After taking a year off, the Fort Pitt Regiment will be returning to the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2017, and today the team announced on its website and through social media it will be hosting player tryouts on Robert Morris University Island Sports Center on February 22 and 26.
It appears that the Regiment, a club sponsored by PA West Soccer Association, will return to the Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region, facing competition against regional foes from Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Cleveland.
The Regiment began play in 2014, when they finished in first place in the Great Lakes Conference, and earned a playoff spot in the NPSL Midwest Regional playoffs. As a reward for its success in 2014, the Regiment earned its first and only entry into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament in 2015.
The Regiment would lose in its only appearance in the Open Cup against West Virginia Chaos, 1-0, losing a chance to meet the Pittsburgh Rierhounds. The team would have a down season in 2015, failing to qualify for the Regional playoffs, even with the talents of some Pittsburgh area college standouts like Nico Brett and Brendan Alfery who would later sign contracts with pro teams.
UPDATE (2/9/2017) — The Regiment and PA West Soccer announced that veteran coach, and current Robert Morris women’s coach, John Kowalski will return as coach, while Dave Gray, an accomplished goalkeeper coach, will also return as Kowalski’s assistant.
Other details about the 2017 FPR season — where they will be playing home games and schedule have not been released as of yet.
Click here for Fort Pitt Regiment’s Feb. 22 & 26 player tryout information.
STEEL CITY FC HOLDING OPEN TRYOUTS MARCH 10 AT NEIGHBORHOOD ACADEMY
Pittsburgh’s women’s soccer team is also looking for a few good players too. Steel City FC, which will be entering its third full season in 2017, will be hosting tryouts at Neighborhood Academy in the East End of Pittsburgh (Stanton Heights) on March 10.
For more information or to register for Steel City FC’s tryouts, please be sure to click here on the registration page for the 2017 sessions.