| Club: | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC |
| Season: | 2018 |
| League: | United Soccer League |
| League Result: | Eastern Conference 3rd |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Chairman: | Terry "Tuffy" Shallenberger |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Bob Lilley |
| Cup1: | USL Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Conference Quarterfinals |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round (knocked out by FC Cincinnati) |
| League Topscorer: | Neco Brett (15) |
| Season Topscorer: | Neco Brett (15) |
| Highest Attendance: | 3,811 (July 4 vs. North Carolina) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 840 (April 7 vs. Toronto) |
| Pattern B1: | _thin_blackhoops |
| Leftarm1: | 000000 |
| Body1: | FFC62C |
| Rightarm1: | 000000 |
| Shorts1: | 000 |
| Socks1: | FFC62C |
| Pattern B2: | _blackhalf |
| Leftarm2: | 000000 |
| Body2: | 666666 |
| Rightarm2: | 000000 |
| Shorts2: | 000000 |
| Socks2: | 000000 |
| Pattern B3: | _whitestripes |
| Pattern So3: | _2 black stripes |
| Body3: | b2b2b2 |
| Rightarm3: | ffffff |
| Shorts3: | ffffff |
| Socks3: | ffffff |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2017 |
| Nextseason: | 2019 |
The 2018 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's nineteenth season of existence, and their eighth consecutive season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer. Pittsburgh also competed in the U.S. Open Cup. The season covered the period from October 15, 2017, to the beginning of the 2019 USL season.
Bob Lilley took charge of his first season as Riverhounds manager, jumping over from Rochester Rhinos after that club went on hiatus. In his 20th season as a professional manager, Lilley continued a personal record of his teams never failing to qualify for their respective playoffs.
Pittsburgh finished in third place in the Eastern Conference, the club's best regular season performance since 2010, and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Riverhounds were eliminated in the conference quarterfinals by Bethlehem Steel FC, who prevailed after an eight-round penalty shootout. Pittsburgh won a game in the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in three years, prevailing against Erie Commodores in the second round. However, the club was knocked out in the third round by fellow USL side FC Cincinnati.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Signed in | Previous club | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 |  | 31 March 1994 | 2018 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 22 | | 12 February 1994 | 2018 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| 29 |  | 27 June 1993 | 2018 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 33 | | 4 March 1994 | 2018 | 27 | 0 | ||||
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 2 | | 14 October 1995 | 2017 | 41 | 1 | ||||
| 3 | | 26 April 1993 | 2018 | 31 | 0 | ||||
| 5 | | 14 December 1994 | 2018 | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 6 | | 27 September 1992 | 2018 | 29 | 2 | ||||
| 16 | | 10 September 1991 | 2018 | 20 | 1 | ||||
| 20 | | 12 September 1992 | 2018 | 34 | 3 | ||||
| 23 | | 10 August 1994 | 2018 | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 April 1993 | 2018 | 17 | 0 | |||||
| 7 | 17 July 1993 | 2018 | 35 | 4 | |||||
| 8 | | 28 February 1995 | 2018 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 10 | 12 January 1989 | 2013 | 167 | 27 | |||||
| 11 |  | 15 May 1988 | 2018 | 35 | 4 | ||||
| 13 | | 12 May 1988 | 2018 | 25 | 3 | ||||
| 14 | | 25 March 1995 | 2018 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 21 |  | 2 January 1996 | 2018 | 25 | 1 | ||||
| 25 |  | 27 July 1994 | 2018 | 35 | 3 | ||||
| 44 | | 15 December 1994 | 2017 | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Forwards | |||||||||
| 9 | | 22 March 1992 | 2018 | 36 | 15 | ||||
| 15 | | 4 June 1987 | 2018 | 6 | 1 | ||||
| 17 | | 3 December 1992 | 2017 | 34 | 4 | ||||
| 27 | | 11 November 1990 | 2017 | 58 | 13 |
The Riverhounds released their preseason schedule on January 29, 2018. The club played nine games in just over a month, seven coming against collegiate programs and two against fellow USL teams. All nine games were played in the state of Pennsylvania, seven at home and two on the road.[1]
See main article: article and 2018 USL season.
