The highly anticipated and historic Pittsburgh Derby between Riverhounds SC and Steel City FC in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup proved to be an intense battle that wasn’t decided until the final whistle, with the Riverhounds holding on for a 2-1 win against crosstown amateurs who came for a battle at Highmark Stadium on Wednesday night.
While the Riverhounds held most of the statistical advantages and showed its quality for stretches, Steel City FC never stopped playing its high-energy brand of soccer, which was enough to keep the fourth division club in the match throughout the full 90 minutes.
With the win, the Hounds advance to host another amateur side, Virginia Dream FC, on Tuesday, March 31 in the Second Round, the last round before MLS teams enter the competition.
The match was originally scheduled to be played last Tuesday, when wintry weather conditions would have seen a kickoff temperature in the 20’s, with a much colder wind chill. Instead, both clubs along with US Soccer played their cards right — as a much more comfortable early Spring night proved to bring out an excellent and an unprecedented — for an early Open Cup match featuring an amateur opponent — and near sellout crowd to Highmark Stadium (4,287).
It proved to be a monumental evening and another step forward for Pittsburgh soccer.
“We hope to be back here again,’ Dan Brower, Steel City FC’s Head Coach, said.
Now that’s what we want to hear.
A “Million Miles” from the Standard
Despite securing the result and moving on to the second round, Riverhounds Head Coach Rob Vincent was far from satisfied.
While captain Danny Griffin’s 7th-minute strike and Charles Ahl’s second-half insurance goal provided the goals, the overall performance left the Hounds boss searching for answers.
Following a 3-0 throttling at the hands of Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, this wasn’t the performance that Vincent was hoping to see. Instead, his post match assessment was a sobering reality check for a professional side that struggled to put away their amateur neighbors.
“We’re a million miles away from where we want to be,” Vincent admitted.
“From minute one, there was a lack of intensity. We wanted to drive the tempo… move the ball quickly. We didn’t do that. It was really poor.”
Vincent said that with all due respect to Steel City, this should have been a more comfortable match and scoreline for the Riverhounds.
“We gave them too much respect. Too much time on the ball,” Vincent, who opted to start a pretty strong lineup in the team’s second match in five days.
After scoring the go-ahead goal in the seventh minute, the Hounds had two more ‘big chances” in the first half that could have easily swung the match in a more lopsided direction.
Steel City defended gamely, and goalkeeper Martin Dominguez, who previously played for SMU and Oregon State, made four of his five saves for the guests before halftime, including a point-blank stop on Trevor Amann in the 37th minute.
Robbie Mertz also unleashed a diagonal laser from just inside the box, but Dominguez stayed big to punch it away.
While the Hounds held a favorable 55% possession rate and a dominant 8-0 shots advantage in the first half, they never could deliver the knockout punch.
“From minute one there was a lack of intensity,” Vincent said.
“We just didn’t do any of that. Really, really poor… I was yelling at the guys from the sides. We need to press more. We need to be more intense. We need to move the ball quicker. And just didn’t really get a response.”
The match would end with the Hounds holding a 12-5 edge in shots (with 7-2 advantage on target).
With the USL Championship home opener against Jacksonville just three days away, Vincent used this match as an open audition for players fighting for a spot in the 18-man roster. His assessment was scathing: rather than making his selection decisions difficult, the players’ “ethargic performance made his choices unfortunately easy.
“Tonight was an opportunity for some guys to step up… fight for a start in the 11 spot,” Vincent noted.
Getting first starts for the Hounds this season included Robbie Mertz, Eliot Goldthorp, Trevor Amann, Owen Mikoy, who conceded the penalty and Illal Osumanu.
“I don’t really think anybody staked a claim for that. Two or three weeks ago, I thought I had some really difficult decisions to make… unfortunately, I think some answers were kind of given to me.”
Vincent repeatedly took the blame upon himself, stating, “I probably got to look at myself, too… we got a lot of figuring out to do.”
2. Steel City plays with bravery over bunkering
Dan Brower’s Steel City FC squad entered Highmark Stadium as massive underdogs.
While many amateur sides would “park the bus” after conceding in the 7th minute, Brower praised his team for having the “courage and bravery” to play their way out of the half.
Brower noted that while the Hounds controlled the first 20 minutes, his side found their footing through the movement of its central forward, former Seneca Valley High School and Lebanon College standout Nathan Prex and a commitment to their training process.
“We believe that we can play a good brand of football,” Brower said.
“We’re not a professional setup… but this is what happens when you train well. We have a process, and we followed that process again to make sure we put a good product out there for the people of Pittsburgh.”
However, they refused to let the Hounds dictate the match after the early deficit.
Between Martin Dominguez’s heroics in goal and Carlos Santamaria’s creative spark that earned the late penalty, the USL League Two side stood toe-to-toe with the USL Championship title holders until the final whistle.
“We showed our fight,” Brower said following the 2-1 loss. “And that’s what Steel City is all about.”
One of the most intersting storylines of the night was the performance of high school senior Sean Reagan, who only was months removed to winning a WPIAL Boys Class 4A title with Fox Chapel High School on the same pitch.
Stepping into the center-back role in a high-pressure derby as a player who has come through Steel City’s Academy, Reagan didn’t just survive; he held his own.
