The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have announced the signings of two players to their roster on Thursday evening. The team announced the signing of defender Anthony Virgara and midfielder Melvin Snoh.
“These are two young players that we wanted to take a good look at,” head coach Dave Brandt said. “They not only bolster our depth for the remainder of this season, but this also gives us a really good chance to evaluate them for the future. We have been thin recently due to injuries and so forth, so both Anthony and Melvin will provide important depth for us moving forward.”
This isn’t the first time in a Riverhounds uniform for Virgara. He first signed with the Riverhounds PDL team in 2014. That same year, Virgara made his debut for the USL team against the Charleston Battery. He signed with the USL team for 2015 and made six appearances. He went back to the PDL team in the beginning of 2016, where he starred as a forward, not a midfielder. He leads the PDL team with three goals this season.
However, his soccer career took flight at Marshall University, where he attended from 2010-2013. He started 44 games out of 63 appearances for Marshall University, where he totaled 15 career points.
As for the Liberian-born Snoh, this will be his first time in the black and yellow uniforms. He played collegiately for Georgetown University for the past four years. He played in 74 games for Georgetown, starting 17 games where he scored 11 points.
To make room on the roster for the two players, the Riverhounds have announced that the Columbus Crew SC of the MLS placed loanee, Ben Swanson, on their season-ending injury list after Swanson received surgery on his right shoulder. According to the Crew, the surgery was successful.
The Riverhounds also mutually parted ways with midfielder Conor Branson. Branson, who appeared in 14 games for the Riverhounds this season, will return to the University of Charleston, his alma mater, as he becomes a graduate assistant coach for Charleston’s men’s soccer team. Branson had one goal and a single assist as a Riverhound.
The Riverhounds return to Highmark Stadium on Friday night against Louisville City FC. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
