chartiers Valley High School Stadium where the Steel Army stands and supports the Riverhounds from is called "The Yard". The Steel Army had a rivalry with the Green Army, the Supporters Club of the Cleveland City Stars
Cleveland City Stars
Cleveland City Stars was an American professional soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until 2009...

, and the rivalry and intensity between the Riverhounds and the City Stars on the pitch carried into the stands. Prior to Cleveland folding, the Steel Army would travel en masse to Cleveland when the two teams met, and the Green Army would travel in waves to Pittsburgh.

Current roster

As at November 15, 2011

Staff

Justin Evans
Justin Evans
Justin Evans is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division.- College :...

 - Head Coach John Rotz - Assistant Coach Paul Child - Assistant Coach Jeroen Walstra - Goalkeeper Coach Chris Leonard - Trainer Jason Kutney
Jason Kutney
Jason Kutney is an American soccer player who currently plays for Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Professional Division.-College and Amateur:...

 - Chief Executive Officer/Director of Youth Development Gene Klein - Technical Director

Notable former players

Devlin Barnes
Devlin Barnes
Devlin Barnes, is an American soccer defender who last played for USL Second Division side Real Maryland Monarchs....

 Franz Carr
Franz Carr
Franz Carr is an English former footballer. He was a pacy winger who never quite established himself as a regular in the top flight...

 Abdul Thompson Conteh
Abdul Thompson Conteh
Abdul Thompson Conteh is a former Sierra Leonean football striker.-Career:Conteh played three seasons in Major League Soccer, with San Jose Earthquakes in 2000 and D.C. United in 2001 and 2002. He scored a total 15 goals in league play...

 Paul Dougherty
Paul Dougherty
Paul Dougherty is an English former professional footballer and football coach who began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England...

 Adam Fedoruk
Adam Fedoruk
Adam Bogdan Fedoruk is a retired Polish professional footballer.-Club career:Fedoruk played club football for Olimpia Elbląg, Stal Mielec, Legia Warsaw, Amica Wronki, Raków Częstochowa, AO Kavala, Zatoka Braniewo, Lechia Gdańsk and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.-International career:Between 1990 and...

 Greg Janicki
Greg Janicki
Greg Janicki is an American soccer player currently playing for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

 Thiago Martins
Thiago Martins
Thiago Martins is a retired Brazilian football striker.-Early Life and Amateur Career:Martins was born on the east side of São Paulo, Brazil, and came to the United States in 1996. He landed in Los Angeles, California, at 19 years old and with little money...

 Jean-Robens Jerome
Jean-Robens Jerome
Jean-Robens Jerome is a Haitian soccer player who currently plays for Olimpia Bălţi in the Moldovan National Division.-Career:...

 Joey Worthen
Joey Worthen
Joey Worthen is an American soccer player currently playing for Austin Aztex in the USSF Division 2 Professional League.-College and Amateur:...


Head Coaches

John Kowalski (1999) Kai Haaskivi
Kai Haaskivi
Kai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...

 (2001–2004) Tim Carter (2004) Ricardo Iribarren
Ricardo Iribarren
Ricardo Iribarren is an Argentine footballer who played for a number of teams in Argentina, Ecuador, and United States ....

 (2005) Gene Klein (2006–2009) Justin Evans
Justin Evans
Justin Evans is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division.- College :...

 (2010–present)

Year-by-year

Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup
1999 2 USL A-League 4th, Northeast Conference Semifinals Did not qualify
2000 2 USL A-League 7th, Atlantic Did not qualify 2nd Round
2001 2 USL A-League 3rd, Northern Quarterfinals Quarterfinals
2002 2 USL A-League 4th, Northeast Did not qualify Did not qualify
2003 2 USL A-League 3rd, Northeast Did not qualify 3rd Round
2004 3 USL Pro Soccer League 1st, Atlantic Semifinals Did not qualify
2005 3 USL Second Division 7th Did not qualify 1st Round
2006 3 USL Second Division
USL Second Division
The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...

3rd Semifinals 1st Round
2007 On Hiatus
2008 3 USL Second Division 8th Did not qualify 2nd Round
2009 3 USL Second Division 8th Did not qualify 1st Round
2010 3 USL Second Division 3rd Semifinals 2nd Round
2011 3 USL Pro 2nd Round

History vs. Major League Soccer

  • 6/27/2001 - U.S. Open Cup (2nd Round) - Colorado Rapids
    Colorado Rapids
    The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...

     0 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2 (Bethel Park H.S. Stadium)
  • 7/24/2001 - U.S. Open Cup (Quarterfinals) - Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2 vs. Chicago Fire 3 (McCully Field)
  • 7/16/2003 - U.S. Open Cup (3rd Round) - Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1 vs. D.C. United
    D.C. United
    D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...

    2 (Maryland Soccerplex)

External links

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