USL News

PITTSBURGH (April 23, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Edward Kizza was named as the USL Championship Player of the Week, presented by Konami eFootball, the league announced this afternoon.

Kizza helped spark the Hounds offense to life last Saturday in a 3-1 road win at defending league champion Phoenix Rising FC. The third-year Hounds player set up the opening goal by Kazaiah Sterling with a tricky backheeled pass in the box; the combination also earned a nomination for USL Championship Goal of the Week. 

Kizza added the game-winning goal in the second half  to snap a 1-1 tie, giving the Hounds their first road win at a Western Conference opponent in their last 12 attempts.

In addition to his scoring exploits, Kizza connected on 21 of his 25 passes in the match and harried the Phoenix back line into winning possession five times, tied for the most on the team.

For Kizza, a native of Uganda and former University of Pittsburgh standout, it is his first Player of the Week honor in the USL Championship. He took the honor by receiving 45 percent of the league-wide vote, finishing just ahead of Charleston’s MD Myers. The full Team of the Week for Week 7 will be announced at 2:30 p.m. at uslchampionship.com.

The Hounds are back at home this Saturday, when they host Detroit City FC in a 7 p.m. match at Highmark Stadium. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or by contacting the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

TAMPA, Fla. and PITTSBURGH (Nov. 15, 2023) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Bob Lilley was named the 2023 USL Championship Coach of the Year, with the legendary head coach claiming the honor for the second time in the USL Championship era after leading the Hounds to the Players’ Shield with the best record in the 2023 regular season.

Now in his third decade on the sidelines, Lilley guided the Hounds to the top of the Eastern Conference standings for the second time in the past five seasons. Pittsburgh suffered a league-fewest five defeats in the regular season, conceded the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (29), and recorded 67 points – an average of 1.97 per game across the 34-game schedule.

The Hounds’ position as a postseason contender has been a hallmark of Lilley’s six-year tenure at the club. Having previously only advanced to the playoffs in consecutive seasons once prior to Lilley’s arrival in 2018, the side has now reached the USL Championship Playoffs in six consecutive campaigns.

In addition to the club’s league success, the Hounds also advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2001, defeating the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew SC – sides that finished fifth and third respectively in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference this season – along the way.

“We had a very good season, and it couldn’t have happened without the effort of our whole coaching staff, Dan Visser and Jon Busch, as well as the tremendous support ownership and the front office provided to allow us to build a winning team,” Lilley said. “Our players worked hard all season and bought in to how we wanted to play, and it was through the contributions of everyone involved that we were able to win the Players’ Shield this season.”

Honored previously as Coach of the Year in 2015, when he led the Rochester Rhinos to the Players’ Shield and USL Championship title, Lilley is the second coach in the Championship era to win the award twice alongside former Orlando City SC Head Coach Adrian Heath, who won the award in 2011 and 2012. The 57-year-old has also become the league’s all-time leader in coaching victories, currently holding an overall regular season record of 163-66-97 in the Championship era.

Overall, Lilley has been named Coach of the Year five times in the Championship and its predecessor leagues — in 1997 with the Hershey Wildcats, 2003 with the Montreal Impact and in both 2010 and 2015 with the Rhinos. With 357 wins at the professional level, Lilley has the most wins of any active coach in U.S. Soccer. Lilley also has a 106-42-55 record in his six years leading the Riverhounds, giving him the most wins and best winning percentage in club history.

Lilley received 61 percent of the ballot to earn this year’s award. Charleston Battery head coach Ben Pirmann finished second on 20 percent after leading his new club to a league-record 34-point improvement on the way to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and an eventual berth in the 2023 USL Championship Final, while Sacramento Republic FC’s Mark Briggs finished third on nine percent as he led his side to the top of the Western Conference. Seven individuals received votes overall.

The 2023 USL Championship Awards were voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.

TAMPA, Fla. and PITTSBURGH (Nov. 14, 2023) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC center back Arturo Ordoñez was announced today as the 2023 USL Championship Defender of the Year, with the Spanish center back earning the honor after a standout season in which he anchored the best back line in the Championship’s Eastern Conference while also contributing to the side in the attacking third.

A native of Salou, Spain, Ordoñez had a standout second season for the Hounds. He ranked second in the league with 106 aerial duels won at a success rate of 75.7 percent and also made 239 recoveries, also good for second among outfield players.

Overall, Ordóñez won 63.7 percent of duels and 69.6 percent of tackles and also scored five goals, including the insurance marker in the Hounds’ 2-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies that clinched the Players’ Shield for the club’s first silverware in the USL Championship era. His five goals were the most by a defender in on season in team history.

“I’m really, really happy to get an award like this in a league with the amount of talent and good players that are in the USL Championship,” Ordóñez said. “I also want to thank all my teammates. They were all so important and made my job easier, and I want to thank the Riverhounds’ coaches for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play.”