In August 2017, the USL announced that the 2018 season would span 34 games, the longest regular season the league had ever run.[2] The augmented schedule was spurred by the addition of six new clubs for the 2018 season: Atlanta United 2, Fresno FC, Indy Eleven, Las Vegas Lights, Nashville SC, and North Carolina FC.
On January 12, 2018, the league announced home openers for every club. Pittsburgh began the season on the road against expansion club Nashville SC, taking part in the first match in that club's history. The Riverhounds then played their home opener against Penn FC, the first time since 2015 that Pittsburgh opened its home slate with a Keystone Derby Cup match.[3]
The schedule for the remainder of the 2018 season was released on January 19, 2018. Pittsburgh played three times against four different clubs: Penn FC, FC Cincinnati, Indy Eleven, and Toronto FC II. They played every other Eastern Conference team twice.[4]
See main article: 2018 USL Playoffs.
See main article: article and 2018 U.S. Open Cup.
Kevin Kerr entered the season among the top 10 in club history for both appearances and goals.[5] He was third in appearances, needing to play 17 times this season to pass Gary DePalma for second all-time. He was also tied with José Angulo for sixth all-time in goals, and needed three to pass Phil Karn for fifth place in the club's history. On July 4, Kerr hit both of those marks, with the Riverhounds' victory over North Carolina FC marking his seventeenth appearance and third goal in all competitions on the year.[6]
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | USL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | Kyle Morton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | Tobi Adewole | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 3 | DF | Raymond Lee | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 4 | MF | Joe Holland | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Jordan Dover | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 6 | DF | Hugh Roberts | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| 7 | MF | Christiano François | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 8 | MF | Bakie Goodman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Neco Brett | 33 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 15 | |
| 10 | MF | Kevin Kerr | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 3 | |
| 11 | MF | Kenardo Forbes | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 13 | MF | Ben Zemanski | 24 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 | |
| 14 | MF | Noah Franke | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 15 | FW | Dennis Chin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |
| 16 | DF | Andrew Lubahn | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 17 | FW | Kay Banjo | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 20 | DF | Joseph Greenspan | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | |
| 21 | MF | Mouhamed Dabo | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 22 | GK | Mike Kirk | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 23 | DF | Todd Pratzner | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF | Thomas Vancaeyezeele | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 3 | |
| 27 | FW | Romeo Parkes | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| 29 | GK | Nathan Ingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 33 | GK | Daniel Lynd | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 44 | MF | Ben Fitzpatrick | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Players who left the club during the season: | |||||||||||
| 12 | DF | Connor Maloney | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | USL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DF | Tobi Adewole | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Raymond Lee | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 4 | MF | Joe Holland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | DF | Jordan Dover | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 6 | DF | Hugh Roberts | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 7 | MF | Christiano François | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Neco Brett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Kevin Kerr | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Kenardo Forbes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 13 | MF | Ben Zemanski | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 16 | DF | Andrew Lubahn | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 20 | DF | Joseph Greenspan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 21 | MF | Mouhamed Dabo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 23 | MF | Todd Pratzner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF | Thomas Vancaeyezeele | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 27 | FW | Romeo Parkes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| No. | Name | USL | USL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Games Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Morton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 22 | Mike Kirk | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 29 | Nathan Ingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 33 | Daniel Lynd | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 27 |
| Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Christiano François | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | December 15, 2017 | [7] | |
| DF | Raymond Lee | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | December 15, 2017 | ||
| DF | Jordan Dover | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | December 19, 2017 | [8] | |
| GK | Daniel Lynd | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | December 19, 2017 | ||
| MF | Kenardo Forbes | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | December 21, 2017 | [9] | |
| DF | Joseph Greenspan | Minnesota United FC | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | January 12, 2018 | [10] | |
| GK | Mike Kirk | Rio Grande Valley FC | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | January 26, 2018 | [11] | |
| GK | Kyle Morton | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | January 26, 2018 | ||
| FW | Dennis Chin |  Ironi Nesher | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | February 23, 2018 | [12] | |
| FW | Neco Brett | Portland Timbers 2 | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | February 27, 2018 | [13] | |
| MF | Mouhamed Dabo | Harrisburg City Islanders | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | February 27, 2018 | ||
| MF | Bakie Goodman | Detroit City | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | February 27, 2018 | ||
| MF | Joe Holland | Houston Dynamo | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | February 27, 2018 | ||
| MF | Ben Zemanski | Portland Timbers | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 5, 2018 | [14] | |
| DF | Todd Pratzner | Rochester Rhinos | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 7, 2018 | [15] | |
| DF | Hugh Roberts | Bethlehem Steel FC | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 7, 2018 | ||
| MF | Thomas Vancaeyezeele | Charleston Golden Eagles | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 14, 2018 | [16] | |
| DF | Andrew Lubahn | San Francisco Deltas | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 22, 2018 | [17] | |
| MF | Noah Franke | Creighton Bluejays | One-year contract with a club option for 2019. | March 28, 2018 | [18] | |
| GK | Nathan Ingham | Calgary Foothills | Signed for the remainder of the 2018 season with a club option for 2019. | July 25, 2018 | [19] |
| Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Ryan Adeleye | Atlantic City FC | Contract expired. Signed for Atlantic City on March 5, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [22] [23] | |
| DF | Gale Agbossoumonde | Contract expired. | November 30, 2017 | |||
| GK | Brenden Alfery | Contract expired. Retired. | November 30, 2017 | [24] | ||
| DF | Rich Balchan | Atlantic City FC | Contract expired. Signed for Atlantic City on March 2, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [25] | |
| GK |  Keasel Broome | Contract option declined. | November 30, 2017 | |||
| DF | Shane Campbell | Lansdowne Bhoys | Contract option declined. Signed for Lansdowne on March 19, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [26] | |
| DF | Ritchie Duffie | Lionsbridge FC | Contract option declined. Signed for Lionsbridge in 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [27] | |
| MF |  Danny Earls | Contract expired. | November 30, 2017 | |||
| MF | Michael Green | Contract option declined. | November 30, 2017 | |||
| FW | Corey Hertzog | Saint Louis FC | Contract expired. Signed for Saint Louis on December 11, 2017. | November 30, 2017 | [28] | |
| MF | Kenroy Howell | Grand Rapids FC | Contract option declined. Signed for Grand Rapids on March 27, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [29] | |
| DF | Jamal Jack | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | Contract option declined. Signed for Colorado Springs on January 24, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [30] | |
| GK | Trey Mitchell | Contract option declined. Retired. | November 30, 2017 | [31] | ||
| MF |  Stephen Okai | Contract expired. Retired. | November 30, 2017 | [32] | ||
| GK | Matt Perrella | Atlantic City FC | Contract expired. Signed for Atlantic City on March 18, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [33] | |
| MF |  Victor Souto | Atlantic City FC | Contract option declined. Signed for Atlantic City on March 6, 2018. | November 30, 2017 | [34] | |
| MF | Jack Thompson | Contract expired. Retired. | November 30, 2017 | [35] | ||
| DF | Nick Thompson | Contract expired. | November 30, 2017 | |||
| DF | Taylor Washington | Nashville SC | Contract option declined. Signed for Nashville on December 7, 2017. | November 30, 2017 | [36] | |
| FW | Chevaughn Walsh | Saint Louis Club Atletico | No longer listed on roster. Signed for Saint Louis in 2018. | January 26, 2018 | [37] |
| Week | Player | Opponent(s) | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Neco Brett | Toronto FC II | https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/906293 | |
| 21 | Neco Brett | Richmond Kickers Toronto FC II | https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/940021 |
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Gold | Black | Gold | Match 1 vs. Nashville / 9–6–3 | |
| Away | Black/Gray | Black | Black | Match 10 vs. Penn / 2–3–1 | |
| Third | White | White | White | Match 8 vs. Indy / 5–6–2 |