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Eric Dick named Goalkeeper of the Year

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Goalie Eric Dick being named Goalkeeper of the Year

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 19, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC goalkeeper Eric Dick was announced this afternoon as the USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year, the league’s top annual honor for the position.

Dick was outstanding in his first season with the Riverhounds after signing as a free agent. The shot stopper was first in the Championship with a 0.69 goals-against average and a .791 save percentage, while also tying for the league lead with 14 shutouts.

The Hounds’ goalkeeper received 49 percent of the vote for the award, voted upon by club officials and media members, to finish ahead of fellow finalists Danny Vitiello of Sacramento Republic FC and Renan Ribeiro of Hartford Athletic. By winning Goalkeeper of the Year, Dick swept the league’s postseason honors for goalkeepers in 2024 — Goalkeeper of the Year, Golden Glove (lowest GAA) and First Team All-USL.

“I’m honored and grateful to receive this award. First, I must congratulate Danny and Renan for outstanding seasons and all of the goalkeepers that make up one heck of a talented USL Goalkeepers’ Union,” Dick said. “I truly give all the glory to God, for it is through him and for him that I play the game.”

Dick came to the Riverhounds after spending the past two seasons under contract with Minnesota United FC of MLS. A former first-round MLS draft pick by Sporting Kansas City, Dick also spent time with the Columbus Crew, but this season represented his first run as a regular starter since 2018-19 when he was on loan with former USL Championship club Swope Park Rangers.

He shined with the opportunity, starting 26 matches and making 68 saves — the most by a Hounds goalkeeper since 2012 — also setting the club’s single-season shutouts record and helping the Hounds allow a league-low 28 goals.

According to advanced metrics by Opta, Dick also had a league-best 10.44 Goals Prevented with just 18 goals allowed while facing an Expected Goals on Target Conceded mark of 28.44. That helped the Hounds clinch their seventh consecutive USL Championship Playoffs berth, extending the longest such run in club history.

“My name may be on the award, but it should simply read ‘Riverhounds.’ The front office, coach Bob Lilley and the rest of the coaching staff took a chance on me. My GK coach, Jon Busch, along with Jacob (Randolph) and Gabriel (Perrotta) made up the best dang GKU in the league,” Dick said. “I’m also thankful to the athletic training staff and strength staff for keeping myself and everyone healthy and strong.”

Dick continued: “My teammates, who were the ones doing the hard work, running around, cutting out far more chances than those that ever got to me. They made my job so easy by being the best defense in the USL. I am an extension of them all. And a final thanks to our amazing fans who stood by us all year. You made Highmark Stadium a party all season long!”

Eric Dick chosen for All-League First Team

Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick takes the field ahead of the team's match against San Antonio FC on Aug. 10, 2024, at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. (Photo: Mallory Neil/Riverhounds SC) — *Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick takes the field ahead of the team’s match against San Antonio FC on Aug. 10, 2024, at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. (Photo: Mallory Neil/Riverhounds SC)*

(Updated with league awards information on Nov. 14)

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 13, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC goalkeeper Eric Dick was selected to the 2024 USL Championship All-League First Team, the league announced today.

Dick, who completed his first season with the Riverhounds in 2024, was also the winner of the league’s Golden Glove award with a 0.69 goals-against average, the lowest in the league. He also finished the season with a .791 save percentage that was second amongst qualified goalkeepers, and his 14 shutouts tied for the league lead and set a new Riverhounds’ single-season record.

After coming to the Hounds as a free agent from Minnesota United of MLS, the 30-year-old native of Roeland Park, Kan., started 26 of the Hounds’ 34 regular-season matches. He allowed only 18 goals in those games, as the Hounds allowed a league-low 28 goals total in 2024.

Dick becomes the first Hounds goalkeeper to earn First Team honors in the “modern” USL Championship era (2011-present), and only the second in club history after Hunter Gilstrap took First Team honors in the 2010 USL Second Division. Dick is also the 14th All-USL honoree in the past seven seasons under coach Bob Lilley, and the seventh First Team pick during that time.

