Riverhounds To Become Affiliate for MLS’ Columbus Crew

Since the Pittsburgh Riverhounds partnership with the Houston Dynamo dissolved after one season in 2014, there was only one other MLS affiliation that made sense.

And soon after the Dayton Dutch Lions dropped into the Premier Development League from the USL, the Columbus Crew were without a USL partner.

This is an affiliation that makes a lot of sense for both sides, especially in light of the fact that Pittsburgh and Columbus are close geographically.

Announcement: Hounds sign affiliation agreement with @ColumbusCrewSC https://t.co/YPttQm5qKo pic.twitter.com/lMFj60u95Q

— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) December 16, 2015

NEWS: #CrewSC announces 2016 @USL affiliate partnership with the @PghRiverhounds.

–> https://t.co/Gdl7Xod2KR pic.twitter.com/we9UU0js25

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 16, 2015

Here’s the full release from the Crew… 

The teams will be having a 1 p.m. news conference via a conference call, that will be streamed live on http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/

The Riverhounds appear to be very pleased with this partnership:

“Our coaching staff is thrilled to be affiliated with one of the best organizations in MLS,” said Riverhounds Head Coach Mark Steffens.

“Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s style and philosophy are similar to ours, so I believe our partnership will be very fruitful on a number of fronts. This is a great opportunity for our entire club to learn from Columbus both on and off the field, help to develop young loanees into well-rounded professionals and men of integrity and to strengthen our roster for another USL playoff push in 2016.”