Riverhounds strike new deal with hometown hero Robbie Mertz

Riverhounds’ hometown hero will be back on the field next season, after Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and midfielder agreed to a new two-year contract with a club option for the 2028 season. The deal is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval.

Mertz, 29, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of nearby Upper St. Clair High School, has been a mainstay for the Hounds since signing with his hometown club as a rookie in 2019. While he did have a short stint with Atlanta United 2 starting in 2021, he rejoined the Hounds via transfer midway through the 2022 season and will be entering his seventh season with the team.

“We’re excited to have Robbie back. He was instrumental in our playoff run, and representing his hometown, he continues to set the standard for what it means to play in Pittsburgh,” Sporting Director Dan Visser said.

Mertz made arguably the biggest play of the Hounds run to win the 2025 USL Championship with his game-winning goal in the team’s 1-0 victory over Rhode Island FC in the Eastern Conference Final at Highmark Stadium. That win propelled the team to the USL Championship Final, where Mertz was one of the five Hounds to convert his penalty kick in the decisive shootout.

“We’re coming off the first Championship in club history, so there is significant momentum right now with many people excited about the club and the direction we’re taking,” Mertz said. “It’s an honor to still be contributing to it after all this time. There’s a lot of work to be done and many moments to look forward to.”

An attacking threat as both a finisher and a playmaker, Mertz has 23 goals and 22 assists with the Hounds, making him one of only three players with at least 20 of each for the club in his career. His goal total and his 173 appearances for the Riverhounds — fifth in club history — are both the most all-time by a Pittsburgh native for the team.

Takeaways and Ratings: Robbie Mertz magic, defensive masterclass propels Riverhounds into league Final

 

Robbie Mertz delivers elusive, special goal that sends Riverhounds to USL Championship Final

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More on Robbie Mertz

• The 2025 campaign was Mertz’s sixth year with the Riverhounds.
• It is his second stint with the team, after he was re-acquired viatransfer from Atlanta United 2 on July 20, 2022.
• Mertz, a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, was a fourth-round MLS draft pick of the Colorado Rapids in 2019 after his college career at Michigan. Unsigned by the Rapids, he signed his first professional contract with his hometown club and had two very successful seasons with the Hounds.
• Between the Hounds’ 2019 season atop the Eastern Conference and the pan-demic-shortened 2020 season, Mertz posted 11 goals and eight assists as he established himself as one of the team’s best attacking options out of the midfeld.
• In 2021, he signed with Atlanta as a free agent and was an integral part of their team for a season and a half. He recorded four goals and 11 assists in 48 matches and wore the captain’s armband for all of 2022 before his transfer.
• Once he returned to the Hounds, he jumped right back into the team’s midfeld, and after having minutes limited by injury in 2023, he bounced back with three goals and a team-high five assists in 2024.
• In total with the Hounds, in adding his four goals and one assist this season, Mertz now has 22 goals and 20 assists — one of only four players with at least 18 of each.  

PSN’s Robbie Mertz Files

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