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Oct 28, 2025 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

Pittsburgh had to settle for a draw in its final regular-season home match last Saturday against Phoenix Rising FC, but the Riverhounds had reason to celebrate after word came that they would host a home playoff contest in the USL Championship Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Pittsburgh’s draw, coupled with Hartford Athletic’s 1-0 setback to Louisville City FC, had both clubs finishing the regular season with 44 points, however, the Hounds would secure home-field advantage after sweeping the season series with Hartford Athletic.

No. 4 Pittsburgh (12-10-7) will welcome fifth-seeded Hartford Athletic (13-12-5) to what is expected to be a ninth-consecutive sellout at Highmark Stadium this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The club is encouraging all fans to wear black.

“It is going to be an amazing atmosphere,” said Hounds center back Sean Suber in regards to the playoff match at Highmark Stadium. “I can’t wait for it. The fans are going to bring all the energy in the world. It’s supposed to be a ‘black out,’ but we have to be ready. We believe all the noise will be an advantage for us, and, hopefully, they are not ready for it.”

The match will air live on SportsNet Pittsburgh and SNP+ in the Pittsburgh market, and will be streamed live via ESPN+. If coverage of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey runs long, the Hounds’ match will be shown in its entirety on SNP+ and joined in progress on SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Penguins are scheduled to play the Winnipeg Jets at 3 p.m.

The Riverhounds enter the playoffs having earned at least a point in their last three matches with victories over Indy Eleven (1-0) and Monterey Bay FC (3-0) and last Saturday’s draw with Phoenix, who will enter the playoffs in the Western Conference as the No. 5 seed.

Pittsburgh, who is 2-1-1 in its last five matches, used a late push to just qualify for the playoffs last season, but clinched a berth in the postseason on Oct. 11, which acting head coach Rob Vincent hopes will benefit his team beginning this Saturday.

“Last year, probably in hindsight, I think there was so much energy spent trying to claw our way back into the playoff picture, that it almost felt like making the playoffs was a success,” said Vincent during his post-match press conference following last Saturday’s match. “We actually played quite well in Charleston last year, but we are in a better position this season, and we feel confident in any home game, regardless of the team we play. I think the guys are pretty confident and rested, but we know Hartford will come ready to play.”

Despite the success on the field, the Hounds have faced several situations that overshadowed their solid season.

Pittsburgh captain Danny Griffin was accused by Hartford’s Marlon Hairston of using a racial slur against him during a Sept. 20 match in Hartford.

The USL’s investigation into the incident was deemed inconclusive, and the Hounds’ support for Griffin, who vehemently denied the accusation, has not wavered since Hairston made the accusation, which occurred during stoppage time in the second half.

“It’s a narrative,” said Vincent when asked about playing Hartford for the first time since the incident. “We still stand by Danny and believe him, and with the USL doing their thing and not finding anything, we will just focus on the game. It’s playoff time, and I think both teams want to win for football reasons, as opposed to anything else.”

Pittsburgh had another shocker on Oct. 10 when head coach Bob Lilley was placed on administrative leave. The club declined to comment on its decision, but Vincent was promoted to the acting head coach, although Lilley is still listed on the club’s website as the head coach. The Hounds are 2-0-1 under Vincent.

“Rob has come in and done a great job,” Suber said. “We just have a great locker room and we are blessed to be at home in this environment, which I think is one of the best in the league, so it’s definitely an advantage for us in having a home playoff game, but Harford’s not a bad team. They’ve been flying recently, and it will be a good game.

“We just have to realize that, at the end of the day, it’s just another game. There will be a little bit of pressure, but I think once we get through the first 10 minutes of the game, we will be flying the next 80.”

Pittsburgh is in the playoffs for the eighth straight season, which is the longest such streak in team history, and the second-longest active streak in the league behind Louisville City FC (11 years).

Suber wasn’t aware of it when he stepped to the podium to address the media following Saturday’s match against Phoenix, but he played every minute of every match during the regular season. The Hounds’ center back officially logged 2,700 minutes over 30 matches, which is actually higher because stoppage time is not included in the calculation of minutes played.

“No, but people are calling me ‘Ironman,'” said Suber when asked if he was aware of being the fourth Riverhounds player to play in every minute of every match in the regular season. “It can be tough after games when playing all those matches, but during the week I’m good. I was pretty happy with how we played in the backline. Gui (Guillaume Vacter) had an excellent block at the end of the game. I’m excited about what we did. We wanted to create more chances and score, but I’m happy with the clean sheet.”

Vacter’s block came in the 79th minute of last Saturday’s match when Ihsan Sacko got behind the defense on a long ball down the right side before Vacter did his best impression of a back check, but with his right leg in deflecting Sacko’s shot off target to keep the match level.

Vacter most-likely had earned the “Modelo Man of the Match” honor prior to his block, but his defensive highlight put him over the top for the recognition.

Vacter won 16 of 19 duels and added four clearances. He contributed 15 final third entries and had a shot on goal.

Pittsburgh keeper Eric Dick only needed to make one stop for his 12th clean sheet across all competitions this season. He recorded his 26th shutout with the Hounds, which ties him with Hunter Gilstrap for the second-most in team history.

Phoenix keeper Patrick Rakovsky stopped four shots on target for the clean sheet. He denied Augi Williams in the 38th minute from close range, as the striker attempted to push a high-bouncing ball around Rakovsky.

Pittsburgh held a 17-8 edge in shots against Phoenix, a 10-0 edge in corner kicks and maintained possession for 63.1 percent of the match.