(Updated 11/14) Dick also was named Thursday as one of the three finalists for the USL Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award, one of the league’s five individual postseason awards. He is joined by former Hounds shot stopper Danny Vitiello of Sacramento Republic FC and Hartford Athletic goalie Renan Ribeiro on the candidate list for the award.

The winner will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 19, as part of the awards week that leads into the USL Championship Final on Saturday, Nov. 23, airing live on CBS.

To see the complete USL Championship All-League Teams, visit uslchampionship.com.

Picture of Eric Dick with his nomination to the 2024 USL first team All- League

Kizza nominated for Player of the Month

Pittsburgh Riverhounds forward Edward Kizza celebrates after scoring a goal against Hartford Athletic on July 20, 2024, at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh — *Edward Kizza is one of four finalists for USL Championship Player of the Month in October. (Photo: Steven Smith/For Riverhounds SC)*

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 31, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC striker Edward Kizza is one of four finalists for the USL Championship Player of the Month for October, the league announced this afternoon.

Kizza is the first Hounds player to be up for the award in 2024 after scoring a goal in all four of the Hounds’ matches — victories over Miami, Charleston, Loudoun and El Paso — during the month. The scoring outburst brought Kizza’s season total to a career-best 12 goals, and it helped propel the Hounds from 10th in the Eastern Conference at the start of the month to a seventh consecutive USL Championship Playoffs berth as the No. 7 seed.

Other finalists for the award are Danny Barrera of Hartford Athletic, Evan Conway of North Carolina FC, and JJ Williams of Rhode Island FC.

Fan voting — as well as a vote by the league’s Technical Committee and National Media Panel — will run through noon Monday, Nov. 4. The winner will be announced after voting has concluded.

Hounds fans can vote for Kizza by visiting USLChampionship.com or by clicking the button below!

VOTE EDWARD KIZZA FOR PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Mertz, Dick chosen for Team of the Week

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+.

Pittsburgh RIverhounds Midfielder Robbie Mertz dribbling a ball with the team of the week graphic.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick rolling a ball to his defender with the team of the week graphic.

Eric Dick wins USL Championship Golden Glove

2024 Golden Glove winner and Pittsburgh Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick during a Home Game at Highmark Stadium — *Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick (Photo: Chris Cowger/Riverhounds SC)*

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 27, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC goalkeeper Eric Dick is the winner of the 2024 USL Championship Golden Glove, presented by Select Sport America, awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-against average across the league.

Dick was confirmed as the winner of the award after the conclusion of the regular season Saturday. He ended the regular season having allowed 18 goals in 26 matches, good for a league-best 0.69 goals-against average.

Dick, 30, signed with the Riverhounds as a free agent prior to this season. Having spent time as a backup in MLS with Sporting Kansas City, Columbus Crew and Minnesota United, this season was his first opportunity to be a regular starter since a 2018-19 loan spell with former USL side Swope Park Rangers.

The Roeland Park, Kansas, native made the most of that chance, recording a Hounds-record 14 clean sheets on the season and stopping 68 of 86 shots on goal for a .791 save percentage, which goes down as the fourth-best single-season percentage in club history.

Dick is the second Hounds player to win the Golden Glove after Danny Vitiello, who earned the award in 2020.

Date, time, TV set for playoff opener

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Players Sean Suber and Danny Griffin making a tackle against the Charleston Battery who will square off in the USL championship Playoffs

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 27, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC will face the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mount Pleasant, S.C., the league announced this morning.

The match between the seventh-seeded Hounds (12-10-12) and the No. 2 seed Battery (18-6-10) will be streamed on ESPN+. Local television details are still to be confirmed.

The Hounds secured their postseason spot Saturday with a 2-0 win over El Paso, which brought the regular season to a close on a four-match win streak, including a 2-0 win over the Battery on Oct. 12 in Pittsburgh. The teams also played to a 0-0 draw on June 8 at Patriots Point.

