Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

2019 season
Owner	Tuffy Shallenberger
Head coach	Bob Lilley
USL Championship	Conference: 1st (current)
USLC Playoffs	Conference Semifinals
U.S. Open Cup	Fourth round (knocked out by Columbus Crew SC)
Top goalscorer	League: Neco Brett (12) All: Neco Brett (14)
Highest home attendance	5,182 (April 13 vs. Hartford)
Lowest home attendance	444 (May 29 vs. Indy, USOC)
Average home league attendance	3,397
Biggest win	7–0 (October 26 vs. Birmingham)
Biggest defeat	0–5 (August 17 at North Carolina)
Home colors Away colors Third colors
←  2018 2020 →

The 2019 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's twentieth season of existence, their second consecutive season in the second tier of American soccer, and their ninth season in the league now named the USL Championship. The season covers the period from October 21, 2018 to the beginning of the 2020 USL Championship season. Bob Lilley returns for his second season as Riverhounds manager.

Roster

As of match played October 1, 2019 ^[1]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Signed in	Previous club	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Kyle Morton		GK	(1994-03-31) March 31, 1994 (age 30)	2018	Rochester Rhinos	26	0
22	Ben Lundgaard		GK	(1995-09-02) September 2, 1995 (age 28)	2019	Columbus Crew SC (loan)	4	0
23	Austin Pack		GK	(1994-02-15) February 15, 1994 (age 30)	2019	Portland Timbers 2	7	0
Defenders
2	Tobi Adewole		DF	(1995-10-14) October 14, 1995 (age 28)	2017	George Washington Colonials	74	3
3	Uchenna Uzo		DF	(1992-12-27) December 27, 1992 (age 31)	2019	Phoenix Rising	9	0
4	Dani Rovira		DF	(1996-12-15) December 15, 1996 (age 27)	2019	Vermont Catamounts	9	0
5	Jordan Dover		DF	(1994-12-14) December 14, 1994 (age 29)	2018	Rochester Rhinos	55	3
7	Ryan James		DF	(1994-04-21) April 21, 1994 (age 30)	2019	Nashville SC	33	0
13	Caleb Smith		DF	(1996-10-15) October 15, 1996 (age 27)	2019	SMU Mustangs	1	0
19	Prosper Figbe		DF	(1996-10-30) October 30, 1996 (age 27)	2019	Virginia Cavaliers	0	0
20	Joseph Greenspan		DF	(1992-09-12) September 12, 1992 (age 31)	2018	Minnesota United FC	65	7
26	Todd Pratzner		DF	(1994-08-10) August 10, 1994 (age 29)	2019	Memphis 901	21	0
Midfielders
6	Sammy Kahsai		MF	(1995-03-05) March 5, 1995 (age 29)	2019	UMBC Retrievers	16	1
10	Kevin Kerr		MF	(1989-01-12) January 12, 1989 (age 35)	2013	SC Wiedenbrück	191	32
11	Kenardo Forbes		MF	(1988-05-15) May 15, 1988 (age 35)	2018	Rochester Rhinos	68	9
14	Noah Franke		MF	(1995-03-25) March 25, 1995 (age 29)	2018	Creighton Bluejays	29	0
15	Anthony Velarde		MF	(1996-03-08) March 8, 1996 (age 28)	2019	Fresno Pacific Sunbirds	27	4
17	Thomas Vancaeyezeele		MF	(1994-07-27) July 27, 1994 (age 29)	2018	Charleston Golden Eagles	67	5
21	Mouhamed Dabo		MF	(1996-01-02) January 2, 1996 (age 28)	2018	Harrisburg City Islanders	45	1
24	Robbie Mertz		MF	(1996-12-04) December 4, 1996 (age 27)	2019	Michigan Wolverines	27	6
Forwards
8	Steevan Dos Santos		FW	(1989-09-17) September 17, 1989 (age 34)	2019	Ottawa Fury FC	33	9
9	Neco Brett		FW	(1992-03-22) March 22, 1992 (age 32)	2018	Portland Timbers 2	66	29
12	Christian Volesky		FW	(1992-09-15) September 15, 1992 (age 31)	2019	OKC Energy	25	3
16	Mark Forrest		FW	(1996-12-03) December 3, 1996 (age 27)	2019	Lehigh Mountain Hawks	5	0

