| Club: | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC |
| Season: | 2019 |
| League: | USL Championship |
| League Result: | Conference 1st (current) |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Chairman: | Tuffy Shallenberger |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Bob Lilley |
| Cup1: | USLC Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Conference Semifinals |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fourth round (knocked out by Columbus Crew SC) |
| League Topscorer: | Neco Brett (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Neco Brett (14) |
| Highest Attendance: | 5,182 (April 13 vs. Hartford) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 444 (May 29 vs. Indy, USOC) |
| Largest Win: | 7–0 (October 26 vs. Birmingham) |
| Largest Loss: | 0–5 (August 17 at North Carolina) |
| Pattern B1: | _thin_blackhoops |
| Leftarm1: | 000000 |
| Body1: | FFC62C |
| Rightarm1: | 000000 |
| Shorts1: | 000 |
| Socks1: | FFC62C |
| Pattern B2: | _blackhalf |
| Pattern Sh2: | _black_stripes2 |
| Pattern So2: | _color_3_stripes_black |
| Leftarm2: | 000000 |
| Body2: | 666666 |
| Rightarm2: | 000000 |
| Shorts2: | 666666 |
| Socks2: | 666666 |
| Pattern B3: | _boca-mercosur98 |
| Pattern Sh3: | _black_stripes2 |
| Pattern So3: | _yellowtop |
| Body3: | ffffff |
| Rightarm3: | ffffff |
| Shorts3: | ffffff |
| Socks3: | ffffff |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2018 |
| Nextseason: | 2020 |
The 2019 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's twentieth season of existence, their second consecutive season in the second tier of American soccer, and their ninth season in the league now named the USL Championship. The season covers the period from October 21, 2018 to the beginning of the 2020 USL Championship season. Bob Lilley returns for his second season as Riverhounds manager.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Signed in | Previous club | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 |  | 31 March 1994 | 2018 | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 22 | | 2 September 1995 | 2019 | Columbus Crew SC (loan) | 4 | 0 | |||
| 23 | | 15 February 1994 | 2019 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 2 | | 14 October 1995 | 2017 | 74 | 3 | ||||
| 3 |  | 27 December 1992 | 2019 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 4 |  | 15 December 1996 | 2019 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 5 |  | 14 December 1994 | 2018 | 55 | 3 | ||||
| 7 |  | 21 April 1994 | 2019 | 33 | 0 | ||||
| 13 | | 15 October 1996 | 2019 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 19 | | 30 October 1996 | 2019 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 20 | | 12 September 1992 | 2018 | 65 | 7 | ||||
| 26 | | 10 August 1994 | 2019 | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 6 |  | 5 March 1995 | 2019 | 16 | 1 | ||||
| 10 | 12 January 1989 | 2013 | 191 | 32 | |||||
| 11 |  | 15 May 1988 | 2018 | 68 | 9 | ||||
| 14 | | 25 March 1995 | 2018 | 29 | 0 | ||||
| 15 | | 8 March 1996 | 2019 | 27 | 4 | ||||
| 17 |  | 27 July 1994 | 2018 | 67 | 5 | ||||
| 21 |  | 2 January 1996 | 2018 | 45 | 1 | ||||
| 24 | | 4 December 1996 | 2019 | 27 | 6 | ||||
| Forwards | |||||||||
| 8 |  | 17 September 1989 | 2019 | 33 | 9 | ||||
| 9 | | 22 March 1992 | 2018 | 66 | 29 | ||||
| 12 | | 15 September 1992 | 2019 | 25 | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 3 December 1996 | 2019 | 5 | 0 |
The Riverhounds released their preseason schedule on January 18, 2019. The club played nine games in just over a month, with six coming against collegiate programs, one against a fellow USL Championship club, and two against clubs from USL League One. All nine games were played in Pittsburgh, with eight taking place at Highmark Stadium.[1]
See main article: article and 2019 USL Championship season.