Though the Hounds and Battery have met 44 times and are the two oldest clubs in the Championship — the Hounds began play in 1999, six years after the Battery started in 1993 — this will be only the second time they have matched up in the postseason. The teams also met in the 2001 USL A-League First Round, where the Hounds won both matches of a two-legged playoff, winning 2-1 at home on Sept. 20, 2001, and 3-1 two days later in South Carolina.

RDA partners with AHN Sports Performance

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 24, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and the Riverhounds Development Academy are proud to announce their training partnership with AHN Sports Performance for the 2024-25 season.

The AHN staff will provide programming for RDA players throughout the season to assist players in growing their skill set and expanding their experience with enhanced speed, strength and performance training.

AHN will provide training for RDA players on the 13U-15U teams twice per week in the fall and once per week during the winter and spring to help them further develop their skills. The 16U-19U teams will be provided with advanced comprehensive training specific to their age and skill, in addition to the same training schedule as the younger teams.

AHN Sports Performance strives to provide the RDA teams with access to specialized sports science equipment and technologies to enhance their training and performance. In addition to training accompaniment, AHN will be providing RDA players with recovery modalities to aid their physical well-being and recovery.

“AHN Sports Performance and Physical Therapy is very excited about partnering up with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy! The strength training, conditioning and recovery programming for the RDA athletes is age specific, periodized according to where the athlete is in their competitive season and designed to reduce injury risk while putting the player in a position to enhance performance,” AHN Director of Sports Performance Frank Velasquez said.

“Our programming consists of time-tested, research-supported methodologies, along with the use of advanced sports science equipment, to help identify program direction for each player. Blended with the top-level soccer skill instruction that RDA coaches provide on the field, this partnership will only enhance player durability and development.”

With a total number of 564 sessions available across all teams, the value of this program equates to over $550 per player that comes with being a part of the RDA.

Through this partnership with AHN Sports Performance, the Riverhounds and RDA continue to encourage health and well-being for each of their players across all teams and ages.

“We are delighted to partner with the team at AHN Sports Performance. This collaboration will provide our RDA players with the opportunity to have access to professional strength, conditioning, and recovery-based training in a state-of-the-art facility at Montour. The partnership will also add another specialized layer to the overall body of work that our players receive throughout the course of the season,” Academy Director Scott Gibson said.

Two Hounds land on league’s best 11

Pittsburgh Riverhounds wing back Langston Blackstock plays a pass against Loudoun United FC on Oct. 19, 2024 at Segra Field in Leesburg, Va. — *Hounds wing back Langston Blackstock plays a pass in the team’s 2-0 win over Loudoun United FC on Saturday at Segra Field in Leesburg, Va. (Photo courtesy of Loudoun United FC)*

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 22, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC defender Langston Blackstock and forward Bertin Jacquesson were named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 33, the league announced this afternoon.

The duo connected on the Hounds’ second goal in the team’s 2-0 win at Loudoun United FC last Saturday that kept them in position to reach the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. They were joined in the weekly honors by goalkeeper Eric Dick, who was named to one of the team’s bench spots after a four-save clean sheet, his 13th shutout of the season.

Jacquesson is on the Team of the Week for the second time in three weeks, as he continues his torrid scoring pace since joining the Hounds on loan at the start of September. His first-touch finish in the 59th minute against Loudoun was his fifth goal in six matches for the Hounds, and he also drew four free kicks and won possession a team-leading eight times in the match.

It is the first Team of the Week honor for Blackstock, the second year pro who has settled into a wing back role for the Hounds. His assist on Jacquesson’s goal was his fourth of the season, tying him for the team lead. Blackstock also recorded three interceptions and three clearances, and he led the team with 10 final-third entries and 14 total passes in the attacking third of the field.

To see the full Team of the Week for Week 33, visit uslchampionship.com.

The Hounds close out the regular-season this Saturday, when they host El Paso Locomotive at 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. The team is assured of a spot in the USL Championship Playoffs with a win, and tickets for the match are still available through Ticketmaster and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.

Jacquesson named Player of the Week

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 8, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Bertin Jacquesson was named the USL Championship Player of the Week, presented by Konami eFootball, the league announced this afternoon.