Non-competitive

Preseason

The Riverhounds released their preseason schedule on January 18, 2019. The club played nine games in just over a month, with six coming against collegiate programs, one against a fellow USL Championship club, and two against clubs from USL League One. All nine games were played in Pittsburgh, with eight taking place at Highmark Stadium. ^[2]

Competitive

USL Championship

Standings

Results by round

Match results

On December 14, 2018, the league announced the home openers for every club. Pittsburgh's home opener at Highmark Stadium will be played on April 13, as the six-year anniversary of the stadium's opening will be marked with a game against expansion club Hartford Athletic. The Riverhounds will also take part in the home opening matches for two other clubs, facing Tampa Bay Rowdies on March 16 and Swope Park Rangers on March 23. ^[3]

The full Riverhounds schedule was released on December 19, 2018. The season will once again consist of 34 matches, with home and away matches against each Eastern Conference opponent. The Riverhounds will face league newcomers Birmingham Legion FC, Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC, and Memphis 901 FC for the first time ever, and will renew their series with Saint Louis FC and Swope Park Rangers as those two clubs move back over from the Western Conference. ^[4]

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Atlanta United 2

October 5 32	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	1–1	Atlanta United 2	Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT	Brett 45' ( pen.) Dover  62' Adewole  74'	Report	Campbell  35' Wyke  59' Fernando  72' Metcalf  76' Kissiedou  81' Decas 87'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 4,553 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Saint Louis FC v Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

October 12 33	Saint Louis FC	0–1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Fenton, MO
8:30 PM EDT	Abend  44' Kavita  51' Kamdem  59'	Report	Dos Santos 88',  90+6'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 5,273 Referee: Jon Freemon

Birmingham Legion v Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

October 20 34	Birmingham Legion	0–1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Birmingham, AL
4:30 PM EDT	Ugarte  56'	Report	Greenspan  71' Forrest 90'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Kevin Broadley

USL Cup Playoffs

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Birmingham Legion

October 26 Conference Quarterfinals	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	7–0	Birmingham Legion	Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT	Brett 13', 27', 34' ( pen.), 71' Fisher 17' ( o.g.) Dover 45+1' Mertz 62' ( pen.) Adewole  77'	Report	Culbertson  31' Lopez  41' Herivaux  61'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Mark Allatin

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Louisville City FC

November 2 Conference Semifinal	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	1–2 ( a.e.t.)	Louisville City FC	Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 p.m. EDT	Vancaeyezeele 11' Greenspan  48'	Report	Spencer 51',  85' McMahon  54' Craig  70' DelPiccolo 118'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,073 Referee: Michael Radchuk

U.S. Open Cup

As a member of the USL Championship, the Riverhounds entered the tournament in the second round, to be played May 14, 2019. ^[7]

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Dayton Dutch Lions

May 14 Second round	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	3–0	Dayton Dutch Lions	Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT	Brett 57' ( pen.), 69' Velarde 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 523 Referee: Austin Saini

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Indy Eleven

May 29 Third round	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	1–0	Indy Eleven	Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT	James  43' Greenspan  74' Forbes 85'	Report		Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 444 Referee: Chris Ruska

Columbus Crew SC v Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

June 11 Fourth round	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Accam 55'	Report		Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 5,202 Referee: Matthew Franz

