The Pittsburgh Riverhounds had a fairly easy start to preseason play. Facing college teams, the Riverhounds won three matches and drew two. However, the squad got their first taste of USL opponent action in a friendly preseason match against the Rochester Rhinos, Pittsburgh's out-of-state rival. If the match said anything about what the Riverhounds season will be like, it wasn’t very “friendly.” The Riverhounds were handed a whopping 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Rhinos. Rochester, the ... Read More
Riverhounds sign defender Rich Balchan to one-year deal
Even in the middle of preseason play, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are still making moves. Wednesday, the club announced the signing of defender Rich Balchan to a one-year contract. Balchan was invited to go on trial with the team in February. The 28-year-old started his career in 2008 with the Fort Wayne Fever (in the USL’s Premier Development League), where he made five appearances and scored two goals. In 2009, he signed with FC Indiana before making a move to the Chicago Fire Premier ... Read More
Riverhounds defeat Pitt men’s soccer team, 3-1
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds continue to ride a positive wave of preseason momentum heading into the 2017 season. The Riverhounds faced the University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team on Saturday, and the Riverhounds won the match, 3-1, at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Riverhounds were the first to get on the board, when Kevin Kerr scored in the 30’ minute off an assist from John Manga. Pitt quickly responded and got on the board when Colin Brezniak, assisted by Marcony Pimentel, chipped in a ... Read More
Relationship between Shane Campbell, Dave Brandt goes beyond Riverhounds
According to Pittsburgh Riverhounds defender Shane Campbell, head coach Dave Brandt has always had faith in him. Campbell has history with Brandt. Campbell has known Brandt and his family since Campbell was 10; he played for Brandt’s former youth club FC Orange in Harrisburg. In fact, Campbell was convinced to change clubs and head to FC Orange by Brandt, due to his belief in Campbell’s potential. Brandt is also the reason why Campbell, a native of Lancaster, is a defender. He originally ... Read More
Riverhounds beat University of Akron while Hollingsworth, Swanson return
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds hosted their first preseason match at Highmark Stadium on Saturday and made a statement on the pitch, defeating the University of Akron 3-0. Although fans may be used to seeing new faces on the roster, the match featured two players who returned from last season, much to the fans’ surprise. The Riverhounds brought back Marshall Hollingsworth and Ben Swanson. The midfielders are on loan from the Columbus Crew SC, Pittsburgh's MLS affiliate club. Both were on the ... Read More
Riverhounds win preseason match against Duke, 2-0
A day after drawing in their first preseason match of the 2017 season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds recorded their first win. Sunday, the team took on the Duke University men's soccer team, and Pittsburgh won the match, 2-0. Tallying goals for the club were captain Kevin Kerr in the 53’ minute and veteran midfielder Stephen Okai in the 55’ minute. Starting the match for the Riverhounds in goal was Keasel Broome. Against North Carolina FC, Trey Mitchell earned the start and Broome played the ... Read More
Riverhounds draw 1-1 in preseason opener
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds opened their preseason action Saturday against North Carolina FC. The match — the first preseason match as the head coach for Dave Brandt (Mark Steffens was in charge last preseason) — ended in a 1-1 draw, with Mike Green scoring the equalizing goal in the 87’ minute. Green’s goal was assisted by Kay Banjo, one of many offseason signings. North Carolina FC, a North American Soccer League (NASL) club, got on the board first when Connor Tobin found the back of the ... Read More
Broome, Mitchell in friendly but competitive goalkeeper competition
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
Kevin Kerr, Corey Hertzog talk Riverhounds preseason, new players
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first season that Pittsburgh Riverhounds midfielder Kevin Kerr has gone through a roster revamp. This year, the Riverhounds have truly cleaned the house, bringing back only nine players, meaning 14 players are brand new. It's a similar case to last season, when only eight players returned. This season, plenty of the new players are just coming out of college. The advice given to these new players from veterans Kerr and forward Corey ... Read More
Riverhounds re-sign midfielder Stephen Okai
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have brought in more experience depth at midfield for the 2017 season, announcing the re-signing of midfielder Stephen Okai. Okai signed with the club in 2015, and 2017 will be his third season in a Riverhound jersey. In his two seasons in Pittsburgh, Okai made 46 appearances, scoring one goal (against the Wilmington Hammerheads in July 2016) and providing four assists. “Stephen is a very accomplished, very skillful, very strong player that we knew we wanted back ... Read More