Column: Riveters, Steel City matches, provided Pittsburgh with rare glimpse of how special and unique intra-city derby can be

“To me, football is so much more than just a game. It’s an opportunity to inspire and bring people together.”

~Pelé, Brazilian football legend and superstar.

Soccer has cultivated an extraordinary array of rivalries, some deeply rooted in local communities, others extending across continents to become global spectacles.

Iconic clashes such as the Buenos Aires derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate or El Clásico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have transcended sport, shaping club identities and captivating millions worldwide.

In our region, the longest running pro club, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, established one primary rivalry with a club that was in relatively close proximity, when they did battle with Harrisburg City Islanders from 2003 through 2018.  In the case of that series between the two clubs through those years, the old saying was realized, as familiarity bred contempt. When the Hounds and City Islanders faced off — it was almost always an intense battle, regardless of records or where the teams stood in the standings.  Still, those two clubs were almost always in competition with each other in the standings and often times, players knew each other very well, having competed against and with each other at different times.

This rivalry peaked during the mid-2010’s, especially after the formation of the Keystone Derby Cup, which the clubs played for from 2015-18.

Since that time, the Riverhounds have certainly prospered as a club, but have been without a legitimate, geographical rival.

“It meant so much to us,” Mike Shoemaker, longtime Steel Army member, shared a few years after the last Riverhounds-City Islanders match took place, in my book, Miracle on the Mon, when talking about the heyday of that rivalry before its demise.

“I fear that we’ll never be able to replicate that. It’s tough to deal with. It was such a natural rivalry.”

When it comes to local soccer rivalries in the Pittsburgh region, there have always been, and always will be good ones at different levels of the game, from the competitive academy environment which has become the norm, to high school and college competitions.

It’s these contests between neighboring clubs and schools that are most familiar with each other, that always take on extra special meaning.

Even since the development of higher-level pre-professional Women’s soccer clubs in the Pittsburgh region, dating back to the mid-2010s, with the emergence of Steel City FC’s inaugural squad that competed in the WPSL — we’ve been mostly void of having local clubs square off against each other.  One exception came when Century United and Pittsburgh Hotspurs (was Steel City’s name for a while) battled in WPSL in 2021.

With not one, but two clubs moving into the USL W League in 2025, the opportunity for a legitimate, high-level local derby to inspire and bring together the Pittsburgh soccer community like never seen before suddenly became reality. 

Having two clubs from the same region compete against each other, in the same league and division, added extra excitement, passion and maybe most importantly, provided a showcase of homegrown women’s talent on one field.

Twice in the past month, Pittsburgh Riveters and Steel City FC gave Pittsburgh soccer fans a rare glimpse of how special and unique a local derby can be, especially with added significance of playing for division title honors and a postseason berth.  Down to the last few weeks of the season with the standings still in flux, there was plenty of scoreboard watching too between the two clubs and its supporters.

For the Riveters, after pouring tons of resources into a massive push in the club’s first season of existence to give a women’s soccer its biggest stage to play on and generate fan support without much of a history — the players and coaches were under the gun to play up to high expectations.

Steel City, on the flip side, have been a more established entity, built incrementally through highly successful grassroots and community-oriented, academy-based model.  In the eyes of the general public, among mainstream audiences and even large sectors of the local media, Steel City have largely flown under the radar, competing previously in the WPSL, UWS before this year’s move into USL’s W League (in addition to its men’s club which completed in the NPSL prior to this year’s transition to USL League Two).

The Riveters continued to build momentum throughout their first-ever campaign, and started to grab the spotlight. Still, Steel City went about its business even as they were being overlooked.

In fact, at one point in the late Winter, a Riverhounds / Riveters team official, as the roster spots were being announced, remarked to me that they didn’t think any team in the Great Forest Division, including Steel City, would be able to compete with the Riveters squad.

In local mainstream media, following the first match between the two sides, one of the local major newspapers headline read:  Riveters win showdown with crosstown foe.

If that wasn’t a metaphor for how public perception was revolving around the two clubs — I don’t know what was.

That crosstown foe has a name.

Looking at the approach between the two clubs as these matches approached, you couldn’t have seen a more different approach to how the match was promoted. 