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		USLC		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Kyle Morton	23	0	21	0	2	0
2	DF	USA	Tobi Adewole	33	2	29+1	2	3	0
3	DF	NGA	Uchenna Uzo	9	0	2+4	0	3	0
4	DF	COL	Dani Rovira	9	0	4+2	0	3	0
5	DF	GUY	Jordan Dover	23	1	22	1	0+1	0
6	MF	ETH	Sammy Kahsai	16	1	7+6	1	3	0
7	DF	CAN	Ryan James	33	0	28+3	0	2	0
8	FW	CPV	Steevan Dos Santos	33	9	25+5	9	1+2	0
9	FW	JAM	Neco Brett	30	14	24+4	12	2	2
10	MF	SCO	Kevin Kerr	27	5	24+3	5	0	0
11	MF	JAM	Kenardo Forbes	34	5	28+3	4	1+2	1
12	FW	USA	Christian Volesky	25	3	9+15	3	1	0
13	DF	USA	Caleb Smith	1	0	0+1	0	0	0
14	MF	USA	Noah Franke	19	0	8+8	0	3	0
15	MF	USA	Anthony Velarde	27	4	11+13	3	3	1
16	FW	ENG	Mark Forrest	5	0	1+3	0	1	0
17	MF	GUF	Thomas Vancaeyezeele	32	2	28+1	2	2+1	0
19	DF	NGA	Prosper Figbe	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	DF	USA	Joseph Greenspan	31	4	28+1	4	2	0
21	MF	SEN	Mouhamed Dabo	20	0	12+8	0	0	0
22	GK	USA	Ben Lundgaard	4	0	4	0	0	0
23	GK	USA	Austin Pack	7	0	6	0	1	0
24	MF	USA	Robbie Mertz	27	6	18+6	6	1+2	0
26	DF	USA	Todd Pratzner	3	0	2+1	0	0	0
Players who left Pittsburgh during the season:
33	MF	USA	Ethan Kutler	0	0	0	0	0	0

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	USLC		U.S. Open Cup		Total
2	DF	Tobi Adewole	2	1	0	0	2	1
4	DF	Dani Rovira	1	0	0	0	1	0
5	DF	Jordan Dover	5	0	0	0	5	0
6	MF	Sammy Kahsai	1	0	0	0	1	0
7	DF	Ryan James	3	0	1	0	4	0
8	FW	Steevan Dos Santos	4	0	0	0	4	0
9	FW	Neco Brett	1	0	0	0	1	0
10	MF	Kevin Kerr	2	0	0	0	2	0
11	MF	Kenardo Forbes	1	0	0	0	1	0
12	FW	Christian Volesky	1	0	0	0	1	0
15	MF	Anthony Velarde	2	0	0	0	2	0
16	FW	Mark Forrest	0	1	0	0	0	1
17	MF	Thomas Vancaeyezeele	2	1	0	0	2	1
20	DF	Joseph Greenspan	5	1	1	0	6	1
21	MF	Mouhamed Dabo	2	0	0	0	2	0
24	MF	Robbie Mertz	5	0	0	0	5	0

Clean sheets

No.	Name	USLC	U.S. Open Cup	Total	Games Played
		1	Kyle Morton	11	1	12	23
22	Ben Lundgaard	2	0	2	4
23	Austin Pack	2	1	3	7

Transfers

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Ryan James	Nashville SC	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Nov 28, 2018	[8]
FW	Steevan Dos Santos	Ottawa Fury FC	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Jan 8, 2019	[9]
MF	Anthony Velarde	Fresno Pacific Sunbirds	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Jan 14, 2019	[10]
FW	Christian Volesky	OKC Energy	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Feb 7, 2019	[11]
DF	Caleb Smith	SMU Mustangs	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Feb 22, 2019	[12]
MF	Sammy Kahsai	UMBC Retrievers	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 4, 2019	[13]
MF	Ethan Kutler	New York Red Bulls	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 8, 2019	[14]
DF	Dani Rovira	Vermont Catamounts	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 8, 2019	[14]
DF	Uchenna Uzo	Phoenix Rising	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 8, 2019	[14]
DF	Prosper Figbe	Virginia Cavaliers	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 29, 2019	[15]
FW	Mark Forrest	Lehigh Mountain Hawks	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 29, 2019	[15]
MF	Robbie Mertz	Michigan Wolverines	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	Mar 29, 2019	[15]
GK	Austin Pack	Portland Timbers 2	One-year contract with a club option for 2020.	May 2, 2019	[16]
DF	Todd Pratzner	Memphis 901	Remainder of the 2019 USL Championship season.	Sep 18, 2019	[17]

