The Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced their pre-season schedule for the 2015 season on Tuesday. They will play seven pre-season matches against regional collegiate opponents while preparing for their fifth year in USL Pro and and 16th season overall.
Their preseason slate will start February 24 against the University of Pittsburgh and wrap up March 21 against the University of Charleston. Six of the seven games are scheduled for Highmark Stadium and will have free admisson.
The Riverhounds previously announced three signings for the upcoming season, the first under new head coach Mark Steffens.
Jamaican goalkeeper Ryan Thompson will replace the recently departed Hunter Gilstrap in the ‘Hounds net. Thompson is a veteran of the Jamaican National League and played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL in 2014.
“We expect big things out of (Thompson),” said Steffens. “He can be acrobatic, he has the ability to make big saves under pressure, and he is also very clean and steady.”
Alos joining the squad will be Ghanaian midfielder Stephen Okai. Okai, 25, has played for Steffens before when they were with the Charlotte Eagles in 2013. He has two goals in 26 appearances with the Orange County Blues last season.
In addition, forward Miroslav Cabrilo, a 22-year old from Hamilton, Ontario, and a graduate of Robert Morris University has re-signed with the Riverhounds. Cabrilo played in 12 league matches in 2014 and scored twice.
USL Pro, which the Riverhounds have been a member of since its inception in 2011, have 24 clubs split into an Eastern and Western Conference for this season.
At right are the 11 other squads that will join the Riverhounds in the Eastern Conference. The top six finishers will make the playoffs at season’s end, with the top two receiving byes.
The Riverhounds will not have an MLS affiliate for this year, ending their relationship with the Houston Dynamo after one season. The Riverhounds will be one of only four USL Pro sides to not have an MLS arrangement in 2015.
The Riverhounds will have a 24-match league schedule that will begin in late March and run until late August or early September, as well as participating in the 102nd U.S. Open Cup.
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Riverhounds
