Pittsburgh Riverhounds
 |
|
| Full name | Pittsburgh Riverhounds |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hounds |
| Founded | March 11, 1998 |
| Stadium |
Highmark Stadium Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Owner | Terry "Tuffy" Shallenberger |
| President | Terry "Tuffy" Shallenberger (interim) |
| Head Coach | Dave Brandt |
| League | USL |
| 2016 | 13th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: DNQ |
| Website | Club home page |
| Active teams of Pittsburgh Riverhounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
|
|
| USL | PDL | Academy | |
| March 11, 1998 | USISL Commissioner, Francisco Marcos, awarded a Professional A-League Soccer Franchise to Alliance Soccer Resources, Inc., the first professional team in Pittsburgh in 30 years. |
|---|---|
| March 16, 1998 | Club hired Dave Kasper as its first General Manager |
| April 6, 1998 | Kasper announced the "Name the Team" contest. |
| June 15, 1998 | Kasper announced that the A-League team would be named Pittsburgh Riverdogs, with Mike Giegel submitting winning name. |
| July 6, 1998 | Christina Heasley was hired as first Director of Community Relations. |
| July 16, 1998 | Kasper announced the first summer soccer camps under the Pittsburgh Riverdogs name. |
| July 24, 1998 | Robert R. Derda, Jr. was hired as first Director of Marketing. |
| July 27, 1998 | Club announced its first official office site at 2301 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. |
| August 14–21, 1998 | Club held its first official summer soccer camps, at Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, and Moon Township. |
| September 1998 | Club released its first official website. |
| September 21, 1998 | John Phillips was hired as first Director of Media/Public Relations. |
| October 5, 1998 | Paul Child was hired as first Director of Youth Development. |
| October 12, 1998 | Terri Young was hired as first Sponsorship Sales Account Executive. |
| November 5, 1998 | John Kowalski was announced as the first Head Coach for the team. Paul Child was named as first assistant coach. |
|---|---|
| December 1, 1998 | Jim Pappas was hired as Corporate Ticket Sales Account Executive/Box Office Manager. Mark Wassilchalk was hired as Team Operations Coordinator. |
| December 3, 1998 | The Pittsburgh Riverdogs announced that they would now be known as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and unveiled new Riverhounds website. |
| January 6, 1999 | Riverhounds formally announced Bethel Park Stadium as their home for their 1999 Season. |
| January 20, 1999 | Quaker Valley Coach Gene Klein was hired as the Goalkeeper Coach. |
| February 2, 1999 | Club took Pittsburgh native Justin Evans in expansion draft as first-ever player. |
| February 24, 1999 | Club signed its first three players: Justin Evans, Steve Bell, and Gary DePalma. |
| April 12, 1999 | The Riverhounds signed free agent forward David Flavius who later became club's all-time leader in goals, assists, and appearances. |
| May 1, 1999 | The Riverhounds played their inaugural game at Bethel Park Stadium in front of a sellout crowd. Emil Haitonic scored the first goal in team history while Justin Evans recorded the first Riverhounds assist. |
| May 8, 1999 | Club won its first league match while goalkeeper Randy Dedini recorded the first shutout. |
| August 1, 1999 | Phil Karn scored first Hat Trick in team history. |
| September 11, 1999 | Riverhounds won their first playoff match away at Long Island Roughriders |
| September 28, 1999 | Team's inaugural season came to an end with a defeat in the second round of the playoffs. |
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the United Soccer League, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. Since 2013, the Riverhounds have played their home games at the 3,500-seat Highmark Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in Station Square. Their current head coach is Dave Brandt. Since 2014, the Riverhounds have fielded a Premier Development League club, Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23, as part of its player development program which also includes a network of youth academies.Saint Lucian international David Flavius currently holds the club records for most appearances and goals which he set over his eight seasons with the Riverhounds between 1999 and 2006. Since December 2015, the Riverhounds have had an affiliate partnership with Columbus Crew SC of Major League Soccer.
The Riverhounds were founded by Paul Heasley, chief executive of Pittsburgh-based Alliance International Ltd., a merchant banking and investment firm, in 1998 as a member of the USL A-League. Pittsburgh was awarded the then-unnamed club on March 11, 1998 with the announcement coming from then USISL Commissioner, Francisco Marcos. The franchise was awarded to the Heasley and his ownership group known as Alliance Soccer Resources, Inc. and became the first professional team in Pittsburgh in 30 years. Heasley, based in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, wanted to create role models and a pathway to a professional career for local talent. The club's name was initially announced as the Pittsburgh Riverdogs after a naming committee of five local businessmen with an interest in soccer was established to name the club in 1998. The "Riverdogs" name was suggested by Mike Geigel, a member of the committee. Other names that were considered were the Pittsburgh Pulse and Pittsburgh Power. In December 1998, before the "Riverdogs" ever played a match under that moniker, the name was changed to the Riverhounds after the Charleston RiverDogs, a minor league baseball team in South Carolina, threatened legal action against the club.
...
Wikipedia