Simply put, Bob Lilley took the Riverhounds to another level (Lilleyball in Pittsburgh: An Oral History: Part I)

The circumstances revolving around the end of Bob Lilley tenure as Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds remain fluid as the club announced through a team release that the American soccer coaching icon was officially be replaced earlier this month by Rob Vincent, who led the team to USL Championship title at the end of the 2025 season as acting coach after Lilley was placed on administrative leave by the organization.

Simply put, Lilley transformed the Riverhounds franchise.

With 418 career wins to his name, more than any active coach in U.S. professional leagues, 131 of those came in Pittsburgh — more than any other stop in his decorated career. Across 25 seasons of head coaching at the pro level, which began with a five-year run in Hershey, Lilley has earned more wins than any other active coach at in the U.S. at the professional club level. He has logged at least a .500 winning percentage during each regular season and has led his team into the postseason every year. In 2010, Lilley was inducted into the USL Hall of Fame as a coach.

Under Lilley’s guidance, the Hounds’ most significant accomplishments included:

• First in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference twice (2019 & 2023)
• Won the Players Shield (USL Championship Overall Points Leader in 2023)
• Built the club that would go on to hoist the USL Championship title in 2025.

When Vincent was announced as the team’s permanent coach, in the club’s release, there was a careful, subtle acknowledgement of Lilley’s accomplishments with the club: “Lilley lifted the organization to the winning standard it holds today by making the playoffs in every year of his tenure, claiming the 2023 Players Shield and assembling the 2025 team that made history by winning the club its first league title.”

Other than that line, the only other recognition within the team’s circles came from the Steel Army on Monday.

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There are questions that linger about what exactly happened as the organization has formally moved on from Lilley as Head Coach.

Clearly, a part of this decision to move on from Lilley stems from the team’s success with Vincent in charge, albeit in a short period of time, leading the organization to make a permanent change.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now learned from sources, Lilley was informed and cleaned his items out of his office area the week after the Riverhounds clinched the title.

In addition, since being put on administrative leave, Lilley, understandably, did not respond to requests from Pittsburgh Soccer Now to share any comments about his situation and status.

Lilley was placed abruptly on leave on October 10, less than 24 hours before the Hounds’ match vs Indy Eleven.

In the last match Lilley coached, the Riverhounds held a 1-0 lead on the road at The Miami FC, then, inexplicably allowed three goals in the second half.

It’s been no secret and often acknowledged by players and even by Lilley himself, that the veteran coach can be demanding. Many times, Lilley would keep the team on the field after games and extend training sessions with long talks.

Throughout his 2,886-day tenure in Pittsburgh, Lilley was always generous with regards to being accessible to media, often brutally transparent after all results.

It wouldn’t take a whole lot of research to ascertain that Lilley has been the most interviewed subject on Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

Sure enough, after that very tough and uncharacteristic loss at Miami, Lilley acknowledged to PSN that the team ‘took the foot off the gas’.

Reports from within the organization in the days that followed this loss, Lilley was far from upbeat when seen around AHN Montour Run Soccer Complex.

Still, under Lilley’s direction, the team prepared and trained, as far as the players were concerned, as business as usual as they were set to face Indy Eleven looking to clinch a spot in the postseason for the eighth straight season under Lilley.

Then, the shocking announcement came on that Friday after practice, when Vincent was first informed, then along with the other coaches and the club’s Sporting Director, Dan Visser, they shared the news with the players virtually.

After being put on leave, speculation and rumors persisted about what may have transpired, including rumblings related to player concerns relating to Lilley’s onerous coaching style.

When USL Players Association Executive Director Connor Tobin interviewed with Pittsburgh Soccer Now shortly after the Riverhounds won the USL Championship title, he was also asked about potential complaints involving Lilley.

“We always encourage membership to bring for concerns that they have that touched their workplace conditions,” Tobin pointed out, reiterating the importance of representing player concerns when dealing with the league or specifically with the clubs.

