2020 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season
The 2020 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's twenty-first season of existence, their third season in the second tier of American soccer, and their tenth season in the league now named the USL Championship (USLC). This article covers the period from November 18, 2019, the day after the 2019 USLC Playoff Final, to the conclusion of the 2020 USLC Playoff Final, scheduled for November 12–16, 2020.[1] Bob Lilley returns for his third season as Riverhounds manager. On March 12, 2020, the Riverhounds announced their season would be suspended for 30 days as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
| 2020 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Owner | Tuffy Shallenberger | |||
| Head coach | Bob Lilley | |||
| USL Championship | Conference: 3rd Group F: 2nd | |||
| USLC Playoffs | Conference Quarterfinals | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Cancelled | |||
| Biggest win | 6–0 (July 18 at Philadelphia) | |||
| Biggest defeat | 0–2 (October 10 vs. Louisville City) | |||
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| ||||
Roster
- As of January 15, 2020[3]
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Signed in | Previous club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||
| Defenders | ||||||||
| 4 | Dani Rovira |  | DF | December 15, 1996 | 2019 |  Vermont Catamounts | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Ryan James | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} | DF | April 21, 1994 | 2019 | Nashville SC | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Walls | | DF | January 16, 1990 | 2020 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 0 | 0 | |
| Midfielders | ||||||||
| 11 | Kenardo Forbes |  | MF | May 15, 1988 | 2018 | Rochester Rhinos | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Anthony Velarde | | MF | March 8, 1996 | 2019 | Fresno Pacific Sunbirds | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Thomas Vancaeyezeele |  | MF | July 27, 1994 | 2018 | Charleston Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Robbie Mertz | | MF | December 4, 1996 | 2019 | Michigan Wolverines | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards | ||||||||
| 8 | Steevan Dos Santos |  | FW | September 17, 1989 | 2019 | Ottawa Fury FC | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Mark Forrest |  | FW | December 3, 1996 | 2019 | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Lukas Fernandes | | FW | February 26, 1998 | 2020 | Temple Owls | 0 | 0 |
Competitions
Exhibitions
| February 8 Preseason 1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2–0 | Duquesne Dukes | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:30PM EST | Fernandes  13'Velarde 68' (Forbes) |
Report | Stadium: Cool Springs Sports Complex |
| February 9 Preseason 2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2–0 | Villanova Wildcats | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2:00PM EST | Okonkwo 47', 65' |
Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| February 15 Preseason 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–2 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2:00PM EST | Report | 45' 78' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| February 19 Preseason 4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 1–1 | Pittsburgh Panthers | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00PM EST | Fernandes 29' (Kenardo Forbes) |
Report | 14' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| February 22 Preseason 5 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2–2 | Akron Zips | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 1:00PM EST | Forrest 39' Griffin 44' |
Report | Jackson 60' (Tojaga), 65' (Serra) |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| February 26 Preseason 6 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 1–1 | Loudoun United FC | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 12:00PM EST | Fernandes 24' (Mertz) |
Report | 70' (pen.) |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| March 2 Preseason 7 | Columbus Crew SC | v | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Columbus, OH |
| 1:00PM EST | Stadium: TBD |
| March 7 Preseason 8 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | v | Toronto FC II | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2:00PM EST | Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
USL Championship
Standings — Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford Athletic | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 24 | +7 | 35 | 2.19 | Advance to USL Championship Playoffs |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 10 | +29 | 34 | 2.13 | |
| 3 | New York Red Bulls II | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 15 | 0.94 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Union II | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 45 | −25 | 9 | 0.56 | |
| 5 | Loudoun United FC | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 28 | −18 | 6 | 0.46 |
Source: USL
Match results
| July 12 1 | Louisville City FC | 1–3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Louisville, KY |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Williams 18' |
Report | Ashworth  27' Dover 45' Mertz 46' Velarde 51' Barnathan 90' |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| July 18 2 | Philadelphia Union II | 0–6 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Chester, PA |
| 6:30 PM EDT | Harriell 58' |
Report | Mensah 29' Griffin 37' Velarde 59' Fernandes 67' Dos Santos 81', 87' |
Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium Referee: Thomas Snyder |
| July 22 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–1 | Indy Eleven | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 6:00 PM EDT | Dover 21' Griffin 63' Mertz 74' Mensah 82' Velarde 90+5' |
