Not very long ago, it was unsure if the Pittsburgh Riverhounds would even stay in business.
A disastrous start to their 2014 season left the team on the outside looking in come playoff time. Then, it got worse. In November, the team declared for Chapter-11 bankruptcy. While this has been considered a strategic move, struggling both on and off the field gave people little incentive to invest their time and money into Riverhounds Soccer.
Fast forward to the summer of 2015, and the Riverhounds have been blessed with an opportunity. On Wednesday, June 17, the Riverhounds will play host to MLS side D.C. United in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The city and its fans will get a little taste of what professional soccer is like at its highest level in North America.
In addition, the MLS will get a good look at Highmark Stadium, whose picture-window views are only part of the allure. The Riverhounds have what so many teams in Major League Soccer dream of: a downtown stadium that has ample parking and access to public transit.
Don’t be fooled by its current stature, either. Highmark Stadium was built with expansion in mind from the very beginning. Although the stadium now holds only 3,500 people, it is equipped to expand and hold over 18,000 people.
The hurdle that the front office will need to focus on is how to get more Pittsburghers interested in soccer and get them through that glorious front door. The team’s attendance hovered around 1,000 fans per home game in the years before Highmark Stadium opened in 2013. This season, they average 2,275 and the number continues to grow, with 2,792 coming out to see the Hounds beat their Keystone Derby rivals Harrisburg on last Saturday.
Now that there is a brand new stadium, a competitive team on the field and more fans coming out to watch the Hounds, could the MLS be a part of Pittsburgh’s sports culture? There has been a debate surrounding Pittsburgh for quite some time about whether or not the city and its fans could support four major sports teams.
There are certainly soccer fans out there. 34,347 watched AC Milan battle Manchester City in an international friendly last year. Just try to get a table at Piper’s Pub — a legendary Carson Street soccer spot — for Premier League or U.S. National Team matches.
Unlike European professional soccer, there is no promotion or relegation in North America. If the Riverhounds want to move up the ladder, they’ll have to prove to the MLS that they’re ready for the big time. Having an MLS team in Pittsburgh is viable, but only if the fans will support it.
Clearly, as of right now, neither the Riverhounds nor Pittsburgh is ready for a top-level professional soccer team. For now, next Wednesday’s game will have to be a glimpse of what could be. Maybe, just maybe, Pittsburgh fans will one day be able witness MLS soccer on a weekly basis.
Photo credit: Getty Images