“In all these I’m not going to get into specifics with each club. What I would say is given that each of these clubs are independent businesses. They’re in different places on a number of fronts. I think it’s our hope as a place of association, continues to evolve to continue to become more stable. Continue to do things in a more equitable way in a way, that’s treats players with dignity. And I get that is something where that is not a one-size-fit with all the clubs.”

Tobin also told Pittsburgh Soccer Now what the players accomplished under the circumstances, was “nothing short of amazing.”

Throughout its run through the end of the regular season and into its remarkable trek through the postseason, one of the constant refrains from players was that they were enjoying a bit more freedom to express themselves on the field.

Forward Augi Williams, who scored a team-high nine goals during the season and would ultimately not be retained by the club, had this to say to PSN’s Mark Goodman, leading up to the Eastern Conference semifinals in early November.

“(Rob Vincent) has come in with something a little different than what I was used to and given me more freedom to express myself. I’ve been able to move the way I want to move. And he trusts me to be able to make those moves.”

The team’s captain, Danny Griffin, who came to Pittsburgh in 2020 as a rookie, quickly found himself in Lilley’s good graces with his play and leadership skills, had to manage both the emotions of being without the coach who put so much faith in his abilities while focusing on steering the team forward with tasks at hand each week.

“Obviously, we were surprised,” Griffin said after the Hounds won the Indy match where he scored the match’s first goal, helping clinch a playoff spot.

“(Lilley) knows I have his back. He is my coach. He knows I have his back. He has my full support.”

Griffin reiterated the importance for the team to stick together, take things one day at a time and remain unified.

“In all my years here, we’ve always remained a close-knit locker room,” Griffin stated.

“And the guys would demand more from each other. Guys would get on each other. Get after each other on what we needed to do. There are struggles in every season, but in those little moments, there are guys who stepped up and had each other’s back. That went a long way for everyone.”

Remarkably, everything broke their way in terms of finding success in the playoffs with the foundation and principles put in place by Lilley. With each narrow postseason win, the group become stronger, more determined and they kept finding a way.

What matters most to Griffin and the returning players, and to Vincent, Dan Visser and the returning coaches, is that they can now focus on building and maintaining the winning culture as they turn the page to a new season in 2026.

When asked if he sees himself as an ambassador of that culture established by Lilley, Griffin deflected credit to the players who initially laid the groundwork in Pittsburgh and then to those in the most recent locker room who carried on the club’s core principles.

“It’s a long list of guys.  There were guys who helped when I got here (in 2020). You see how we start in the preseason.  We grew through the process.  It was a hard year, but we came together.”

The man most responsible for building that culture, Lilley, will be now conspicuous in his absence as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds move forward, with lot of questions lingering about why he was put on leave and eventually was not brought back.

However, there’s no question that Bob Lilley was not only the primary architect for the club’s success over the past eight years — but the driving, hands-on force who was firmly in control of the team.

While the particulars of Lilley’s departure go unanswered — for now — as Pittsburgh Soccer Now has provided the most in-depth and continuous coverage of Bob Lilley’s coaching tenure in Pittsburgh from start to finish — here’s a look below back mostly through his words, along with those who played, competed and covered him during the Riverhounds’ last eight years.

(Editor’s Note — due to the large amount of content — we’ve divided this feature into three parts. Look for Part II and Part III to follow in coming days).

LILLEYBALL IN PITTSBURGH: ORAL HISTORY

(Part I – 2017-2019)

2017

“This club is poised to jump to the next level”

The Riverhounds, all but eliminated from the playoffs, played a late season match against Rochester in September 2017, losing late, as Rochester pushed for a pair of second half goals that proved to be the difference.

After the match ended, as I prepared to make my way on the field to interview the losing coach (Dave Brandt), Bob Lilley stood in front of the locker room entrance.

