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Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: Olympic Gold for USWNT, UPSL Final at Highmark, high school preseason kicks off and women’s college season begins

Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics

How can you not be excited about the Beautiful Game right now if you’re in Western Pennsylvania?

Boy, there’s a lot of soccer to digest here Pittsburgh and on the world stage too.

Where do we start?

  • How about the US Women’s National Team winning the Gold Medal again in a thrilling run of 1-0 wins in knockout stages and the Gold Medal game.
  • Did you know Pittsburgh played host to the UPSL Cup Final on Sunday night?
  • The Riverhounds will look to keep their unbeaten streak going against Colorado Springs on Saturday but they still have a lot of work to do to get over the playoff line
  • The women’s college soccer teams will start their seasons later this week culminating with the renewal of “The City Game” on Sunday — being played at Highmark Stadium.
  • High school players around the Commonwealth and in Western PA will officially starting with preseason training, with a run-up to the start of the season (officially in less than two weeks!?!?)

USWNT Capture 5th Gold Medal!

Sure they set a very high standard, but USWNT turned the page quickly, with some sweet redemption after last year’s World Cup crash out, by winning its fifth gold medal on Saturday, defeating Brazil, 1-0.

Golden Girls: USWNT defeats Brazil to win fifth Olympic Gold Medal

As we’ve seen here in Pittsburgh with some of our highest profile soccer teams/programs — sometimes a tweak in leadership can make all the difference.

New Head Coach Emma Hayes did a splendid job of preparing the USWNT for some tough competition, and with each encounter — from group play to the knockout stages vs Japan in the quarterfinal, Germany in semifinal and Brazil in the final — the US wore down and outlasted each opponent, while finding timely, dynamic goals.

UPSL Final Played at Highmark Stadium

An item that may have flied under the radar a bit but another sign that Pittsburgh and Highmark Stadium has become a soccer destination: the UPSL, a fourth-tier semi-pro league which recently boasted a team in Pittsburgh (do you remember Pittsburgh City United FC??)

On Sunday night, UPSL hosted its league Cup Final at Highmark Stadium.  PSN’s Ed Thompson was there to capture the action as Soda City FC defeated Inland Empire FC.

Hounds Playoff Push Continues

The Riverhounds will also be back in training during the week, as they’ll go back to the drawing board in search of goals, as they’ve continued to play solid defensive soccer, but have played two consecutive scoreless affairs while remaining in 10th place in the USL Championship standings.  The Hounds will face Colorado Springs Switchbacks at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.

After Saturday’s match, Alan Saunders joined the media contingent to get reaction from their second straight scoreless match from Head Coach Bob Lilley and Defender Pat Hogan, which we have covered in PSN’s Riverhounds’ Post Match Buzz.

Post Match Buzz: Riverhounds still ‘need to find another gear’ following 13th match this season without a goal

As the Hounds prepare for Colorado Springs Switchbacks this week at Highmark, we’ll have the usual comprehensive coverage.  Look for more to come later in the week.

Women’s College Soccer Returns

Expectations will be high once again for Pitt women’s soccer program, as they’re coming off an unprecedented 2023 season which they advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight, losing to the eventual National Champions, Florida State.  PSN’s Rachael Kriger visited Pitt’s training last week. Look for her preseason preview on Pitt women to come this week.

Meanwhile, Robert Morris and Duquesne women’s teams will hope to keep the momentum going from positive 2023 campaigns, as they start things off as well.

Duquesne will face the newest Division I soccer program in Western PA, Mercyhurst University, in the season opener for both clubs.  This will be the first ever Division I match for Mercyhurst, located in Erie, as the school has moved up from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I as newest members of the Northeast Conference.

Former members of the Northeast Conference, and now in their fourth year in the Horizon League, Robert Morris will wait until Sunday to start the season, as they’ll be hosting Le Moyne at North Athletic Complex.

Sunday also features the women’s edition of the City Game to be played on neutral grounds — at Highmark Stadium (3 p.m. kickoff).

Look for tons more content to come this week, as we’ll be previewing both Duquesne and Robert Morris’ seasons, along with a feature on Mercyhurst’s debut in Division I along with special guest (or two) on the Sounding Off on Soccer podcast.

High School Preseason Starts Monday!

As early as sunrise on Monday morning, some high school soccer programs began their 2024 season quest, with the official start of full team practice session.

We will once again plan to begin our High School coverage this year at the JRK Memorial Classic, boys season opening slew of matches hosted by Pine-Richland, which kicks off on Friday, August 23.  Look for much more on that tournament and a lot more content to come in the next week.

Also — note to coaches, school administrators, boosters, social media coordinators for high school programs — please share any program updates (twitter account changes, new coach hire(s) with us by sending DM to one of our Social Media platforms or email pghsoccernow@gmail.com)   

Season Openers and other notable matches (Pittsburgh Division I College Teams)

Monday, August 12

PIAA/WPIAL (District 7) High School programs officially begin practicing

Wednesday, August 14

1 p.m. — Duquesne (Men) at Cleveland State – Cleveland, OH (Exhibition)

Thursday, August 15 

6:30 p.m. — Pitt (Women) vs Georgia – Athens, GA

7 p.m. — Duquesne (Women) vs Mercyhurst – Rooney Field

Friday, August 16 

4 p.m. — Pitt (Men) at Akron – Akron, OH (Exhibition)

Saturday, August 17 

12 Noon — Robert Morris (Men) at Le Moyne (Exhibition)

2 p.m. — Duquesne (Men) at St. Francis (PA) — Loretto, PA (Exhibition)

7 p.m. — Riverhounds SC vs Colorado Springs SC — Highmark Stadium

Sunday, August 18 

1 p.m. — Robert Morris (Women) vs Le Moyne – North Athletic Complex

** 3 p.m. — Duquesne (Women) vs Pitt (Women) – Highmark Stadium

Division I Men’s College Season Openers

Thursday, August 22 

4 p.m. — Robert Morris (Men) vs Bucknell – North Athletic Complex

7 p.m. — Duquesne (Men) vs Seton Hill – Rooney Field

8 p.m. — Pitt (Men) vs Georgetown – Ambrose Urbanic Field

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John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

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Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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