Loan in

Pos.	Player	Parent club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Ben Lundgaard	Columbus Crew SC	Duration of the 2019 USL Championship season.	Mar 6, 2019	Jun 21, 2019	[18] [19]
				Oct 7, 2019	Nov 3, 2019	[20]

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
FW	Kay Banjo		Contract expired.	Nov 13, 2018	[21]
FW	Dennis Chin	Richmond Kickers	Contract option declined. Signed for Richmond on Jan 7, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [22]
MF	Ben Fitzpatrick	Cleveland SC	Contract expired. Signed for Cleveland on May 14, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [23]
MF	Bakie Goodman	Detroit City	Contract option declined. Signed for Detroit on Feb 4, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [24]
MF	Joe Holland	Birmingham Legion	Contract option declined. Signed for Birmingham on Nov 20, 2018.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [25]
GK	Nathan Ingham	York 9	Contract option declined. Signed for York on Apr 8, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [26]
GK	Mike Kirk	Lansing Ignite	Contract option declined. Signed for Lansing for the 2019 USL League One season.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [27]
DF	Raymond Lee	Hartford Athletic	Contract option declined. Signed for Hartford on Jan 17, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [28]
DF	Andrew Lubahn	Loudoun United	Contract option declined. Signed for Loudoun on Feb 16, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [29]
GK	Daniel Lynd		Contract option declined.	Nov 13, 2018	[21]
FW	Romeo Parkes	Sligo Rovers	Contract expired. Signed for Sligo on Jan 15, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [30]
DF	Todd Pratzner	Memphis 901	Contract option declined. Signed for Memphis on Dec 13, 2018.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [31]
DF	Hugh Roberts	Charlotte Independence	Contract option declined. Signed for Charlotte on Jan 10, 2019.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [32]
MF	Ben Zemanski		Contract option declined. Retired.	Nov 13, 2018	[21] [33]
MF	Christiano François	Ottawa Fury FC	Pittsburgh receives an undisclosed transfer fee.	Dec 3, 2018	[34]
MF	Ethan Kutler		No longer listed on roster.	May 1, 2019	[1]

Awards

USLC Team of the Week

Week	Starters	Bench	Opponent(s)	Link
3		Kenardo Forbes	Swope Park Rangers	[1]
5		Joseph Greenspan	Louisville City	[2]
6	Kevin Kerr		Hartford Athletic	[3]
8	Ryan James		Nashville SC	[4]
9	Kenardo Forbes		Charleston Battery	[5]
15	Steevan Dos Santos	Kenardo Forbes	Atlanta United 2	[6]
16	Kenardo Forbes	Steevan Dos Santos	New York Red Bulls II	[7]
17	Robbie Mertz	Kevin Kerr	Birmingham Legion	[8]
18	Kenardo Forbes		Bethlehem Steel FC Charlotte Independence	[9]
21		Anthony Velarde	Hartford Athletic	[10]
22	Kenardo Forbes		Memphis 901	[11]
23	Robbie Mertz		Swope Park Rangers	[12]
24		Joseph Greenspan	New York Red Bulls II North Carolina FC	[13]
25		Kyle Morton	Loudoun United	[14]
26	Neco Brett	Steevan Dos Santos	Ottawa Fury FC	[15]
28	Kenardo Forbes		Charleston Battery	[16]
29		Kyle Morton	Nashville SC	[17]
30	Kenardo Forbes Kyle Morton	Neco Brett	Memphis 901 Indy Eleven	[18]

USLC Player of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent	Link
15	Steevan Dos Santos	Atlanta United 2	[19]
26	Neco Brett	Ottawa Fury FC	[20]
30	Kenardo Forbes	Memphis 901 Indy Eleven	[21]

Kits

Home

Away

Third

See also

• Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
• 2019 in American soccer
• 2019 USL Championship season

References