Preview: Steel City FC renews rivalry with Akron City FC in USL League Two debut for both clubs

Photo courtesy Jared Todhunter

It would be fair to say that Steel City FC’s men’s team heads into its season opener as a team in transition.

After all, the successful club is stepping into a new league — USL’s League Two — but they will be facing a familar opponent, Akron City FC, on Saturday night at Green Street Stadium in Akron, Ohio (7 p.m. kickoff).

The two clubs faced off twice in 2024, with Steel City coming away with the series — and their second consecutive NPSL Great Lakes Conference championship, defeating Akron by a 2-0 score at Founders Field last July.

“These guys are organized and they’re always well coached,” Dan Brower, Steel City FC Head Coach, said on Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast this week of his week one opponent but is mostly focused on his own team’s development and getting everyone of the same page early in the campaign.

“It’s just playing our way. Trying to make sure that, yeah, we we have a new league, and there’s going to be opponents that we’re concerned about, and we’re looking at Akron intently, but we have to look at us. We’re going to control the controllables. And we we got to have some bite, and we have to play a certain way.”

That certain way is what Brower boasts is a progressive, high-pressing style that has worked well for this group in their rise to success in NPSL and now as they transition to USL League Two.

In carrying on that style of play, Steel City returns with a roster that has a strong core returning, but also will be without some key players for the first time in a number of years.

Veterans such as long-time captain Nicky Kolarac, goalkeeper Garret Watson have retired while midfielder Ryan Mertz moved Justin Kopay, former Moon standout, who played at South Carolina and St. John’s, will also be going into military service starting next week.

Then there’s Michael Sullivan, who was with the club at the Academy level then through his years while also playing at University of Pittsburgh.  The Tarentum native was selected by Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft in the winter and has been wearing the captain’s armband for TFC’s MLS Next Pro squad, while also getting a brief call-up to the TFC’s First Team.

“It’s a transitional period for us. I mean, we’re we’re losing some serious players,” Brower pointed out.

Still, under Brower’s steady direction, Nick Graeca wore the captain’s armband, leading the way for the team for much of the 2024 season as Kolarac stepped into a role coming off the bench.

The roster is filled — up and down — with many players who came through Steel City FC program (previously Pittsburgh Hotspurs/Arsenal), more who grew up in the Pittsburgh area along with numerous players who are student-athletes at the area’s top college programs.

Brower boasted that his squad his a ‘true hometown team’.

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Collectively, Steel City FC are a confident group as they head into their new league and face a Divisional slate that will include one return opponent (Akron City), but another grouping of Rust Belt region opponents that include Cleveland Force, FC Buffalo, Toledo Villa FC and Erie Sports Center.

Brower’s confident that the ‘Steel City Way’ and is hoping that success will carry over into the new league and season.

“We have a new wave of players that have come in. They’re they’re excited to play for for USL League Two team and a club that that plays a a pretty good modern, progressive, winning style of football. So we’re excited, Brower added.

“We have 12. I think we have 12 new faces out of the 35 faces and 23 guys returning.”

There are a lot of familiar faces to Pittsburgh soccer fans on this roster.

** For look at Steel City FC’s full roster — click here **

“There’s people who understand the culture they understand playing for you those type of things, I think, even though you lose a Mikey Sullivan or a Nicky Kolarac, you’re also you’ve got guys that sort of you know. They sort of pass the torch over these years and in recent years, and success that we’ve had,” Brower explained.

“I’m sure that that helps as well, but you know, it won’t be easy.”

To Listen to the complete interview with Dan Brower, check out Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast with John Krysinsky here or where ever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast: Steel City FC men’s HC Dan Brower on new challenge in USL League Two