As I took the opportunity to get some additional post match quotes for my story, Lilley was more than happy to oblige.

Little would I know that would be the first of hundreds of interview sessions with the future Hounds coach.

A little more than a month later, on November 14, 2017, Riverhounds owner Tuffy Shallenberger walked into Highmark Stadium suites with Lilley at his side to make a stunning announcement, replacing the team’s coach from 2016-17, Dave Brandt, who was deemed ineligible by U.S. Soccer due to not having a US Soccer Class A coaching license, with Lilley.

Hounds make stunning coaching change; Bob Lilley replaces ineligible Dave Brandt

“He was the first person I wanted,” Shallenberger added when appointing Lilley to be the 10th coach in the then 18-year history of the franchise.

After the 2017 USL Championship season ended, Lilley, who grew up in Carlisle, PA, came to Pittsburgh with impressive credentials, having won multiple pro titles and trophies, holding managerial posts with Hershey (A-League), Montreal (A-League), Vancouver (A-League) and Rochester (USL twice), plus with Detroit Ignition of Major Indoor Soccer League in 2007.

Lilley, who found success in Rochester despite a tumultuous ownership situation, jumped at the chance at coming to Pittsburgh. In his first press conference with Shallenberger at his side, Lilley raved about what the Hounds’ organization had done to foster soccer’s growth in Pittsburgh and to take steps forward to get to the next level.

“I am excited and honored to join the Pittsburgh Riverhounds organization. They have made tremendous strides as a club to move forward in the modern USL,” Lilley said.

“This club is poised to jump to the next level.”

Sure enough, Lilley steered the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to the next level.

Immediately after his hire, I was fortunate to find myself sitting in Lilley’s office, staring at what became a trademark — a whiteboard with players names who were already on the roster including a diagram of what appeared to be a makeshift depth chart and formation.

Despite all of the promise that the Riverhounds’ organization provided, Lilley still had to work within certain limitations to build a competitive roster.

“We’re not the highest, but we’re not the lowest payroll, but it’s healthy,” Lilley said.

“When I build a team, salaries are closer together than further apart. I am not a big believer in putting all money in couple guys. When people come to games — I hope that we play well enough that for sure that people are going to have their favorites. That’s important to have guys that relate to the fans. It’s important to have that eleven. Have a dynamic group of players that people will want to watch.”

In Lilley’s eight seasons in Pittsburgh, the Riverhounds went from being a middle-of-the-road third division club, to consistent winners in the second division — and the relationship between the players and the fan-base grew incrementally.

2018

Tenure begins in classic ‘Lilleyball’ fashion

The new coach’s reign in Pittsburgh started in classic Lilleyball fashion.

In the preseason, Lilley wanted to make it clear, that make-up of the team would be more complete than the group that carried over from 2017, even with the return of Kevin Kerr, who established himself as a mainstay with the franchise.

“Good teams have multiple guys. I am a coach that we’re figuring out who’s captain about a week before the season. Right now, we’re about everyone helping each other, stepping up, pushing each other. I think it’s important for this group that we have multiple people stepping up.”

“Last year, there wasn’t enough urgency. Last year’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds, from my view, were a little bit of Kevin (Kerr) and Corey (Hertzog) show.  To win in this league, you need a lot of guys playing at a high level. It’s not a knock on any of those guys, they’re all-league players. but I want more players that will have influence in the biggest moments in the biggest times. And that builds a stronger team.

“It will take time, and we’ll see in time.”

At one preseason match, Lilley was still using some primitive methods to get his point across to his players.

“He’s forever trying to get his point across. He’ll use anything for visuals — and find the nearest things,” Kevin Kerr said when asked about Lilley using water bottles as props to go over strategy during a preseason halftime talk.

“You know what to expect,” Dan Lynd, a former Rhinos and Pitt Panthers’ goalkeeper, said, talking about his experience of playing for Lilley.