Brower compared Reagan’s performance to that of Luke Fiscus (now at Duquesne) in their previous Open Cup run in 2023, noting that Reagan “didn’t miss a beat.”
“He was up for it,” Brower said of the young defender.
“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t looking for a win. It’s March… everyone loves a Cinderella team,” Reagan said.
“It was a huge learning curve. I’m playing against grown men at Steel City, but these [Hounds] guys are a different level. You have to be patient, pick the right times, and trust what you’ve been taught.”
Brower let his young players ride out the storm.
“You have to adapt in the first 15 minutes, but he adapted well. I had a couple of subs in mind for Sean, but didn’t need them at all. It’s a testament to our academy—developing players who are tough, can play with the ball, and can compete at this speed.”
Reagan was struck by the visual and auditory scale of the derby.
From the smog and fog of the supporters’ smoke bombs making it hard to track the ball in the air, to the fan boss and traveling Steel City colors, the environment served as a stepping stone for the young defender’s burgeoning career.
“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t looking for a win. It’s March… everyone loves a Cinderella team,” Reagan said.
“It was a huge learning curve. I’m playing against grown men at Steel City, but these [Hounds] guys are a different level. You have to be patient, pick the right times, and trust what you’ve been taught.”
That fight was never more evident than in the final ten minutes, where a 10-man Steel City side continued to press for an equalizer deep into stoppage time.
The team’s captain, Nick Graeca, wasn’t just the goal-scorer in this match: he’s the captain, a medical student, and a player who was ready to hang up his boots before the brotherhood of Steel City FC and the lure of playing in the US Open Cup and taking on the Riverhounds’ pulled him back in.
Graeca noted after the match that despite the early 7th-minute deficit, “there was never really a doubt in our minds that we couldn’t come back.”
Graeca admitted that while the result is disappointing, the mission was accomplished: “We showed the city, we showed the club that we could play at this level.”
“It was a cool opportunity just because I had a dream that I was going to score a penalty,” Graeca said.
“It just came to be.”
Standing at the spot, Graeca thought of his younger sister, Emily, who plays for the Steel City women’s team.
She had scored a similar high-stakes penalty against the Riveters last year. “In the back of my head I’m thinking, if I can’t score this, I’m never going to hear the end of it.”
Graeca, currently in medical school, admitted he was “ready to step away” from the pitch to focus on his career.
However, the experience of leading this squad against the USL Champions changed his mind. “I’m pulled back… you don’t understand until you’re really here. It’s the passion and the family. So, here I am coming back this summer.”
The final 15 minutes—or “squeaky bum time,” as Brower called it—showed the true character of the squad.
Even after Will Afawubo’s red card in the 86th minute, the 10-man amateur side continued to hunt for an equalizer. Brower highlighted that this level of compete-level is fueled by the immense sacrifice of players and families who have been training for this moment since the qualifiers began in August.
“These guys are not getting paid. They are putting the time and effort in for the love of the game,” Brower emphasized.
“I want to thank the families who sacrifice and allow us to express ourselves in this way. I hope it was an enjoyable night of football—I hope we can do this every year.”
Steel City FC now will begin preparations as they head into a new USL League Two season as the defending Great Forest Division champions.
‘Complacent’ Pros vs High-Energy amateurs battle to last whistle
The tactical story of the night was the clash of philosophies with a more chaotic flow and intensity levels kept Steel City hanging around the match.
The Hounds relied on their clinical nature—converting a corner-kick scrum and a loose-ball blast—while Steel City never stopped with its relentless high press even if they couldn’t fully take advantage cleanly in the final third.
Though Vincent believe the Hounds should never have let Steel City hang around.
Vincent noted that the Hounds’ struggles weren’t due to being broken down by Steel City’s combinations. Instead, the issues were self-inflicted: cheap giveaways, a refusal to play forward, and taking too many touches in transition. Even when Steel City went down to 10 men, Vincent observed a lack of professional game management.
“Even then [at 10 men], we’re sloppy in possession. We just look lethargic all over the place. Even guys coming off the bench looking lethargic,” Vincent explained.
“It wasn’t as though they were breaking us down… it was just a lack of intensity from us. Cheap giveaways, not looking forward, not playing forward… just again, complacent.”
Reagan shared his technical insight into the second-half shift explains why the Hounds felt “lethargic” and frustrated. He noted that in the first half, the Hounds were finding pockets of space between Steel City’s strikers and midfielders.
“We were definitely more compact in that second half,” Reagan explained. “
We were aware that we couldn’t send our strikers too far up without stepping with them. We were definitely more of a unit.”
While Steel City’s relentless play kept them in the match, it also cost them when Afawubo was sent off with a second yellow card.
While the Hounds’ superior quality and depth ultimately saw them through, the match highlighted a significant defensive vulnerability that Rob Vincent is desperate to correct.
For Steel City, the performance serves as a massive momentum builder moving forward this season and in its future as a club; for the Hounds, it should serve as a wake-up call with expansion side Jacksonville Armada FC arriving for the league home opener this Saturday.
Final Match Facts
Final Score: Riverhounds SC 2, Steel City FC 1
Hounds Scorers: Danny Griffin (7′), Charles Ahl (66′)
Steel City Scorer: Nick Graeca (77′ PK)
Up Next: The Riverhounds host Virginia Dream FC (NPSL) in the U.S. Open Cup Second Round on Tuesday, March 31.
John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).