On December 14, 2018, the league announced the home openers for every club. Pittsburgh's home opener at Highmark Stadium will be played on April 13, as the six-year anniversary of the stadium's opening will be marked with a game against expansion club Hartford Athletic. The Riverhounds will also take part in the home opening matches for two other clubs, facing Tampa Bay Rowdies on March 16 and Swope Park Rangers on March 23.[2]
The full Riverhounds schedule was released on December 19, 2018. The season will once again consist of 34 matches, with home and away matches against each Eastern Conference opponent. The Riverhounds will face league newcomers Birmingham Legion FC, Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC, and Memphis 901 FC for the first time ever, and will renew their series with Saint Louis FC and Swope Park Rangers as those two clubs move back over from the Western Conference.[3]
See main article: 2019 U.S. Open Cup. As a member of the USL Championship, the Riverhounds entered the tournament in the second round, to be played May 14, 2019.[4]
|-|colspan=10 align=center|Players who left Pittsburgh during the season:|}
| No. | Pos. | Name | USLC | U.S. Open Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DF | Tobi Adewole | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 4 | DF | Dani Rovira | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Jordan Dover | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | Sammy Kahsai | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 | DF | Ryan James | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 8 | FW | Steevan Dos Santos | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Neco Brett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Kevin Kerr | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Kenardo Forbes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 12 | FW | Christian Volesky | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | MF | Anthony Velarde | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 16 | FW | Mark Forrest | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | MF | Thomas Vancaeyezeele | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 20 | DF | Joseph Greenspan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 21 | MF | Mouhamed Dabo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 24 | MF | Robbie Mertz | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| No. | Name | USLC | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Games Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Morton | 11 | 1 | 12 | 23 | |
| 22 | Ben Lundgaard | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 23 | Austin Pack | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Ryan James | Nashville SC | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Nov 28, 2018 | [5] | |
| FW | Steevan Dos Santos | Ottawa Fury FC | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Jan 8, 2019 | [6] | |
| MF | Anthony Velarde | Fresno Pacific Sunbirds | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Jan 14, 2019 | [7] | |
| FW | Christian Volesky | OKC Energy | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Feb 7, 2019 | [8] | |
| DF | Caleb Smith | SMU Mustangs | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Feb 22, 2019 | [9] | |
| MF | Sammy Kahsai | UMBC Retrievers | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 4, 2019 | [10] | |
| MF | Ethan Kutler | New York Red Bulls | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 8, 2019 | [11] | |
| DF | Dani Rovira | Vermont Catamounts | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 8, 2019 | ||
| DF | Uchenna Uzo | Phoenix Rising | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 8, 2019 | ||
| DF | Prosper Figbe | Virginia Cavaliers | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 29, 2019 | [12] | |
| FW | Mark Forrest | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 29, 2019 | ||
| MF | Robbie Mertz | Michigan Wolverines | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | Mar 29, 2019 | ||
| GK | Austin Pack | Portland Timbers 2 | One-year contract with a club option for 2020. | May 2, 2019 | [13] | |
| DF | Todd Pratzner | Memphis 901 | Remainder of the 2019 USL Championship season. | Sep 18, 2019 | [14] |
| Pos. | Player | Parent club | Length/Notes | Beginning | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ben Lundgaard | Columbus Crew SC | Duration of the 2019 USL Championship season. | Mar 6, 2019 | Jun 21, 2019 | [15] [16] |
| Oct 7, 2019 | Nov 3, 2019 | [17] |
| Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Kay Banjo | Contract expired. | Nov 13, 2018 | [18] | ||
| FW | Dennis Chin | Richmond Kickers | Contract option declined. Signed for Richmond on Jan 7, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [19] | |
| MF | Ben Fitzpatrick | Cleveland SC | Contract expired. Signed for Cleveland on May 14, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [20] | |
| MF | Bakie Goodman | Detroit City | Contract option declined. Signed for Detroit on Feb 4, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [21] | |
| MF | Joe Holland | Birmingham Legion | Contract option declined. Signed for Birmingham on Nov 20, 2018. | Nov 13, 2018 | [22] | |
| GK | Nathan Ingham | York 9 | Contract option declined. Signed for York on Apr 8, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [23] | |
| GK | Mike Kirk | Lansing Ignite | Contract option declined. Signed for Lansing for the 2019 USL League One season. | Nov 13, 2018 | [24] | |
| DF | Raymond Lee | Hartford Athletic | Contract option declined. Signed for Hartford on Jan 17, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [25] | |
| DF | Andrew Lubahn | Loudoun United | Contract option declined. Signed for Loudoun on Feb 16, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [26] | |
| GK | Daniel Lynd | Contract option declined. | Nov 13, 2018 | |||
| FW | Romeo Parkes |  Sligo Rovers | Contract expired. Signed for Sligo on Jan 15, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [27] | |
| DF | Todd Pratzner | Memphis 901 | Contract option declined. Signed for Memphis on Dec 13, 2018. | Nov 13, 2018 | [28] | |
| DF | Hugh Roberts | Charlotte Independence | Contract option declined. Signed for Charlotte on Jan 10, 2019. | Nov 13, 2018 | [29] | |
| MF | Ben Zemanski | Contract option declined. Retired. | Nov 13, 2018 | [30] | ||
| MF | Christiano François | Ottawa Fury FC | Pittsburgh receives an undisclosed transfer fee. | Dec 3, 2018 | [31] | |
| MF | Ethan Kutler | No longer listed on roster. | May 1, 2019 |
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Gold | Black | Gold | Match 2 vs. Swope Park / 5–6–2 | |
| Away | Black/Gray | Gray | Gray | Match 1 vs. Tampa Bay / 2–1–2 | |
| Third | White | White | White | Match 5 vs. Hartford / 12–3–1 |