PITTSBURGH (Oct. 29, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC midfielder Robbie Mertz and goalkeeper Eric Dick were selected to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 34, the league announced this afternoon.
It is the first selection to the league’s best 11 for each of the players, who played crucial roles in the Hounds’ 2-0 win over El Paso Locomotive FC that clinched a USL Championship Playoffs berth on the final day of the regular season.
Mertz created both of the Hounds’ goals Saturday with a pair of precision free kicks. His first found the head of Edward Kizza for the opening strike — the third time in five matches that duo has linked up — giving Mertz his team-leading fifth assist. He also whipped in a second dangerous ball that resulted in a Locomotive own goal.
Apart from the goal contributions, Mertz remained active in attack. He finished with a match-best five chances created and connected on 23 of 25 passes, adding an interception and a pair of defensive recoveries to round out his day.
Dick made six saves — his second-highest total of the season — to record his Hounds-record 14th shutout of the season and lock up the USL Championship Golden Glove with a league-best 0.69 goals-against average. He also finished tied with Sacramento’s Danny Vitiello for the most clean sheets in the league this season.
The goalkeeper’s first appearance in the league’s 11 comes after he was named to the bench on five separate occasions in 2024.
To see the full Team of the Week, visit uslchampionship.com.
The Hounds start the USL Championship Playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they will face the second-seeded Charleston Battery at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The match will be shown live on KDKA+ and ESPN+.
