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When the Hounds heard the final whistle in their 2-0 win over Birmingham Legion FC on March 29, their thoughts were geared toward the implications for this season, not the historical aspect of the Hounds getting their 100th win at Highmark Stadium.

But having 100 wins in the building that has been their home since 2013 — the club’s first true home after barnstorming between high schools and minor-league ballparks in their early years — is a testament to the stability that has come to the club during that time under the leadership of owner Tuffy Shallenberger and, more recently, head coach Bob Lilley, the boss for 71 of the 100 home wins.

With a 100-49-55 record in competitive matches, Highmark Stadium has lived up to its “Fort Highmark” nickname for the Hounds, especially in recent seasons. With that in mind, we look back on some of the most memorable, notable — and in some cases, unusual — wins out of the 100.

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#1: May 9, 2013 — Hounds 2, Phoenix FC 1

The first win at Highmark came in the team’s second match at their new home, and José Angulo goals on each side of halftime were enough to give the Justin Evans-led Hounds their first win on the year. The match was part of a 10-game unbeaten run that helped the Hounds overcome a rocky start to reach the playoffs.

#14: March 28, 2015 — Hounds 5, Harrisburg City Islanders 2

Though the “Miracle on the Mon” would come later in the same season (win #18, for those counting), the 2015 season opener was notable for multiple reasons. Kevin Kerr scored the first hat trick in Highmark Stadium, and Rob Vincent accounted for the first and last goals of the match in a game that brought a renewed hope under new coach Mark Steffens, as the team tried to shake off the disappointment of the 2014 season and off-field turmoil that led to Shallenberger becoming the team’s sole owner.

#17: May 27, 2015 — Hounds 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 (U.S. Open Cup Third Round)

If we were to rank the best goals in Highmark Stadium’s history, Vincent’s solo run from the center line, playing advantage through a foul, and hitting a perfectly placed, stoppage-time winner is a sure-fire top 10 entry for both quality and impact. First off, it came as part of a day when the USL showed its quality over the nominally “higher tier” North American Soccer League, winning seven of eight head-to-head matchups. But more importantly for the Hounds, it set up a home date with D.C. United in the Fourth Round, the first time MLS opposition would have to come to Highmark.

#30: April 7, 2018 — Hounds 4, Toronto FC II 0

The first win of the Lilley era shouldn’t even have been at Highmark. This match was originally scheduled to be played at Toronto FC’s BMO Field, but torrential rain during and after Toronto’s Concacaf Champions League match against Club America five days earlier left the pitch unplayable for the USL side. The change in venue allowed Hounds fans to be at home to witness the first Neco Brett hat trick for the club as part of a four-goal second-half outburst.

#51: Oct. 26, 2019 — Hounds 7, Birmingham Legion FC 0 (Eastern Conference Quarterfinals)

The Hounds’ first playoff win on their home turf still stands as a USL Championship record for most goals in a playoff match and biggest margin of victory. Expanded seating in the Paul Child Stand allowed a then-record crowd of 5,627 to pack the stadium, a crowd that likely would have been larger if not for heavy rains that day. But the weather didn’t stop the Hounds from raining goals into the Legion net, with Brett scoring four, Jordan Dover and Robbie Mertz each adding one, and an own goal rounding out a joyous night at Highmark.

#77: April 5, 2023 — Hounds 1, Rochester NY FC 0 (forfeit, U.S. Open Cup Second Round)

We said there would be unusual ones on this list, but this one takes the cake. While wins #52-56 came in an empty stadium due to the pandemic in 2020, not even the players had to show up for this one, as the Hounds advanced when the former Rhinos — then a part of MLS Next Pro — ceased operations after the cup draw but before the season began.

#82: May 24, 2023 — Hounds 1, Columbus Crew 0 (U.S. Open Cup Round of 16)

Less than two months after the “match” with no one in the building came one where everyone attended — to the tune of a new record crowd of 6,107. Albert Dikwa took a feed from Mertz and finished the game’s only goal in the first half, and the Hounds scored their second straight shutout win over an MLS opponent after doing the same on the road to the New England Revolution a round earlier. The win was the team’s first at home over an MLS team since 2001, and it booked a spot in the quarterfinals, also a first since 2001 for the team.

#100: March 29, 2025 — Hounds 2, Birmingham Legion FC 0

The Legion were the unlucky victim for #100, as Mertz and Danny Griffin sent the Hounds to a second straight Highmark win to open the 2025 home slate. It was the sixth loss for Birmingham at Highmark, a number exceeded only by the seven losses suffered there by Hartford Athletic, who were on the short end of win #99 the week before.

