Three months ago, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC owner Tuffy Shallenberger stood at a lectern at Highmark Stadium to announce the next era for the club.
At its heart, a $125 million expansion of the club’s already-iconic venue on the banks of the Monongahela River which would bring its official capacity to 15,000, and the estimation that between games and events throughout the year half-a-million visitors would be attracted to Pittsburgh’s South Shore annually.
“Since 2014, we have invested significant capital and effort into this stadium and growing soccer around the area. Now, we have a major opportunity to continue that growth,” said Shallenberger in a club statement. “This expansion is going to be great for our fans and allow us to take our teams to the level we want to reach, but it’s also going to bring additional events here that will help the entire Pittsburgh community. We’re excited to start and take this next step forward.”
On Saturday afternoon, with a large contingent of travelling support led by the Steel Army behind them, the Hounds created their own on-field landmark, lifting the USL Championship trophy for the first league title in the club’s 26-year history.
The side’s penalty shootout victory against FC Tulsa at ONEOK Field produced exuberant celebrations for players and fans alike, one that after years of postseason disappointment finally provided the release of joy those who had achieved a deep connection to the club – as players, staff or supporters – had been waiting for.
What’s more, in claiming the Steel City’s first professional sporting crown since the Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup in 2017, it provided a further boost to the Hounds’ visibility in a sports-mad city.
“Like I said last week, I hope this is something that kind of cements soccer, and the Riverhounds’ place, in that echelon of Pittsburgh sports teams that has so much rich tradition,” Hounds midfielder Robbie Mertz told WTAE’s Felicity Taylor as the club was welcomed back by fans on Sunday at Pittsburgh International Airport. “I think people are paying attention now, and people recognize how fun it is to come watch a game on a Saturday night at Highmark. They recognize the quality of the team, and the impact it can have on the community, so it’s awesome.”