Pittsburgh's NPSL (men's), UWS and WPSL (women's) teams have begun their seasons, filling Pittsburgh's soccer calendar from late spring to early summer.
Of course, the Riverhounds will be in action on Saturday, returning home to face North Carolina FC for the first time since 2019, when NCFC competed in the USL Championship in 2018 and 2019.
In case you missed it, be sure to check out our postgame takeaways after the Hounds tied 2-2 in Tulsa on Saturday night.
Sounding Off Soccer Podcast: Lessons from Tulsa's Hounds Wild Night
Additionally, as part of our series of interviews with Pittsburgh Division I coaches, Jonathan Potter, head men's soccer coach at Robert Morris University, joined us on the Sounding Off on Soccer podcast last week.
Steel City FC's men's team started the regular season with an impressive road win over Flower City Union, 3-0, on Saturday. PSN provided a recap and highlights of Saturday's game.
This was an impressive performance. The Steel City team is a group that includes a number of returnees who currently play with Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris, but it also has a number of solid veterans and is looking to build on last season's success. Indicated. Some new additions.
A few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced they would be adding a women's team to the USL W-League as a pre-professional third-division team starting in 2025.
This is exciting news, but as mentioned in the last edition of Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer, it concerns a Pittsburgh-area women's soccer team that competes at this level, which is considered the pre-professional lower division rank. Therefore, it is far from a groundbreaking announcement.
That's because two clubs, Steel City FC and Beadling, field women's teams in the two lower leagues.
Steel City FC is an OG women's club founded in 2014 and is preparing for its second season in the pro-am league, United Women's Soccer. The club transitioned from its original name, Steel City FC, when the Pittsburgh Hotspurs took over operations of the team. In 2022, the Pittsburgh Hotspurs organization rebranded to Steel City FC.
Current Steel City FC club owner and director Tom Ovenden has been involved with the women's team for many years.
The Steel City FC women's team will follow in the footsteps of the men's team and prepare for UWS League play, beginning with a road trip to Western New York to take on Berlin FC at Buffalo State University (1 p.m.). proceeding.
With the new season just around the corner, Ovenden is most excited to see a number of players from his club come up through the academy ranks.
“We played a pre-season friendly against the Cleveland Ambassadors and won 4-3. This is our strongest team with 40 girls and a number of academy graduates,” Ovenden said this week.
Steel City finished seventh in UWS's 17-team regional Group D last season.
“This is a great moment for the club and we are looking forward to making the play-offs again this year!
Meanwhile, Beadling SC's women's team will be playing their third season in the WPSL, with Matt Fonagy serving as the team's head coach.
“As we enter our third year, our staff couldn't be more excited about our team here at Beadling. As well as returning many players from last year, we are adding a ton of talent to the team this season.” Fonagy he said.
In 2023, Beadling finished 4-4-0 (WLD) in the East Lake Erie Conference.
Fonagy added: “As a team, we want to continue our positive and competitive training environment to keep our players sharp throughout the summer.” “In addition to that, we are very excited to play against the best women’s team in the area.
Search for more detailed coverage Pittsburgh Soccer Current State Both the NPSL men's and women's teams will play throughout the spring and early summer.
Pittsburgh Soccer Schedule (5/18 – 5/26)
Saturday, May 18, 2024
2 pm – Beadling SC (girls) vs Corktown WFC (South Point Fieldhouse) – WPSL Regular Season
7pm — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs North Carolina FC – USL Championship
Sunday, May 19, 2024
1pm – Steel City FC (Women) at Berlin FC at Coyer Field, University of Buffalo Saints – UWS Regular Season
5pm – Steel City FC (Men) vs. Flower City Union at Founders Field – NPSL Regular Season
Friday, May 24, 2024
6 pm – Steel City FC (Women) vs. Erie Commodores at Mercyhurst University in Erie – UWS Regular Season
Saturday, May 25, 2024
2 pm – Beadling SC (girls) vs GTFC Impact (South Point Fieldhouse) – WPSL Regular Season
8:30pm – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs Memphis 901 FC – USL Championship