“You have a clear idea what [Lilley] wants and how he wants to play, so I feel like some of the Rochester guys will be able to help out the rest of the group so we’re all on the same page.”

“It’s been good. He (Lilley) likes to win — clearly — you can tell,” Phil Fives, a local product, by way of Indiana University, who was brought into camp on trial, explained to Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

“He’s a very vocal guy. He has the attention of this team — and after the past few years — hoping that he can help bring more success here to Pittsburgh, and that’s a good thing. You get used to it after while. It’s not the first time a coach is telling you what to do during the game, All you can do is try to stay focused.”

The Riverhounds first-ever match of the Bob Lilley era came in an NFL stadium, as they took on expansion side, Nashville SC playing before 18,922 fans.

Despite dazzling 2nd half chances, Hounds battle Nashville to scoreless draw

It was a historical match, and Pittsburgh Soccer Now was there.

“I am proud of the guys, it’s not easy on the road, with a mostly new group,” Lilley told me after the match outside the Riverhounds’ locker room.

“Throw in the crowd support that got behind them. It was a physical game, and we had to respond, and I thought we made a great account of ourselves in the first thirty minutes of the second half, and even in the final 15, we didn’t have the same energy, but we still looked dangerous, and I was okay with that.”

After completing my post-game interview with Lilley, we spoke about the atmosphere and excitement of the match, and he was glad to have a few folks from Pittsburgh make the trip.

It was a match that I didn’t want to miss. Sure, there were no goals, but it was a game that lived up to the hype — and a road trip worth making.

On that night, Music City USA transformed into a soccer city.

“We are on to something now,” Nashville SC Head Coach Gary Smith said in his postgame remarks. “Now, we’ll move over to First Tennessee (Park), and we’ll have to create a real home field advantage in a more intimate environment.”

“The times are changing,” Lilley said to me as we parted ways.

“Absolutely,” I quipped back, “changing for the better, right?”

“Yep.”

Sure enough, through the first four-and-a-half matches that season the Riverhounds did not surrender a goal, until they played another match before a very large crowd (24,505) in Cincinnati, in a match where they battled to a 2-2 draw with another club that eventually would go to MLS.

That match also showed how Lilley could match wits with any coach.

“That was an exciting soccer game,”Alan Koch, FC Cincinnati head coach said in his post-game interview after a 2-2 draw, after FCC battled back to score the first two goals of the season against Pittsburgh that erased 1-0 and 2-1 Hounds leads.

“It was a bit of a tactical chess match. They adjusted. We adjusted. They adjusted. We adjusted. I am very proud of our group in how we responded.”

The 2018 season saw the emergence of a former Robert Morris standout, Neco Brett, becoming the team’s leading scorer (15 goals), but the attacking group included some talented pieces, including Kevin Kerr, who had climbed up into many of Riverhounds’ franchise career records, the embattled Romeo Parkes and speedy Christiano François.

One of the primary ambassadors of Lilleyball who came over from Rochester with a Championship pedigree, who set the tone in the midfield and led by example as Lilley’s primary lieutenant was Kenardo Forbes.

“He’s one of our best players. He has a confidence. Guys trust him,” Lilley told PSN’s Mark Goodman.

“Generally, when he’s on the field, things go through him. He gets everyone involved. He’s one of those players that makes everyone around him better.”

Lilley added: “In the bigger games, Louisville, and Cincinnati, it’s pretty obvious he looks like the best player on the field. It takes a lot of guys, obviously, but a lot of times, Kenardo is pulling those strings. I have great confidence in him, and I think the players do too. You have Kenardo on your team, and he can dictate what’s going on.”

Forbes joined the team late in preseason that year, as he had done in his career at that time, was also playing professional indoor soccer (in Baltimore that Winter).

Playing with Kenny (Forbes) is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. It’s give him the ball and pretty much run forward. It’s just waiting for the ball to appear in front of my feet,” Jordan Dover, outside back/winger, shared with Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

“It’s always nice playing with him. His vision is amazing.”