Now, with #100 in the books, the Hounds will have to wait to begin work on the second hundred. The first chance at #101 doesn’t come until May 3, when the Hounds will host North Carolina FC after four consecutive road matches in April.

Professional athletes put strenuous demands on their bodies year round to compete at the highest level. But this month, Junior Etou and Illal Osumanu are taking extra care to stay fit while, at the same time, practicing their faith.

This March largely coincides with the month of Ramadan on the Islamic Calendar, a time for reflection, self-discipline and devotion for people of the Muslim faith around the world. Ramadan is considered a month for charitable acts and increased time devoted to worship, and a major part of the month’s observance is fasting from dawn to sunset, an obligation Etou and Osumanu adhere to while playing for the Hounds.

Fasting requires no eating or drinking of anything during the daylight hours, which means preparation is key for those players ahead of the team’s daily practices.

“You wake up early in the morning, and you need to get the best foods and eat something more, because you know you have training at 10 a.m.,” Etou said. “But for me, I feel like it’s not hard right now with water, because there’s not as much sunshine, and it’s not as hot. You just have to prepare and get more rest for games and training.”

“You wake up at 4:30 or 5 to eat and just try to get a lot of fluids and electrolytes in,” Osumanu said. “It’s not bad because we train at 10, so it’s only about five hours from the time you start your fast. It’s much more difficult when training is later in the day because that’s a long time between then and the last time you had food.”

While the Hounds’ training schedule is favorable for the players observing Ramadan, the match schedule is not quite as forgiving.

One step the USL Championship took, beginning last season, was the introduction of a short break during matches when sundown occurs, allowing observant players and officials the chance to break their fast. That occurred in last week’s match at San Antonio — a match that started at 7:30 Central Time — at the official sunset time in San Antonio of 7:47.

“That’s definitely helpful for me. Even if it’s 30 minutes into the game and they stop, I feel like it’s good for me to get a quick drink,” Osumanu said.

But after a complete day of fasting, the players still have to be mindful not to overdo it when given the chance to eat during a match, usually opting for fresh fruit or something light.

“You just get some quick snack, because you don’t want to eat too much and then your stomach is too full,” Etou said. “For me, it’s better to get food after the game. I just have a snack bar or a banana, and it’s good.”

Etou and Osumanu have appeared in both matches for the Hounds this season, and they have done well to prevent the fasting from affecting their performance during Ramadan, which continues this year through March 29. 

But the sacrifice required to uphold their obligation to fast is a small thing, in their minds, as they reflect on the meaning behind the fasting.

“It’s one of the pillars of being a Muslim, so observing that is one of the most important things you have to do. It’s one month out of the year when you can get closer to your faith and what you believe in,” Osumanu said. “It’s a good time of reflection and to be appreciative of life and just get closer to the things that matter.”

“You have so many people in the world who don’t have food, anything, all year. For me to not eat in the day for one month is nothing,” Etou said. “It’s important to keep doing this every year and to stay focused, mentally and physically.”

The offseason gets shorter every year, and coming up this Monday, Jan. 27, another offseason will end when the Riverhounds open their preseason camp for the 2025 season in the cozy confines of the AHN Montour Sports Complex.

That Jan. 27 date is notable, because it is the earliest start date for a preseason in club history, one made necessary because of an earlier-than-ever date to start the USL Championship regular season on March 8.

Using that small piece of trivia as a jumping-off point, we’ve prepared for the new season by assembling some of the important stats, odd facts and trivial minutiae about the Riverhounds, Highmark Stadium and more.

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A second quarter-century begins

• 2025 will be the 26th season of Riverhounds soccer, matching the number of years the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League played in the city before disbanding after the 1966-67 season. With that milestone, the Hounds’ tenure as a fully professional sports team in Pittsburgh is exceeded only by the other three in operation currently — the Pirates (143 years), Steelers (92 years) and Penguins (58 years).

(One possible exception for the history buffs: The Homestead Grays of baseball’s Negro leagues began in the Pittsburgh area and operated for 38 years. However, the club played as a barnstorming team for nearly two decades before formally joining a professional league in 1929. By 1943, the team was playing more than half of its home games in Washington, D.C., and the Grays disbanded in 1951.)

