Riverhounds ready for last match at Highmark Stadium
Chris Cowger | Riverhounds SC
Highmark Stadium’s capacity is built for 5,000 individuals, but that has mark has been surpassed in the last few weeks, including a record 6,220 in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ victory over Detroit FC on penalty kicks, 4-3, after the teams played to a scoreless draw last Saturday in the semifinals of the USL Championship Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Riverhounds, who finished the regular season as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, will host a third playoff match in as many weeks against seventh-seeded Rhode Island FC in the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final this Saturday at the picturesque stadium on Pittsburgh’s South Shore.
Officials expect more than 6,220 fans to pass through the turnstiles at Highmark Stadium for the first conference final in the history of the venue.
The match will air locally on SportsNet Pittsburgh and be streamed live on ESPN+. The radio coverage will be broadcast nationally on SiriusXM Channel 157 (English) and locally on Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish).
Regardless of the match’s result, Pittsburgh or Rhode Island will be on the road in the USL Championship Final on Nov. 22 at noon, as the Western Conference champion, either FC Tulsa or New Mexico United, will host the league title match, which will be televised nationally on CBS.
The Hounds will play Rhode Island for the fourth time this season. Pittsburgh swept Rhode Island in the regular season with two shutouts (1-0 in Pawtucket and 2-0 in Pittsburgh) but they suffered a 1-0 setback in a USL J盲germeister Cup match at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh is in the conference final for the first time since the USL Championship adopted its current format in 2016. The Hounds are also in the final four for the first time as a member of the second division of U.S. soccer. Pittsburgh has been two victories shy of winning a league title twice before (2004 and 2010), but the team was playing in the country’s third professional tier.
Pittsburgh is on a five-match unbeaten streak that began on Oct. 11 with a 2-1 victory over Indy at home. The Hounds earned a 3-0 triumph at Monterey Bay a week later before playing Phoenix to a scoreless draw on Oct. 25 at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh battled Hartford for 120 minutes of scoreless action in the quarterfinals of the USL Championship Eastern Conference playoffs before winning in penalties, 4-2, to set-up last Saturday’s tilt with Detroit.
The Hounds played in the USL Second Division Semifinal 15 years ago on Aug. 21, 2010, at City Stadium in Richmond, Va., against the Richmond Kickers, but suffered a 2-0 setback.
Pittsburgh dropped a 1-0 match to the Utah Blitzz on Aug. 28, 2004, in the semifinals of the USL Pro Soccer League at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.