Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: Riveters SC revealed as newest entry to a growing field of area women’s pre-professional teams

Photo courtesy Riveters SC

With the Riverhounds SC having a week off, there’s still no shortage of soccer in the Pittsburgh area this week.

It also provided an opportune time for the Riverhounds SC organization to formally introduce the newest edition to the area’s soccer landscape, announcing the name and unveiling the logo of its new USL W-League squad, Riveters SC, on Wednesday morning.

A symbol of strength and endurance 💪 ⁰ ⁰Pittsburgh Riveters SC is committed to carrying this legacy forward, proving that with determination, unity, and a shared vision, anything is possible.🔥 pic.twitter.com/AhfgZWtchA

— Riveters SC (@RivetersSC) September 18, 2024

The Riveters FC will begin play in the USL W-League in late Spring, early Summer 2025 — and join an already crowded field that includes two more established teams, Steel City FC (who compete in United Women’s Soccer League – UWS) and Beadling SC (who compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League – WPSL).

The Riveters SC will have an advantage of riding the coattails and having the resources from an organization which fields Pittsburgh’s men’s USL Championship side and its Riverhounds Development Academy, with Sporting Director Dan Visser providing oversight in building the roster and technical staff.

“We’re already hard at work building the inaugural Riveters’ team and are very excited about the level of talent we’ll be able to showcase on the field next summer,” Dan Visser, Sporting Director of the Riveters and Riverhounds, said through the team’s release.

“We’re confident this special group of women will not only give fans something to cheer about, but also inspire the next generation of young girls in Western Pennsylvania and beyond.”

In a way, the Riverhounds’ marketing department, in an effort to create a buzz and excitement for this club, will provide this club with more exposure and resources than the existing women’s clubs.  However, lets face it, they’re being a bit disingenuous in how they’re promoting this club, almost misleading folks into believing that they’re the only women’s team in the area or that they’re breaking through some kind of barrier that didn’t exist before.

Right now, the college soccer programs, especially Division I entities led by Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris, are playing the highest level of women’s soccer in the Pittsburgh area. Pitt women’s soccer program has hosted NCAA tournament matches at Ambrose Urbanic Field in the past two seasons, creating a fantastic atmosphere for women’s soccer which we’ve never seen before.

What Pittsburgh soccer fans, community — and those who champion women’s soccer in our region who I’ve had countless conversation with would love to see is a women’s team that plays in this area an even higher level, whether it be a NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) or USL Super League franchise.

It’s been said by Riverhounds officials that the implementation of having a W-League team is a step in that direction, and I don’t doubt that’s the case.

However, until a Super League or NWSL club comes to Pittsburgh, this team does not really add anything to the Pittsburgh soccer scene that wasn’t already there.  The club will provide another option for college players and possibly some out of college, to stay sharp, train and compete in a league that is on par with host of others that sit around the Third Division of US Women’s Soccer pyramid, which is still very much evolving.

All that being said, the Riveters SC is a cool name and the marketing team have come up with a well-thought imaging, crest and logo which connects to Pittsburgh’s heritage,  featuring an empowering Rosie the Riveter image inspired by the slogan “We Can Do It,” created by J. Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh-area native, for Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

The immediate response on the logo and design appears to be mixed.

We've found the logo.

Please consider reversing course in the next 90 minutes. It's bad.

Forget the name controversy. The logo is just bad… real bad. You can do better.

It's Louisville throwing away their four-corner triangle logo in three days bad.

— Steel Army (@SteelArmy) September 18, 2024

The Riverhounds USLW team has a name and a crest, @RivetersSC! I very much dig it and cannot wait for this team to get going! #HOUNDTAHN https://t.co/f3gdSzhF5q

— Colton Coreschi (@cjcoreschi) September 18, 2024

Make no mistake, while the Riveters SC will be an entirely new entity, Steel City FC and Beadling SC have established women’s teams who have been competing in their leagues with combination of current and recent college players, seeking higher level competitive opportunities along with a mix of younger academy players.

Both Steel City and Beadling have also created strong community support for their clubs, with many young players who have an even higher pathway to from their established youth programs.  For example,  you haven’t been to a Steel City FC match at Founders Field, you are missing out on watching high level women’s soccer in a pretty fun atmosphere.

The W-League, just like the WPSL and UWS seasons are relatively short, ranging from eight to 12 regular season matches against other regional semi-pro teams in their respective leagues.  Each league has a postseason tournament, which could extend their respective seasons by a week or longer, depending on how far they go.

I have no doubt that the Riveters SC could bring some excitement and crowds to Highmark Stadium that would generate some excitement for women’s soccer, and that’s a good thing.  But that’s been happening throughout our region for some time now — and this is nothing new.

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Meanwhile, by week’s end, all of the area’s Division I college teams will have started conference play.

On Tuesday, all three men’s teams were in action, with Robert Morris pulling off a somewhat surprising 3-0 win over No. 18 Duquesne in our billed, longtime running ‘Cross-Tahn’ Derby.   Thanks to both coaches and sports information staffers for sharing reaction which we included in the match report.

Bobby Mo Steals the Show: Robert Morris stuns No. 18 Duquesne with late three goal blitz

It was a good day for the Pitt men’s soccer program too, as they moved up to a No. 2 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll and then later in the evening traveled to Northeast Ohio for a clinical 4-0 win vs Cleveland State.

The rest of the week’s schedule is posted below, as Robert Morris and Duquesne men and women join the fray — by starting conference play.

Also, with the Riverhounds being off this week, but fans watching the USL Championship scoreboard closely, check out the matches below that have implications on the Hounds (35 points in 9th place) who are trying to get back over the playoff line (8th place or higher).

Pittsburgh Soccer Schedule (9/17/2024)

Tuesday, September 17 

4 p.m.  Duquesne at Robert Morris (Men) – North Athletic Complex, Moon

7 p.m.  Pitt (Men) at Cleveland State — Cleveland, OH

Thursday, September 19

5 p.m.  Duquesne (Women) at Richmond – Richmond, VA (A10 Opener)

5 p.m.  Robert Morris (Women) at Oakland – Oakland, MI (Horizon League)

Friday, September 20

7 p.m.  Pitt (Men) vs Boston College — Ambrose Urbanic Field

Saturday, September 21

1 p.m.  Duquesne (Men) at George Washington – Washington DC

3 p.m.  Robert Morris (Men) at IU Indy – Indianapolis, IN

USLC Matches with Hounds Playoff implications

7 p.m.   Hartford (34 pts) vs Oakland Roots

7:30 p.m.     North Carolina (33 pts) vs Indy Eleven (40 pts) 

7:30 p.m.   Rhode Island FC (37 pts) vs FC Tulsa

Sunday, September 22

1 p.m.  Duquesne (Women) vs Davidson – Rooney Field

1 p.m.  Robert Morris (Women) vs Detroit Mercy – Detroit, MI

USLC Matches with Hounds Playoff implications

3 p.m.   Detroit City FC (42 pts) vs Louisville City FC

4 p.m.   Loudoun United FC (37 pts) vs New Mexico United

5 p.m.  Birmingham Legion FC (38 pts) vs The Miami FC