• This will be the 13th season the Riverhounds play at Highmark Stadium. That means at the end of the season, the South Shore venue will have been the home of the Hounds for exactly half of the team’s history.

• The Hounds are two home wins from their 100th at Highmark Stadium. The team enters 2025 with a 98-49-55 record in all competitions at Highmark.

• Having qualified for the USL Championship Playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, the Hounds have the second-longest active streak in the Championship behind only Louisville City FC. That is also the longest such streak among any of Pittsburgh’s four professional teams, and the Hounds are also the only one to be above .500 every year since 2018.

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Milestones in reach for players & coaches

• Eric Dick made a name for himself in his first year as the Hounds goalkeeper, riding a strong second half of the season to the Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year award. After setting a single-season club record with 14 shutouts, he comes into 2025 already tied for fifth on the all-time club leaderboard. The leader remains club Hall of Famer Randy Dedini, who had 29 clean sheets from 1999-2003.

• Club stalwarts Kenardo Forbes (226), Danny Griffin (150) and Robbie Mertz (135) are the three active Hounds with 100 appearances for the team; that group shrunk by one with the departure in free agency of Dani Rovira, who left seventh with 139 matches played. Next in line to join the century club? Fourth-year defender Luke Biasi, who has appeared in 80 matches over his first three seasons in Pittsburgh.

• Forbes and Mertz check in as the active leaders in goals for the club with 19 and 18, respectively, making them the leading candidates to hit 20 goals for the Riverhounds, a feat achieved by 12 players in team history.

• Griffin’s 150 games comes with a quirky pair of statistics that underline his tireless work rate marshaling the midfield while not crossing the line into dirty play. Griffin has been booked 25 times in his career, the most in Hounds history, yet his 150 games are the most by a Hounds player who has never been shown a red card in a match.

• Head coach Bob Lilley goes into his 25th season as a professional head coach still boasting the remarkable streak of having never had a losing season or missing the playoffs. With 405 wins, he also remains the active wins leader among coaches in American pro leagues. His total includes 23 wins leading the Detroit Ignition in the indoor MISL, placing Lilley’s outdoor pro wins total at 382. That means the Hounds’ boss needs 18 wins to reach 400 victories leading teams in American professional outdoor leagues, another milestone not reached by any coach across MLS, USL (all pro leagues), NASL (in both its incarnations), NWSL and earlier American leagues with readily available records.

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Way-too-early roster breakdown

• As of Jan. 22, the Hounds have 15 players under contract. Based off previous seasons, leaves approximately 7-9 open spots to be filled on the roster.

• Thirteen of the 15 players were with the team a season ago, which is the most returning players off a previous season’s end-of-year roster since the 2006 season, when the Hounds also returned 13 players.

• Forbes is still the senior member of the roster at age 36 and in his eighth season with the club, while the youngest among the current roster is first-year pro Brigham Larsen at age 22. Next by age are Junior Etou and Dick, both 30, while next by seniority with the club are Mertz and Griffin, both in their sixth season.

• Ten of the current Hounds are American, with eight different states represented; both Jackson Walti and Charles Ahl call Florida home. Other countries represented on the roster are Jamaica (Forbes), Ghana (Illal Osumanu), Norway (Larsen), France (Bertin Jacquesson and Etou) and the Republic of the Congo (also Etou, who was born in the capital, Brazzaville, but raised in Paris).

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Where are we going, and who are these guys?

• With few changes to the makeup of the USL Championship, nearly all of the team’s road trips will be to familiar venues. The first new stop, in an unofficial sense, will come when the Hounds visit Lexington SC for a Feb. 28 preseason match, though the exhibition won’t count on the team’s official records.

• Perhaps the most famous venue on the Hounds’ 2025 schedule is an old one, yet a new one to us: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The stadium that became famous as the “Black Hole” for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders is the new, temporary home of Oakland Roots SC, and the Hounds will visit on Sept. 6. While the Raiders have since vacated the premises, the Coliseum will go down as the fourth current/former NFL stadium to host the Hounds, joining the Tennessee Titans’ Nissan Stadium (Nashville SC, 2018), the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium (Indy Eleven, 2018-20) and the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium (New England Revolution, 2023).

• The addition of the Jägermeister Cup competition will pit the Hounds against two new foes out of USL League One. The team on June 28 will host Westchester SC, a new club unrelated to the Westchester Flames that once battled the Hounds in the old USL Pro Soccer League. Later, on July 26, comes a visit to Portland Hearts of Pine. And, of course, this year’s U.S. Open Cup will also present an opportunity to face new opponents as the Hounds bid to reach the quarterfinals for the third time and progress farther.