In the Hounds’ home debut under Lilley offered his first (of many) cranky post-match interviews and hard-hitting comments about his team’s performance in a listless nil-nil draw vs Penn FC (formerly Harrisburg City Islanders).

“We could win a game like that, but we didn’t deserve to win tonight,” Lilley said.

The result wasn’t the only disappointment for the Hounds organization, as the announced attendance had to be a bit disheartening with a total of 2,006 fans, especially after a preseason filled with a lot of excitement and anticipation.

A week later, Pittsburgh broke through with its first goals and win of the season, beating Toronto FC II, 4-0, as Brett opened his Riverhounds’ scoring account in a big way with a hat trick, making well-timed runs to get behind the last line of defenders — another Lilley trademark.

“Coach talks about that — I made the first run, and make sure I know where I’m at. I didn’t get the ball right away, but got myself back onside, and got the ball, and know exactly where the goal is.”

The Hounds kept the pressure on throughout the second half, registering 16 shots in the game and making the most of all four that were on target.

“Last week we panicked a little bit when the goal wasn’t coming,” Lilley said.

“Goals are not always going to happen early in games, and you’ll just have to stay after it, wear teams down, and I think we did that and I’m happy with it today.”

The Hounds continued into May without a loss (4W-0L-6D).  Lilley still, wasn’t pleased — even after another nil-nil stalmake vs Penn FC at Highmark Stadium.

“At this stage it’s very disappointing. We didn’t do enough on the night. It gets kind of old not doing enough. Or, not taking responsibility,” Lilley said. “We’re not getting shut out because we’re not creating chances. We’re getting shut out because we’re soft right now in terms of really putting the hammer down. We have teams in trouble, and we’re causal in front of goal.”

“Headers from six to eight yards that we can’t head it between the rectangles,” Lilley said in frustration.

“As long as we’re getting chances, usually I am pretty positive. But we’re wasting chances that can’t be wasted.”

Sure, we’re tired, we’ve had a lot of games. But we’re settling for mediocre performances more than we should. At the end of the day, you can’t win games if you don’t have fighters. Not enough desire and pure will to go after it. I am disappointed in leadership in older players. They’re not driving the bus. They’re waiting for staff to get them going. To me, it’s not, I call it like I see it. Today’s just not good enough,” Lilley said.

“Players need to hear it.”

“We’ll need our older players to make good decisions. Drive the group. They have to drive the group. That’s what happened in Pittsburgh in the past. The group wasn’t driven. I am disappointed,” Lilley added.

“Not just to single out Kevin Kerr, let’s talk about all the senior players. There’s not a tenacity to our group. We’ll all be nice guys. Sneak in the playoffs. Maybe win a round if we’re lucky. But you don’t win championships that way.”

Then came another classic soundbite.

“I want to see guys crash into goal posts,” Lilley said. “I don’t see any desire, hunger to smother teams. That’s where that has to change, or where we’re just another decent team. We want to be special.”

But he wasn’t done.

He didn’t want any part of talking about his team remaining unbeaten.

“We’re so easy to play against right now. Everyone’s talking about our shutouts,” Lilley explained.

“Being unbeaten is hogwash. We need to start winning games.”

One of the players, François acknowledged that playing for Lilley was no cake walk: “Playing for Bob is not easy. It’s very hard. Every time you come out, you have to give your best. If you don’t give your best, you come out. We want to work for him, and for us, and put ourselves in a good place,”

The Hounds finally lost a league match in late May– 1-0 at home — in the rematch with Nashville.

“Coach Lilley has done an amazing job. He’s done what he does at every organization he goes. He creates his system, and they get results,” Nashville’s Taylor Washington, who played with the Hounds the prior season, told Pittsburgh Soccer Now after that hard-fought match.

There was no panic with the Hounds as they stayed the course.

