The Pittsburgh Riverhounds began their 2013 season with a tie against the Richmond Kickers on April 6th. Saturday’s home opener against the Harrisburg City Islanders—the inaugural game in the much-anticipated Highmark Stadium in Station Square—is already sold out. The buzz around the Riverhounds’ first home game is a far cry from their days playing in Bethel Park and Chartiers Valley’s high school stadiums.
With a new stadium and talk of eventually being an MLS franchise comes increased expectations.
Midfielder Ryan Kinne gave the Riverhounds their best chances of breaking the 0-0 tie in Richmond. Kinne and forward Johnny Arteaga are two acquisitions for this year’s campaign with MLS experience. Arteaga spent last year with the New York Red Bulls. Kinne made appearances for the New England Revolution before spending last year with Connecticuit FC Azul in the USL Premier Development League. Both should be difference makers in the Riverhounds’ effort to make the playoffs, which they didn’t do last season.
The ‘Hounds are selling general admission tickets for $15. Their website says the, “General Admission section is considered the supporter section for the Steel Army. Noisemakers, drums, screaming, standing fans, and general raucousness should be anticipated.”
After the home opener the ‘Hounds will play away games for several weeks. The second home game will be on May 9th against the Phoenix Wolves. How the buzz surrounding the inaugural game in Highmark Stadium carries through the rest of the season will be interesting to see, given the dominance of professional teams in Pittsburgh and soccer’s rise in popularity in America.