Jacquesson scored his first hat trick as a professional in the Hounds’ 4-0 win at Miami FC last Saturday, keeping the team in the playoff hunt with three matches to play. He now has four goals and an assist in four matches since joining the Hounds on loan from Real Salt Lake.

All four of the Hounds’ goals came in a span of just 33 minutes of play, starting when Jacquesson used his chest to turn home a cross by Junior Etou in the 42nd minute. His second goal in the 51st minutes is a Goal of the Week nominee, a sharp-angled finish from along the goal line after the forward saw the goalkeeper moving off his line for a cross, rather than a shot. Jacquesson completed the hat trick with the game’s fourth goal, settling a long, diagonal ball from Bradley Sample and finishing around the onrushing goalkeeper.

Jacquesson finished the match taking nine total shots — six on goal — and he also won possession five times, including three passes intercepted.

This is the third time in 2024 a Hounds player has been named Player of the Week, after Edward Kizza (Week 7) and Junior Etou (Week 19) also took the top weekly honor, and only the second time since the award’s inception that three different Hounds players have earned it in the same season. (2019 — Steevan Dos Santos, Neco Brett, Kenardo Forbes)

Joining Jacquesson on the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 31 is Hounds goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta, who like Jacquesson, is making his first appearance in the league’s best 11.

Perrotta made four saves in the shutout win over Miami, as the first-year pro recorded his first clean sheet as a professional. According to Opta statistics, Perrotta’s contribution accounted for a -1.17 goals prevented mark, the highest such number posted last weekend by a goalkeeper in a shutout performance.

To see the full USL Championship Team of the Week, visit uslchampionship.com.

Pittsburgh Riveters unveiled as name, logo for W League team

PITTSBURGH (Sept. 18, 2024) — Pittsburgh’s newest addition to the sports scene, its USL W League team, has been officially named the Pittsburgh Riveters. Donning the city’s iconic black and yellow colors, the team revealed its name and logo today during a virtual unveiling, marking the beginning of an exciting new era for women’s soccer in the Steel City.

Chosen through a community-wide “Name the Team” poll, the Riveters emerged with a clear majority out of multiple fan-submitted options, capturing 53 percent of nearly 10,000 votes cast. The name pays homage to Pittsburgh’s proud industrial heritage, while the team’s bold logo incorporates the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, a symbol of strength, resilience, and female empowerment dating back to World War II.

The popular image of Rosie the Riveter first gained recognition in a 1943 poster with the slogan “We Can Do It,” created by J. Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh-area native, for Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. Originally designed to boost worker morale during wartime, Rosie has since evolved into a lasting emblem of women’s contributions to the workforce and society at large, appearing on magazine covers, postage stamps and across popular culture. She remains a timeless symbol of empowerment, and the Pittsburgh Riveters Soccer Club proudly embodies her spirit on the soccer field.

“Rosie the Riveter is more than just an image from our past, she’s a symbol of what we believe in as an organization,” said Jeff Garner, President of Pittsburgh Riveters SC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. “The resilience, unity, and courage she represents are the same traits we want our players and fans to embrace as we embark on this new chapter for Pittsburgh sports. This team is not only honoring history but also creating its own path for future generations.”

Set to begin play in the 2025 USL W League season beginning in May, the Riveters will play their home matches at Highmark Stadium. The senior-level First Team will serve as a vital stepping stone for young women aspiring to reach the highest levels of soccer, domestically and internationally.

“We’re already hard at work building the inaugural Riveters’ team and are very excited about the level of talent we’ll be able to showcase on the field next summer,” said Dan Visser, Sporting Director of the Riveters and Riverhounds. “We’re confident this special group of women will not only give fans something to cheer about, but also inspire the next generation of young girls in Western Pennsylvania and beyond.”

With preparations well under way for the 2025 season, more details regarding the coaching staff, tryouts, schedule, and ticketing will be announced in the coming months. Season ticket deposits for the inaugural Riveters season can be placed online, and fans can stay connected by visiting www.riveterssc.com and following @RivetersSC on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter.

Media inquiries and interview requests for the Riveters can be submitted to media@riverhounds.com.

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