After defeating the defending league champs Louisville City FC, on the road, to reach the 15-match point with a 7W-1L-7D record, another opposing coach came away frustrated and impressed.

“Very structured, very organized, good pace,” O’Connor assessed.

“They came with a game plan to press in the first half and try to attack with some speed. And they did.”

Halfway through the season, the Hounds were alone in second place –right at the heels of front running FC Cincinnati – only three points behind with a game at hand.

Wasn’t that all Hounds fans can ask for halfway through the first season under Bob Lilley?

“We’ll see what we’re made of, now that we’ve reached the second half of the season, games take on more meaning,” Lilley said after the Hounds’ experienced its third loss of the season at North Carolina in early July.

Lilley continued to exercise his authority with the club, at one point pulling a healthy Romeo Parkes for Kay Banjo in the first half after he saw some play he didn’t like.  In fact, when Parkes came off, on the USL telecast audio, you could hear Lilley giving Parkes a mouthful.

“There’s no rule that says we can’t make a sub in the first half. There were a lot of guys I’ve could have pulled the way we were playing,” Lilley told Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

“Romeo’s been good for us this year. He’s shown progress in some areas. We need him to be a leader. He’s an experienced player. We don’t want him to react to the game. We want him to be proactive. He’s scored three goals, but there are games where he’s sitting on chances, and could have scored six or seven goals at this point. He helped us in the Tampa Bay game, against Atlanta he drew a yellow card late, his pace against Louisville won us the game.”

“It’s a dangerous game to play if you’re not completely focused,” Lilley added.

“Margins in this league are so small. There’s no room for error. We weren’t focused the other day. We can’t make it easier for other teams. As staff, we’ll do what we can in terms of coming up with formation, shape and personnel. Both of our next opponents are quite capable teams.”

In its annual Fourth of July match at Highmark Stadium, the Hounds pulled away for a win vs North Carolina FC, but the match didn’t end until after midnight due to a long weather delay and resumed after City of Pittsburgh’s fireworks celebration.

“This is one game where the night started glorious with Fourth of July and a packed house,” Lilley said.

“My hats off to the fans who stayed and it was great to still have an atmosphere.”

“It’s difficult. Most seasons you’re going to have four or five games you’re going to be affected by the rains, weather,” Lilley said.

“Tonight, that was longer – altogether. I’ve had numerous where you come back after short delays, then they stop it again. I think the guys did a decent job playing with energy to get to the half.”

“I still think we’re not closing games out very well. But we still got our three points, and it’s on to the next one. I’m not going to dwell on this a long time. We’ll address some of the things, but the fact that we gutted it out, and I am not trying to be cliché, but sometimes you find ways to win,” Lilley said then flashed a rare, full post-game smile.

“I am going to choose to be positive after this.”

The Hounds pushed to stay in the top four of USL Championship for much of the season, with one of the most crucial and anticipated matches coming against top-of-the-table FC Cincinnati.

Riverhounds SC took it to USL Eastern Conference leaders on the road in a hostile environment, but came up short, giving up a 1-0 lead by surrendering goals in the 80th and 88th minutes, to lose 2-1 before 25,735 fans at Nippert Stadium.

Lilley anticipated that something might give in the late moments.

“We had a couple of good moments. They had a couple of good moments. Look, we can’t call off the dogs,” Lilley told me after that match. “Once they tied it, they had a lot of attacking players on the field, they’re going to try to win it. We’re going to try to win it, but we got caught.”

“I think what this week (2-2 tie at Indy Eleven and 2-1 loss at FCC) showed was that we can play with anyone, home or away,” Lilley added.

“We’re not going to hang our heads on this one. We gave a good account of ourselves. It certainly isn’t a moral victory, but it’s nothing to concern ourselves with other than we play them once more in the regular season. There’s a good chance we may meet them somewhere down the road in the playoffs, and we don’t need to be afraid to play them.”