Steel City promoted the match as ‘Battle of the Bridges’ and featured interviews about the excitment of playing in a local derby.

On the flip side, you couldn’t find much in the way of promoting any sort of rivalry in the Riveters marketing and promotion of those contests.

Of course, the players on both sides knew what this match meant.  And the respect between the players and coaches was always there.  The supporters on both sides did sense this too. 

This was all pretty well-spelled out in much of Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s coverage of the matches and in interviews with contestants from both sides. Heck, we even hosted a Podcast with siblings, Robin Reilly and Regan Reilly, who each represent the different clubs.

When the smoke from fireworks display cleared on Friday night at Highmark Stadium, it was the Riveters who celebrated winning the USL’s W League’s Great Forest Division.

The Riveters needed to rally for a pair of late goals, to earn a 2-1 win — but they had to do it against a determined and highly motivated Steel City side that proved to be a tough out.

Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast: Steel City FC’s HC Tom Ovenden on high stakes rematch vs Riveters SC

Both contests between the two clubs this season had a little bit of everything.

You couldn’t ask for a better scenario for a match-up between two rival clubs, as the season came down to one contest at Highmark Stadium with everything at stake, with that match providing various shifts of momentum and could have easily gone either way.

In the grand scheme of things — when looking at the overall purpose and general set up of pre-professional soccer leagues — which provide players, many of whom are still in college or recently graduated — with opportunities to continue to pursue playing at the highest levels possible.   As in any competition, they’re hard-fought and intense, but in many aspects, they also take on a bit of a ‘summer league’ feel.

The two matches played between Steel City and Riveters did not lack in intensity.

Despite trailing at the half, with continued persistence and some luck along the way, the Riveters overcame a very worthy challenge from the club that they arguably have overshadowed this season in public eye and attention.

Heading into the match, Steel City FC Head Coach, Tom Ovenden, played that card with his players.

“Not let the occasion to be too big for us. Riveters marketing budget is awesome. They project an amazing image of the club, and they do a great job,” Ovenden told Pittsburgh Soccer Now earlier in the week leading up to the match.

“We have to do a great job in stand up and be counted.  That’s the main thing.  They showed that in the second half (of first match between the clubs). They just have to believe in themselves, and they can do it.”

Still hanging on to hopes to remain in contention for a Division title, Steel City didn’t have many chances in the first half, but the one they got, they buried.

Taking a touch, pouncing on a loose ball in the box, Steel City forward Lucy Ream made a couple clever moves before being fouled by Minah Syam, earning a penalty kick opportunity.

Midfielder and team captain, Emily Graeca went left, while Riveters goalkeeper Pauline Nelles guessed right — giving Steel City FC a 1-0 lead that carried into the half and portions of the second half.

The first-ever women’s soccer team in Pittsburgh had scored the first goal of the match, putting the Riveters on their heels — and leaving it up to Steel City FC instagram account to throw some shade.

In fact, it was the only time Riveters trailed at Highmark Stadium this season and at halftime in any match.

Steel City’s goal ended a scoreless streak of 390 minutes, 6 seconds for the Riveters at Highmark Stadium. The previous eight goals the team had allowed all came on the road.

Heading into the match, it was clear that all of the pressure shifted to the Riveters.

After all, backed by strong marketing push, attendance/ticket sales and momentum which helped elevate the profile for the women’s game in the area, the possibility of losing to crosstown club they hardly acknowledged in the months leading up and during the season as a potential rival, would have been quite an embarrassing moment.

It was Steel City who felt, and played more tentatively in the first meeting between the clubs on their home

Compounding things, the Riveters failed to clinch the Division title at FC Buffalo last week, having to settle for a road draw.

Suddenly, the much-ballyhooed club, found themselves trailing front of a massive crowd of 5,761 at Highmark Stadium, which certainly wasn’t completely partisan, as a large contingent of Steel City FC fans were certainly seen and heard.

The Riveters were in danger of losing for the first time at home all season.

“It was different. We just didn’t get going in the first half. We were a little flat,” Scott Gibson, Riveters Head Coach, admitted.

“I have to give credit to Steel City. They played the right way, and they did their homework on us.”

The hosts wouldn’t go quietly, however, and aggressively pressed for the result they needed.

