Nico Campuzano couldn’t be more excited.

The 28-year-old Spaniard is back in Pittsburgh, returning to the City where he starred and helped lead Pitt men’s soccer team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Men’s Soccer tournament’s College Cup, in May 2021 and then helped the club return to the Elite Eight later that same calendar year.

Signing with the Riverhounds, the year after the team has won the league title and replacing a goalkeeper, Eric Dick, who recieved numerous accomplishments and earned USL Championship Final Most Valuable Player honors, Campuzano realizes that he has to fill some pretty big shoes.

“What was communicated to me was that the expectations of the goalkeeper are very high and they want to keep the continuity they’ve had with a lot of clean sheets conceding very few goals just overall, solid all around. I think that’s kind of the the main thing. They have high
expectations and want to compete,” Campuzano said.

Like many outstanding pro goalkeepers in an ultra-competitive position where there are only 55 spots in the top two tiers of the U.S. men’s soccer pyramid for players to become primary starters at the position, Campuzano has been paying his dues and is well traveled, climbing his way up the ladder, from MLS Next Pro, to USL League One, then eventually to USL Championship, with four different teams in the previous four seasons.

After his impressive college career that included two-year stops at two high-level programs (Portland and Pitt), Campuzano’s pro journey started in 2022 with FC Cincinnati 2 in MLS Next Pro, then in 2023 with New England Revolution 2 — where he recorded six clean sheets in 12 regular-season starts — and moving to USL League One in 2024 with Lexington SC.

When reaching the Championship last season, Campuzano seized his opportunity to become the primary starter with Monterey Bay, though he faced more pressure than any other goalkeeper in the league.

The former Pitt Panther did yeoman’s work in difficult circumstances, posting a +1.06 Goals prevented mark and save percentage of 67.5%.  Campuzano faced more shots than any other keeper in the league in the 2025 regular season.

Overall, Campuzano’s metrics (using FOTMOB.com ratings) from last season show he was well-above average amongst his peers.

“Last year, it was a good all-around environment for me and obviously unluckily the team didn’t do so well,” Campuzano said.

“So, it kind of helped me be under a little more pressure and kind of growing to the position. It was all positive for me.”

Now, battle-tested in the USL Championship, Campuzano comes to the Riverhounds, a club that has consistently been one of the clubs in the league where chance prevention is the norm and the bar is set high for goalkeepers to post clean sheets under less pressure, yet still be expected to rise to the occasion when called upon.

Dick had his two best seasons as a professional with a solid Riverhounds defense in front of him, allowing him to earn the League’s Gold Glove honor in 2024, then accolades that came with winning a championship.

With Pittsburgh, Dick’s metrics were outstanding, but for what it’s worth, Campuzano had the higher save percentage (62% vs Dick’s 43%).

Considering that Campuzano faced a lot more volume of shots than Dick faced, that makes it even more impressive.

Since 2018, the club has consistently ranked among the league leaders in shutouts and defensive efficiency. This era of dominance began with the arrival of head coach Bob Lilley in 2018, whose defensive-first philosophy has led the club to record 110 clean sheets in 259 matches—15 more than any other team in the league during that span.as fostered a strong “next man up” culture at many positions, replacing departing starters with new talent, especially at the goalkeeper position.

The Riverhounds’ solidified its defensive legacy by finishing the 2025 campaign with seven shutouts — three at the end of the regular season and through four postseason matches.

As Rob Vincent takes over as the permanent Head Coach this season, one key holdover to his coaching staff is bringing back veteran goalkeepers coach and former MLS standout Jon Busch, who has been with the club since 2023.

“I’m really lucky that I’m moving from one great goalkeeper coach to another top top goalkeeper coach like Bush. It’s especially fundamental for our position,” Campuzano raved about the opportunity to work every day with Busch.

Campuzano saw his first action of the preseason when the Hounds took on Loudoun United FC, last Friday, where he played the first 45 minutes, as the Hounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half, utilizing a strong high press and kept the field titled in a way that minimized pressure for Campuzano.

Campuzano also had a couple of very familiar players in front of him also wearing the Black and Gold this season, including his former captain at Pitt, midfielder Jackson Walti along with one of the Hounds’ other newest signees, Victor Souza, who played on the backline with him in New England.

In last Friday’s preseason friendly vs Loudoun, Souza was in the middle of the center back trio when Campuzano got his first game action with the Hounds.

“Victor fits the mold perfectly. He’s got a little bit of everything. I feel like he’s a very well-rounded player. He can defend. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, and he’s very good on the ball,” Campuzano raved about Souza.

“We have a little bit of that connection. We kind of know each other and know how to play with each other. So, I’m definitely enjoying it.”

Campuzano still also reveals in his experience that he and Walti shared in being part of Pitt’s program rise to national prominence.

“I say to everybody, man, it’s probably one of my best experiences ever. Uh, I was very lucky to be at two top college environments. I went to Portland first and then graduated, then I went to Pitt. And I mean, yeah, obviously the whole obsession they have with how they go about things. It’s all so detailed and everybody’s on the same page. I think it’s great. It’s definitely one of the best experiences I ever had. I mean everything like from coaching to the guys — for a college program everyone was very obsessed with being successful as a player. iI’s one of the most professional environments I’ve ever seen.”

Campuzano is now part of a tradition of former Pitt players who have become part of the Riverhounds franchise, carrying the same high standards into their professional journey.

It appears that the Riverhounds have found another goalkeeper who is ready for the moment and excited to be part of a team that will defend well in front of him but also continues to have championship aspirations.

“Everybody here seems always ready to defend, get stuck in, are super gritty. It’s a great place to be for a goalkeeper.” Campuzano stated.

“That’s why I came here. I want to win.”