• The match against Hearts of Pine will be played at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, Maine, marking the first time the Riverhounds have ever visited the Pine Tree State. Maine will be the 35th state the club has played in — not to mention the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and the nations of Bermuda and Antigua — and it will leave Vermont, Delaware and Mississippi as the only U.S. states East of the Mississippi River where the Hounds have never played a match.

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When selecting the Riverhounds’ No. 1 moment of 2024, the top spot goes to a game that, midway through the season, no one would have seen coming.

On July 6, the Hounds were in a place unseen during the Bob Lilley era. Through 18 matches and after a shock loss to Monterey Bay, the team had a 3-9-6 record and were sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only moribund Miami. 

But then the team started hitting its stride, picking up home wins over Oakland and Hartford to snap a 10-match winless streak. The question was, did the Hounds have enough time to dig their way out of the hole?

The team made up ground by going 5-1-6 in the next 12, but there was still work to be done in a four-game October sprint to the finish. With all the pressure on down the stretch, the team won 4-0 in Miami. Then they stunned Charleston at home, 2-0. Then came a 2-0 win in a virtual elimination game at Loudoun.

After all that, the stakes were clear for the regular-season finale on Oct. 26: Win against visiting El Paso, and the turnaround would be completed with a club-record seventh consecutive postseason berth.

The sellout crowd of 5,748 at Highmark Stadium brought an energy fueled by the momentum of recent results, and it didn’t take long for the team on the field to ignite the biggest celebrations of the year and the season’s No. 1 moment.

Edward Kizza got to work early, and in the ninth minute, he tied a club record with a goal in five consecutive games. As he had done multiple times during the season, he found an open pocket in the box to meet a Robbie Mertz free kick, and his header gave no chance to El Paso goalkeeper and former Hound Jahmali Waite.

As they had done previously in their October winning streak, the Hounds didn’t sit back on the lead, but instead hunted for a second goal. And as it turned out, El Paso would provide the final touch for them.

Only 10 minutes after Kizza’s opener, Mertz again whipped a free kick into the box from a wide position near the goal line. El Paso defender Ricky Ruiz was the unlucky party in the mixer, as the ball deflected off his head and into his own goal, doubling the Pittsburgh lead.

The Hounds knew with a two-goal lead and against one of the league’s lowest-scoring teams, all they had to do was hold their nerve and turn in a responsible defensive effort to finish the job.

They did exactly that, conceding 73.7 percent of possession after halftime but still producing a higher expected goals (xG) number than the visitors after the break. Both Bertin Jacquesson and Kizza came close to adding a third goal that would have sent Highmark into an uproar, while goalkeeper Eric Dick was sure-handed to close out the clean sheet, making the saves asked of him to clinch the USL Championship Golden Glove in the process of closing out a 2-0 win.

Dick would be honored after the match as the Steel Army supporters’ group Player of the Year, and fans were able to stay on the field longer than usual to celebrate with the players and enjoy a free concert by Mini Kiss, part of the Fan Appreciation Night festivities.

In the end, the win ended a month of October when the Hounds would outscore their opponents 10-0 and take all 12 points available, needing every one to be assured of a trip to the USL Championship Playoffs once again.

The excitement-filled night capped off a season that had more tumult than other recent years. But with the highest of high notes to end the regular season — coupled with at least half of last season’s roster set to return for 2025 — that consequential victory brought the 25th anniversary season to a joyous close at home and set the stage for bigger and better to start the team’s second quarter-century.

(Gallery photos below by Chris Cowger and Mallory Neil, Riverhounds SC)

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Riverhounds’ Best of 2024

#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
#3: Another Crown for the King
#2: Revved Up for the Riveters
#1: High-Flying Finish

Earlier entries in this year’s “Best of” series have celebrated the men of the Riverhounds, but women are the stars of the year’s No. 2 moment.

It all began on April 27, when team president Jeff Garner, flanked by girls from the Riverhounds Academy, announced to the crowd at the Hounds match against Detroit City FC that Pittsburgh would be getting a team in the USL W League for 2025.

Months of behind-the-scenes planning followed, and the result was a spectacular multimedia reveal on Sept. 18, introducing the city — and people across the country — to the Pittsburgh Riveters.