Bottom line for the Riveters — all they needed was a draw — and they would earn a first-ever USL W League Great Forest Division title.

What we would find out later — there was a bit more at stake.  The opportunity to host W League’s Central Conference semifinals and finals — with a chance to bring more fans and generate more potential revenues for the club also stood in the balance.

Steel City FC proved to be up for the fight in the second half, even as an early Riveters effort found the back of the net, but the crowd groaned with disappointment as the assistant’s flag was raised, nullifying the effort.

Then, a laser strike from distance off Abi Hugh’s foot couldn’t shake Steel resolve of the visitors.

Hugh rocketed a strike from 35 yards out with a target-lock on the upper-right corner.

Steel City goalkeeper, Payton O’Malley, reacted with an equally stunning save of the year candidate effort to stretch and barely tip it away.

Despite their best efforts to hold on, Steel City couldn’t keep the scoreboard clean.

It took a bizarre moment for the Riveters to finally get the break they needed.

Sydney Lindeman drove a low cross towards the top of the box from central midfield. But rather than find a teammate, the effort snuck past everyone, O’Malley included and surprisingly tucked into the back of the net to equalize.

The shot was redirected as it did make contact with Steel City defender, but it was not ruled as an own goal because the official scoring deemed the shot attempt as on target.

While in live time on the wider shot showed that the trajectory of the shot was headed toward goal — this replay shared later showed the deflection from a different angle.

With a draw enough for the Riveters to secure the division and playoffs, it turned into Steel City’s game to chase.

The visitors opened things up — pushing forward, showing they could get on the front foot once again, earning corner after corner, and sending in cross after cross.

Much like late in the first match between the two sides when the result hung in the balance entering stoppage time, more and more space was left behind for the Riveters.

Sure enough, well past the 90th minute and mere moments before the final whistle, it would be Gina Proviano who would do some dancing in the box before slotting an effort beyond O’Malley in net, giving the Riveters the lead for the first and final time on the evening.

However, a closer look at the replay (and still shot before shows that the Riveters may have been in an offside position in the sequence leading up to the goal that extended the possession.

This was a major point of contention for Ovenden, who would be shown a yellow card for dissent after the goal.

Regardless, it was pretty close, and the officials let it go.  If you watch the Steel City FC defender in the box, she kept dropping and dropping.  She may have held her line, but it was very close.

With their 2-1 lead secure, the ensuing kickoff was all that was left before the final whistle blew and the celebrations began — and for Steel City to only think about what could have been.

There really wasn’t much separation between the clubs on the field, despite their massive differences in approach and cultures they’ve created in player development and organizationally.

Players and fans and pink smoke flooded the field to celebrate the Riveters first divisional title, playoff appearance, rivalry sweep, and a stunning win to cap an equally fantastic inaugural season.

As the match ended, Steel City’s players slumped but were quick to warmly congratulate their crosstown opponents, many who they know very well.

In all, the contests played between these two local sides were very exciting and came down to the very last whistle.

The Riveters now move on to the USL W League’s postseason tournament, which begins with Central Division semifinal round match-up on Friday at 1 p.m. vs Aurora at Highmark Stadium.  The winner of that match will take on Detroit City FC/Kings Hammer winner on Sunday (7 p.m.) also at Highmark Stadium.

Steel City wrapped up its season on Sunday, losing against a pretty inspired FC Buffalo side that were forced into a forfeit for not being able to reschedule its match earlier in the week with Cleveland.

Nonetheless, regardless of results which happen from here on out, it was an impressive season for both Pittsburgh sides, who remained in top-of-the-table contention for every bit of the year all the way to the end, highlighted by the battles between these two different local clubs.

The Riveters and Riverhounds team officials have made it no secret that they have higher ambitions to bring Pittsburgh its first pro women’s soccer team.

If season one of Riveters has been the dress rehearsal for this, they’re on the right track.  The Riveters’ attendance outdrew numerous USL Super League teams, albiet, the latter had larger sample size of matches.

Regardless of what transpires in the coming year, though, Pittsburgh got a taste of what a local derby can do to galvanze the sport and generate interest throughout the entire Pittsburgh soccer community.

Hopefully, there will be a way that we can see more of the same in the years to come.