Pittsburgh Riverhounds ‘considering the option’ of adding women’s team in near-future

Photo courtesy Matthew Baldwin

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds could be set to be joined by another soccer team in the Steel City in the coming years, according to president Jeff Garner. 

This article is the latest in a five-part series with Pittsburgh Riverhounds President Jeff Garner about the state of the franchise, both on and off the field. 

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds might be the most well-known soccer team in town, but they are far from the only ones. It’s important to note the likes of Steel City FC for instance, especially given their upcoming participation in the U.S Open Cup, and we wish them all the best (mainly because we’d love to see them make it far enough to face the Riverhounds down the line). 

And of course historically it would be impossible to talk about soccer in Western Pennsylvania without mentioning the Pittsburgh Spirit, who famously were a bigger draw than the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the early 1980s, and even the Pittsburgh Stingers. 

But looking to the future, we could be set to be joined by another in the form of a professional women’s team. The USL is set to launch a female league this summer in the form of the USL Super League, which will act as the highest division of women’s soccer outside of the NWSL and move above the already-established USLW League. 

And whilst the Pittsburgh Riverhounds might not have their eyes on moving to the MLS just yet, their plans to increase their footprint on the national level do include joining one of the two leagues, as team President Jeff Garner explained in an exclusive interview with Pittsburgh Soccer Now:

“The USL has two pathways available right now, the USLW and the USL Super League. USL Super League was sanctioned as division one, and they start playing in August of 2024. We do not have an immediate plan to launch in August of 24. We are considering the option for 25 or beyond. And I think the USLW is much closer to coming to fruition. We won’t be able to do it for 2024 not for lack of trying on our part. I do expect that you’ll see a USLW team very likely in 2025 with an announcement to come probably in the next two months.”

____________________________________________________________

Look for the fifth and final edition of this series soon!

Matthew Baldwin inquires with Jeff Garner about the prospects for Pittsburgh to consider having a MLS or highest division club.

Previous articles in this series include:

Riverhounds president Jeff Garner “open to building relationships” in Pittsburgh after success of 2023

Highmark Stadium expansion a ‘challenge’, but Riverhounds have ‘opportunities to get very creative’