Hounds sign veteran midfielder Todd Wharton

Photo courtesy Houston Dynamo

From Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 

Riverhounds SC has signed veteran midfielder Todd Wharton to a one-year contract with a club option for 2022, pending USL and USSF approval.

Wharton, 27, most recently played for Saint Louis FC in the club’s final season in the USL Championship. He appeared in all but one match last season, as SLFC qualified for the 2020 playoffs on the final day of the season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Todd is a proven veteran in the USL. He brings a professional mentality and technical quality to the group and has been a versatile midfielder with all of his teams,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said. “We look forward to having his consistency and talent here in Pittsburgh for the 2021 season.”

Wharton brings five years of USL experience, including his first three seasons with Rio Grande Valley FC from 2016-18 and the 2019 season with Portland Timbers 2. With Rio Grande Valley, Wharton worked his way into the lineup over his three seasons, making 61 total appearances and scoring six goals over that span. After making the move to join Portland, Wharton had a career-best six goals while playing all 34 matches for the Western Conference side.

Wharton entered the professional ranks after a successful college career at Virginia, where he was part of the Cavaliers’ NCAA Championship victory in his junior season of 2014. A Richmond, Va., native, he scored 11 goals in 85 matches during his four years in Charlottesville but went undrafted in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, leading him to sign with Rio Grande Valley as a free agent.

The addition of Wharton brings the Hounds’ roster to 16 players under contract for the 2021 season. The Hounds are striving for a club-record fourth consecutive playoff berth, having made the postseason each year under Lilley’s leadership.

Riverhounds 2021 Roster & Depth Chart 

	FORWARDS
F1	Russell Cicerone (M)
F2	Albert Dikwa
F3	Alex Dixon (M)
F4	Tommy Williamson
F5	Wyatt Borso
F6	Josh Gatt (out for season)
	M- also have played in midfield
	MIDFIELDERS
MF1	Kenardo Forbes (F)
MF2	Danny Griffin
MF3	Todd Wharton (D/OB)
MF4	Anthony Velarde (F)
MF5	Louis Perez (F)
	F- also played at forward
	D- also played as defender
	OB- also played as outside back
	WINGERS/OUTSIDE BACKS
OB1	Dani Rovira (M)
OB2	Ezra Armstrong
OB3	Jordan Dover (injury)
	(M) also played midfield
	CENTER BACKS
CB1	Shane Wiedt
CB2	Mekeil Williams
CB3	Preston Kilwien (OB)
CB4	Jalen Robinson
CB5	Jelani Peters
CB6	Tom Judge
CB7	Casey Bartlett-Scott
	OB- also played at outside back
	GOALKEEPERS
GK1	Danny Vitiello
GK2	Jake Leeker
GK3	Chris Morrish