Every single soccer match, each team has 11 players on the field. The number of defenders, midfielders and forwards varies from team to team, from coach to coach, from game to game (the lineup often has four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards.) However, there's only one goalkeeper. For the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who are getting ready for the start of the 2017 season, the lineup is taking shape. But while there’s a little more open room for competition in the other positions, ... Read More
Column: Goalkeeper isn’t only change Riverhounds need to make
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds ended their 2016 season the same way they started it: with a loss. The Riverhounds finished their season with a 6-17-7 record. Five out of their six wins came under head coach Dave Brandt, who took the reins after nine games. The team started the season with Mark Steffens as head coach, but he was fired when the Riverhounds lost to the Lansdowne Bhoys in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Meanwhile, Brandt led the team to five wins, four more draws and plenty of ... Read More
Goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap to retire at end of season
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have announced goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap will retire following the 2016 USL season. The club announced the news only a couple hours before the Riverhounds were set to face FC Cincinnati in the team’s final game of the season (the Hounds didn’t qualify for the USL playoffs.) Gilstrap has made more than 100 appearances for the Riverhounds (102), making him one of 10 players to do so with the club. Gilstrap didn’t start his career with the Riverhounds, but he did ... Read More
Riverhounds release Vargas and Harlley
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have released goalkeeper Mauricio Vargas and midfielder Alex Harlley, the team announced Tuesday morning. Vargas’ release came after his request to return to his home country of Costa Rica. Vargas left Costa Rica in 2010 to attend college in the U.S. However, he requested to go home and continue his soccer career there. “In recent days, I have made the decision to return home to Costa Rica; I left in 2010 and haven’t been back since,” Vargas said. “Right now, I ... Read More
Pittsburgh Riverhounds fall to Bethlehem Steel FC, 2-0
Yet another change at the goalkeeper position didn’t help head coach Dave Brandt and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds get their second win under Brandt. Sunday, the Riverhounds traveled to Bethlehem, PA to face the Bethlehem Steel FC, and the Steel FC defeated the Riverhounds, 2-0. The Riverhounds used the game to make some more changes to last week’s starting defensive lineup. It was the second game in a row that defender Willie Hunt didn’t start. Starting in his place at left back was Ryan ... Read More
Riverhounds: Why is there no consistency on defense?
This season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ biggest problem seems to be finding the back of their opponent's net. But there's another big problem that the team faces, and it has to do with the starting lineup. Under former head coach Mark Steffens, there was some consistency with his starting eleven. Now, under head coach Dave Brandt, the lineup seems to change almost constantly. Since Brandt has been the head coach, only once have the Riverhounds (2-8-3) had the same goalkeeper in ... Read More
Riverhounds fall to Rochester Rhinos, 2-1
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds went back to the losing column Saturday night against the Rochester Rhinos. A week after the team’s 2-1 win over FC Montreal, the Riverhounds fell to the Rhinos 2-1 at the Rhinos' home, Sahlen’s Stadium. The Rhinos got on the board first and early with Joseph Farrell’s goal in the 8’ minute. The Riverhounds had some early attempts from midfielder Danny Earls, who made his Riverhounds debut this season against the Rhinos, and midfielder Kevin Kerr, but none went ... Read More
Three things we’ve learned from the Riverhounds’ start to the season
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds haven’t exactly started their season the way they’d like. This season, the Riverhounds have lost two matches and have drawn once. (Most of the other USL teams have played four or five matches, but the Riverhounds’ match against the Harrisburg City Islanders was rescheduled to July 4 because of snow.) The Riverhounds lost 1-0 in their home opener on April 2 to the Rochester Rhinos, the defending USL champions. However, the next week, the team drew against Toronto ... Read More
Hunter Gilstrap returns to Riverhounds
A familiar face will be back between the sticks at Highmark Stadium in 2016, as longtime Riverhounds goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap has returned to the team. Gilstrap, 32, will also coach the goaltenders at the Riverhounds' development academy. His first stint with the team saw him appear in 93 games from 2010 to 2014 and won the USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2010. In 2015, he split time between the Carolina RailHawks of the Tier-2 NASL and the Charlotte Independence of the USL. Gilstrap ... Read More