The 26-year-old competed in the lower divisions of Spanish soccer for Pobla de Mafumet and on loan with Castelldefels before making the move across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. Twice voted to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-League Team and the ACC All-Tournament Team, Ordoñez remained in Pittsburgh to turn pro with the Hounds before the 2022 season.

Over the past two seasons, he has recorded 66 appearances – second only to fellow 2023 All-League selection Kenardo Forbes for the Hounds – and leads the club with 262 clearances, 354 duels won overall, and 216 aerial duels won. He was a fixture in the back line, as his 5,647 minutes played were the most ever by a Hounds player in their first two pro seasons.

Ordoñez received 45 percent of the ballot to earn the award. Sacramento Republic FC’s Jack Gurr finishes second with 40 percent after recording five goals and six assists in a sterling two-way campaign for the top side in the Western Conference, while Gurr’s Republic FC teammate Conor Donovan finished third on 14 percent.

The 2023 USL Championship Awards were voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. and PITTSBURGH (Nov. 12, 2023) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Albert Dikwa has earned the 2023 USL Championship Player of the Year award, with the Cameroonian forward claiming the award after a career season in which he also took the Championship’s Golden Boot while leading the Hounds to the Players’ Shield in the regular season.

Dikwa was announced as the winner and presented the award during halftime of the USL Championship Final between the Charleston Battery and Phoenix Rising FC, which was broadcast live tonight on ESPN2.

In his fourth season with the Hounds, Dikwa recorded a league-leading 20 goals in 28 appearances during the regular season. The 25-year-old averaged a goal every 114.7 minutes on a shot conversion rate of 33.9 percent, and scored 40 percent of the Hounds’ goals as they claimed their first silverware in the USL Championship era.

“It’s incredible for me to be named Player of the Year, and I’m truly grateful for this great honor and recognition given by the league,” Dikwa said on-field during the award ceremony. “Being honest, the journey wasn’t easy, it was really long. But thanks to the league, the clubs, the USLPA. The standard of this league is getting better and better, and today, I can proudly say the USL Championship is one of the best second-division leagues in the world. I’m happy to be part of the league and contribute and make people happy.”

The season put together by Dikwa was a historic one in club history. With one goal in U.S. Open Cup play, Dikwa had 21 goals overall, tied for the second-most in a single year for the Hounds. He is the third Hounds player to win the league’s Player of the Year/Most Valuable player, joining 2003 A-League MVP Thiago Martins and 2013 Championship MVP José Angulo, both of whom were also the league’s leading scorer in their MVP seasons.

Dikwa joined the Hounds prior to the 2020 season having previously played in the Championship for Orlando City B and Saint Louis FC. A season ago he had a breakout year, recording double-digit goals for the first time with 11 tallies, and he built on that success this campaign. He recorded his first hat trick in the league in Pittsburgh’s second game of the season at Memphis 901 FC and had five two-goal performances over the course of the season.

Dikwa capped his season with the opening goal in Pittsburgh’s 2-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium that sealed the Players’ Shield. The finish made him the 13th player in the Championship’s history to record 20 goals in a regular season, a feat he paid tribute to his teammates for.

“When we go out there and play for each other, we’re ready to battle for each other,” Dikwa said. “And for me, the most important thing is just go out there with my brothers and know that we will get the reward of our work. We will defend together, we will attack together. The spirit is unbelievable in that team, and I love them.”

Dikwa received 57 percent of the ballot to earn the award. Phoenix Rising FC’s Danny Trejo finished second on 11 percent, while Sacramento Republic FC’s Russell Cicerone and the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Cal Jennings finished tied for third on seven percent. Twelve players overall received at least one vote.

The 2023 USL Championship Awards were voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.

TAMPA, Fla. and PITTSBURGH (Nov. 8, 2023) – The USL Championship announced on Wednesday the finalists for the 2023 USL Championship Awards, three of which come from Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC after its Players’ Shield winning season.

Albert Dikwa, the league’s leading scorer, is one of the four finalists for Player of the Year; center back Arturo Ordóñez is a finalist for Defender of the Year; and the Coach of the Year finalists include the Hounds’ Bob Lilley, a five-time Coach of the Year honoree across multiple leagues in his 23-season career. The award winners will be announced between Sunday, Nov. 12 and Thursday, Nov. 16.

Three of the finalists are set to feature in the 2023 USL Championship Final on Sunday night as Coach of the Year nominee Ben Pirmann and the Charleston Battery play host to Phoenix Rising FC, which features Young Player of the Year finalist Rocco Ríos Novo and Player of the Year finalist Danny Trejo in its squad at Patriots Point.

The announcement of the 2023 USL Championship Player of the Year will be made during the broadcast of the 2023 USL Championship Final. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Sunday night, with the game set to air on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM FC.

The 2023 USL Championship Awards were voted on by team management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.

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2023 USL Championship Award Finalists

2023 Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists – Winner announced Tuesday, Nov. 14

Paul Blanchette, Oakland Roots SC – Blanchette led the Championship with 114 saves in the regular season, posting nine shutouts and a save percentage of 70.2 percent as he played every minute of the regular season. The NorCal native posted a -4.57 goals prevented mark in the regular season.

Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit City FC – The homegrown standout was a key figure as Le Rouge earned a postseason berth for a second consecutive season. Steinwascher made 93 saves, good for fourth in the league, while posting a 73.8 save percentage and -3.36 goals prevented mark across 32 regular season appearances.

Danny Vitiello, Sacramento Republic FC – Vitiello claimed the Championship’s Golden Glove for the second time in his career, posting a league-best 0.86 goals-against average among eligible players. The 27-year-old also recorded a save percentage of 76.2 percent on 82 saves and a -3.36 goals prevented mark.

2023 Defender of the Year Finalists – Winner announced Tuesday, Nov. 14

Conor Donovan, Sacramento Republic FC – Donovan provided the central anchor to the best defense in the Championship in the regular season, leading Republic FC with 119 clearances and recording 39 interceptions and 144 recoveries. The 27-year-old also won 59.5 percent of duels overall, and 64 percent of aerial duels.

Jack Gurr, Sacramento Republic FC – The English wingback was a two-way standout for Republic FC on the right side, leading all defenders with 11 goal contributions in the regular season (5 goals, 6 assists). Defensively, Gurr also made 160 recoveries, recorded 28 tackles and made 19 interceptions.

Arturo Ordoñez, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – The Spanish center back had an outstanding season for the Players’ Shield winners, ranking second in the league with 239 recoveries and 106 aerial duels won at a 75.7% success rate. Ordoñez also ranked third in the league in interceptions with 63 and recorded five goals while winning 63.7 percent of his duels and 69.6 percent of his tackles.

2023 Coach of the Year Finalists – Winner announced Wednesday, Nov. 15

Mark Briggs, Sacramento Republic FC – The 2017 Championship Coach of the Year led Sacramento to the top of the Western Conference standings for the first time since the 2016 season as his side combined a stifling defense that allowed the fewest goals in the regular season with an attack that 51 goals. Republic FC ranked tied for the best goal differential in the regular season at +25.

Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – The 2015 Championship Coach of the Year led the Hounds to the Players’ Shield for the first piece of silverware in the Championship era for the club. Pittsburgh’s defensive discipline saw it concede only 29 goals in the regular season as it lost a league-fewest five times while finishing tied for the league-lead with 19 victories.

Ben Pirmann, Charleston Battery – The 2022 Championship Coach of the Year arrived in Charleston looking to revive the Battery after their worst season in club history and produced a historic bounce-back campaign. The Battery improved by 34 points to finish third in the Eastern Conference and subsequently advanced to the Championship Final this weekend in the postseason.

2023 Young Player of the Year Finalists – Winner announced Thursday, Nov. 16

Fidel Barajas, Charleston Battery – The Mexico U-17 international put together a sensational campaign in which he tied for third in the regular season with nine assists while also adding four goals and 36 chances created. Barajas was a key figure in the Battery’s turnaround this season and achieved international recognition as a member of The Guardian’s Next Generation 2023 class.

Rocco Ríos Novo, Phoenix Rising FC – The Argentine goalkeeper produced a major step up across the board in Phoenix while on loan from Lanus this season, posting individual single-season highs in saves (102) and save percentage (73.7%). Rios Novo also posted a goals prevented mark of -6.74 to help Phoenix return to the postseason.

Rida Zouhir, San Antonio FC – The Canadian youth international provided a dynamic element to San Antonio’s midfield with eight goals and four assists in less than 1,800 minutes of action. Zouhir also completed 37 of 55 dribbles – a 67.3 percent success rate – while recording 39 chances created while on loan from Club de Foot Montreal.

2023 Player of the Year Finalists – Winner announced Sunday, Nov. 12

Russell Cicerone, Sacramento Republic FC – In his first season for Republic FC, Cicerone recorded 15 goals and four assists, giving him the first double-digit goal season in the club’s colors since 2019, while leading Sacramento’s attacking line. The 28-year-old also completed 51 dribbles, tied for fifth in the league, and posted a shooting accuracy rate of 64.6 percent.

Albert Dikwa, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – The Cameroonian had a career-best campaign with 20 regular season goals to claim the Championship’s Golden Boot, including the first hat trick of his career. Dikwa’s 21 goals across all competitions was the second-highest in Hounds history for a single season, while he averaged a goal every 115.7 minutes.

Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay Rowdies – A new arrival with the Rowdies, Jennings led the best attack in the Eastern Conference with 19 goals while also recording three assists. The 26-year-old averaged a goal every 104.3 minutes and had a shooting accuracy rate of 66.7 percent as he became the fastest player to reach 50 regular season goals in league history, achieving the mark in his 90th regular season appearance.

Danny Trejo, Phoenix Rising FC – Trejo’s third professional campaign continued his ascent to the elite of the league’s forwards as he posted 17 goals and seven assists to finish tied for the league-high in goal contributions with 24 in the regular season. Trejo completed 61 dribbles – second-most in the regular season – while posting a shooting accuracy rate of 55.1 percent