Introducing Pittsburgh Riveters SC ⚫️🟡🔴  

Make sure to follow the Pittsburgh Riveters SC accounts for all things USL W Pittsburgh! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Jo8bUPAN79

— Pittsburgh Riveters SC (@RivetersSC) September 18, 2024

For the Hounds organization, the Riveters represent a necessary addition. 

After years of a successful girls academy program sending players to the next level, the Riveters give the club its own senior-level women’s team for the first time. And in the USL W League, it provides a place for young women, coming from both the academy and elsewhere, to compete against the highest level of competition nationally and prepare for the professional game.

The reveal itself coincided with an event at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District, where fans could pick up free Riveters bandanas and learn the story behind the team’s name — a reference to the World War II-era, Pittsburgh-created image of Rosie the Riveter.

While the brand reveal itself is the moment, the Riveters have continued to grow and build excitement in the months since.

Head coach Scott Gibson and goalkeeper coach Reaghan Duval were named the first two members of the coaching staff. North Carolina junior Tessa Dellarose was the first player to join the team, indicating the level of play expected by adding a U.S. Youth National Team player and soon-to-be NCAA Champion. And the club indicated its commitment to growing the Riveters and women’s sports in Pittsburgh with the formation of its Women’s Sports Advisory Committee, a select panel of leaders in business, sports and other fields.

Now, with seven players on the team after holding their first tryouts in December, the Riveters are well on their way to making an even bigger splash in 2025. But it all began with one of this year’s biggest moments, when the world met the Riveters on Sept. 18.

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Riverhounds’ Best of 2024

#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
#3: Another Crown for the King
#2: Revved up for the Riveters
#1: Coming Dec. 30

When Kenardo Forbes arrived in Pittsburgh in 2018 from the Rochester Rhinos, he was already an established USL Championship player with a championship and a pair of All-League honors to his name.

Fast forward to 2024, the Jamaican midfielder known as “King Kenny” is the most decorated player in Riverhounds history. And on April 6 this year against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, he claimed a record seven years in the making — the Riverhounds’ all-time appearances mark.

Forbes already held records for assists and most all-league honors coming into the season, but the year kicked off knowing he needed only three appearances to match the 18-year-old record of 195 set by David Flavius. He got those in the team’s first three matches, meaning the home match against the Rowdies would be the night he had a chance to make the record his own.

So with the Highmark Stadium crowd ready to salute the club legend and with Flavius in attendance, there was little chance coach Bob Lilley — the coach who brought Forbes to Pittsburgh after moving from Rochester himself — was going to leave Forbes out of the lineup.

“I still think he has a lot to give to the organization as a player, a coach and in other capacities,” Lilley said in an interview prior to that match. “He’s just a class person.”

The result was a pregame ceremony that could be viewed as a passing of the torch. Flavius, still the club’s goal scoring leader, a Hall of Fame and a former St. Lucian international who continues living in Pittsburgh, was all smiles as he shook hands with Forbes, another former international from a Caribbean nation who has made a home in the Steel City.

Though the match itself finished as a 0-0 draw, there was vintage form on display from Forbes in his 74 minutes of the field. He connected on 47 of 58 passes (81 percent), including 13 of 15 in the attacking third. He also created three chances and won possession 10 times in a complete box-to-box effort from the player who would turn 36 later in the season.

After the match, Forbes was hailed by the Steel Army and other longtime supporters for his new record. He would go on later in the season to also establish the USL Championship record for appearances, and by season’s end, Forbes had run the club record to 226 matches.

And whether there is more to come in Forbes’ decorated career — he helped bring the Players’ Shield to Pittsburgh in 2023 but said he still wants a championship for his adopted home — King Kenny is proud of his milestones.

“That was not on my list coming here, but it’s nice to get those two (records),” Forbes said. “Coming here, we wanted to take (the club) to a new level, and I think we did that.”

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Riverhounds’ Best of 2024

#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
#3: Another Crown for the King
#2: Coming Dec. 29
#1: Coming Dec. 30

With 2024 being the 25th anniversary season for the Riverhounds, there were plenty of nods back to the team’s roots throughout the year.

Naturally, one of the highlights was going to be the year’s induction weekend for the Riverhounds Hall of Fame. The Class of 2024 turned out to be a true throwback, as the voters selected three individuals from the original 1999 team — midfielder Gary DePalma and goalkeeper Randy Dedini as players, and assistant coach Paul Child as a builder, covering his many roles with the club over two decades.