Report | Ouimette 31' Barrett 70' Pasher 90+7' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| Note: Broadcast live on ESPN2 | ||||
| July 26 4 | New York Red Bulls II | 2–1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Montclair, NJ |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Sowe 34', 58' Kilwien 71' Elney 88' Corfe 90+5' (pen.) |
Report | Thomas 9', 90+1' Mertz 90+3' |
Stadium: MSU Soccer Park Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| August 1 5 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 4–0 | Philadelphia Union II | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Dos Santos 22', 42' Vancaeyezeele 36' James 65' |
Report | Picazo 38' Aaronson 73' Flores 88' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| August 8 6 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 4–1 | New York Red Bulls II | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Mertz 3' (pen.), 61' Thomas 15' Dos Santos 42' Mensah 65' Velarde 80' |
Report | Bounthong 2' Toure 90+3' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Austin Saini |
| August 15 7 | Indy Eleven | 1–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Indianapolis, IN |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Pasher 13' Ayoze  50' Watson 62' Gibson 80' Moon 86' |
Report | Dos Santos 58' Velarde 81' |
Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium Attendance: 5,748 Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| August 19 8 | Loudoun United FC | 0–2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Leesburg, VA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Martinez 17'  45+1' Wiedt 58' Saravia 59' |
Report | Dos Santos 7' Fernandes 11' Barnathan 50' Vancaeyezeele 85' |
Stadium: Segra Field Attendance: 452 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| August 22 9 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2–2 | Saint Louis FC | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Mensah 16' Mertz 40' Thomas 45+3' Lindstrom 56' |
Report | Greig 45+1' Fall 57' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| August 28 10 | Hartford Athletic | 0–3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Hartford, CT |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Lara 83' |
Report | Gómez 7' James 11', 50' Griffin 22' |
Stadium: Dillon Stadium Attendance: 1,375 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| September 1 11 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 3–0 | Loudoun United | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Forrest 5' (pen.) Velarde 8' (pen.) Dikwa 66', 88' |
Report | Fawole  17' Amoh 38' Ndour 55' Williamson 71' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| September 5 12 | New York Red Bulls II | 0–3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Harrison, NJ |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Kilwien 11' Boateng 16' Dieye 26' Rito 45+2' |
Report | Lindstrom 23' Mensah 45' Kilwien 51' (o.g.) Mertz 58' Dover 86' |
Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 0 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| September 12 13 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 5–0 | Hartford Athletic | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | James 13', 47' Mensah 27', 61' Velarde 42' (pen.) |
Report | Strong 39' Torres 81' Naglestad 82' Haak 83' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| September 19 14 | Loudoun United FC | 0–1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Leesburg, VA |
| 6:30 PM EDT | Fawole 37' Saravia 45+4' 90+4' |
Report | Vancaeyezeele 51' Dikwa 81' Walls 90+2' |
Stadium: Segra Field Referee: John Griggs |
| September 26 15 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–1 | Hartford Athletic | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Dos Santos 72' |
Report | Guzmán 30', 36' Silva 47' Politz 50' Barrera 64' Mandanda 71' Novotny 89' Haak 90+5' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| October 3 16 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2–1 | Philadelphia Union II | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Lee 15', 37' Thomas 61' Dos Santos 70' Dikwa 90+2' |
Report | Cole Turner 43' Jack McGlynn 63' (pen.), 90+1' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Referee: Austin Saini |
USL Cup Playoffs
| October 10 Conf. Quarterfinals | Louisville City FC | 2–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Louisville, KY |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Lancaster 17' Souahy 26' Hoppenot 29' Jimenez 53' Bone 86' |
Report | Thomas 45' |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 4,900 Referee: Elton Garcia |
U.S. Open Cup
As a USL Championship club, the Riverhounds will enter the competition in the Second Round, to be played April 7–9.[4]
| April 7 2nd Round | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC  | P–P | West Chester United SC or Vereinigung Erzgebirge | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: Highmark Stadium | |||
| Note: Match postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic[5] | ||||
References
- "USL Championship Unveils 2020 Schedule". Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- "Pittsburgh Riverhounds' Season Suspended For 30 Days Amid Coronavirus Outbreak". Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC roster". Riverhounds.com. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- "Restructured Competition Format For 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Provides Opportunity For More "David vs. Goliath" Matchups In 107th Edition Of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- "U.S. Soccer Temporarily Suspends 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Due to COVID-19 Outbreak". ussoccer.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
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