And while the induction ceremony honored the past on Friday, July 12, the present grabbed attention of its own on the field the following night. Child, Dedini and DePalma delivered the match ball, and the Hounds couldn’t be stopped from hammering it into the net on the way to their most lopsided victory in three years, routing Oakland Roots SC by a 5-0 score at Highmark Stadium.

Little went wrong on the weekend, and the Friday night ceremony was highlighted by speeches from the inductees, Hall of Famers Justin Evans and John Kowalski of the inaugural class and current Hounds coach Bob Lilley, who coached against all three of this year’s inductees when he led the Hershey Wildcats and Montreal Impact.

The three honorees all had different perspectives to share when it was their turn to speak, but one common thread through all three was the pride they took in helping the club take off. Dedini, in particular, marveled at how things had changed and grown — it was the California native’s first visit to Highmark Stadium — and he expressed gratitude that the work he and others put in during those initial years was picked up and carried to new heights in the current USL Championship.

While a few members of the current Hounds were present on induction night, it seemed as though the full squad got the message of carrying on a winning tradition, as they snapped their season-long winless streak in emphatic fashion.

Junior Etou scored the first and last goals of the match in a performance that earned the veteran wing back his first Championship Player of the Week honor. Robbie Mertz scored from the penalty spot, Sean Suber scored his first professional goal, Bradley Sample notched his first two professional assists, and — most fitting of all — the fourth goal was netted by Kenardo Forbes, a player who will almost certainly be in the Hounds Hall of Fame when first eligible.

With past and present united in such a fitting way, the Hall of Fame weekend was without a doubt one of the top moments of 2024.

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Riverhounds’ Best of 2024

#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
#3: Coming Dec. 28
#2: Coming Dec. 29
#1: Coming Dec. 30

(This is the first of five entries in our annual listing of the biggest Riverhounds moments of the year. Check back tomorrow for No. 4 before a short holiday break ahead of Nos. 3-1 appearing to close out 2024.)

There was a strong sense of tension heading into the Riverhounds’ home match against Detroit City FC on April 27.

The start of the season had been bumpy, to say the least. The team went winless in its first five matches, and while a 3-1 win at Phoenix provided some relief the weekend prior, the Hounds still had not won either of their home matches to that point.

Add in the opponent — the same Detroit side who upset the Hounds in the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs and was undefeated to start 2024 — and there was reason for both players and fans to be a little keyed up heading into the match.

As it turned out, fans and players alike were more than ready.

Bolstered by a raucous crowd of 6,099 fans that set a new regular-season record for Highmark Stadium, the Hounds came out of the gates flying with a pair of first-half goals to send Detroit to their first defeat of the season, 2-0.

The first half was chock full of moments that kept the vibes riding high, starting with a crafty dribble and shot from Junior Etou that forced a strong diving stop by Detroit goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher. But there was nothing the goalie could do to intervene when the Hounds got a corner kick in the 20th minute.

Kenardo Forbes sent the ball to the back post, where Robbie Mertz popped it back across the face of goal. No Hounds player could turn it toward goal, but the ball made its way back to Mertz on the right side. The midfielder’s second ball to the front was inch-perfect, and Pat Hogan — who had been knocked to the ground on the initial corner kick — was in the right place to head home his first goal as a Hounds player for a 1-0 lead.

The excitement continued in the 33rd minute when Etou weaved his way into the box once again. This time, Detroit’s Devon Amoo-Mensah lunged in to prevent Etou from firing another shot, but his challenge also took Etou to the ground, causing referee Kyle Johnston to point to the penalty spot.

Hounds captain Danny Griffin stepped up to take the penalty kick, and though Steinwascher got his hand to the ball, the shot to the bottom left corner had too much power and continued into the side of the net for a 2-0 lead.

While the second half was goalless, there was still plenty for the home crowd to cheer. Pittsburgh native and Hounds Academy alum Nate Dragisich made his second career appearance as a substitute, and fans got one last chance to heckle venerable Detroit captain Stephen Carroll after the defender was sent off for a challenge on Dani Rovira.

At the end of the match, the bottom line was the Hounds coming away with three critical points. But adding in the small measure of payback against Detroit and how it reignited the magic at Highmark Stadium made the match one of the nights to remember in 2024. 

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Riverhounds’ Best of 2024

#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Coming Monday, Dec. 23
#3: TBA
#2: TBA
#1: TBA