Fittingly, the Hounds persevered and got back to what helped them earn respect across the league at the start of the season: Defense.

Pittsburgh’s USL-best 16th clean sheet in beating in-state rival vs Penn FC, in the last-ever Keystone Derby Cup match on a rain-soaked evening on City Island, provided numerous rewards, ending an unsettling stretch in which the Hounds allowed multiple goals three times, winning the Derby and clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2015.

“It was a good team win,” Lilley, who graduated from nearby Carlisle High School, played for Harrisburg Heat and coached Hershey Wildcats for five seasons, told PSN’s Matt Gajtka after the match.

“The guys worked hard. It’s good to know we’re officially in.”

“I think we’ve done well. Tonight’s a microcosm of the season as a whole,” Defender Joe Greenspan said after the Hounds drew with FC Cincinnati at Highmark Stadium in early October, as Cincy extended its unbeaten streak to tie a USL record of 22 games, but had an impressive winning streak halted at 10 games.

“We’ve competed with the best teams and we’re one of the best teams. We’ve shown that, but we’ve let ourselves down a little bit in key moments.”

Lilley wasn’t taking any moral victories at that point of the season.

“That’s the top team in the league, and we didn’t take advantage of pressure we put them under. When you draw at home, that’s a loss in my book,” Lilley said.

The Hounds would get to host its first-ever home playoff match at Highmark Stadium, taking on another in-state club, Bethlehem Steel FC, a club they had their way with during the regular season.

“There’s a buzz in the air,” Greenspan also shared ahead of the playoff match.

“There’s a lot of guys here, including myself, who haven’t played in a playoff game since our professional career started. “So yeah, I think a lot of guys are excited. I know the city’s excited. There’s lots to look forward to this weekend.”

“There are always going to be curve balls at playoff time,” said Lilley, whose teams — heading into that match — had won four of five first-round USL playoff games since the creation of the league in 2011.

“You also have the pressure and expectations. You have to manage your emotions. You don’t lose your identity.”

An overflow crowd at Highmark Stadium provided an electric atmosphere, but Bethlehem Steel FC proved to be party crashers.

In an exciting match that saw the Hounds hold leads in regulation (1-0) and in extra time (2-1), they couldn’t hold off Steel FC.

After the match, Lilley was disappointed his team couldn’t put away a persistent opponent despite having upper hands in most categories: winning 94 duels to 74 for the Steel FC, with edges in shots (20-10, but only 6-5 on target), 13-4 on corners, 23-15 in open play crosses, 10-0 in headed shots and 56% possession.

As a result, the match came down to a penalty kick shootout — another first for the Hounds at Highmark Stadium.  It took nine rounds before someone finally missed — and Bethlehem walked away from Highmark with the stunning victory.

(I joined Matt Gajtka on the call that night — substituting for Paul Child and Gene Klein)

“At 1-0, we had chances to put the game away. Not just protect the lead. And actually put the game away,” Lilley said after the match.

“I think energy up top, movement. I look at the starting three up top. Christiano (Francois), Romeo Parkes and Neco Brett, and they needed to keep attacking the game. It’s disappointing we didn’t get the second goal.”

“We’ll need to be a little bit more consistent closing out games in those moments next year. We all know this a team that was a strong third. We played all the top teams well,” Lilley said.

“We had more ties because we couldn’t finish teams off. This is something we’ll have to look at and do a better job next year.”

“It’s a tough game to lose when I felt we were the better team tonight and for much of the season,” Lilley said.  “But, that’s playoff soccer.”

“Brutal,” Kerr said after the match. “Rips your guts out.”

Still, the way the season ended, before an electric atmosphere in a packed house, was a stark contrast to the home opener played before a little more than 2,000 fans in late March.

“It would’ve been nice to give them a great victory tonight. They were awesome,” said Lilley.

“They were fantastic. I hope they believe in what we’re doing, and we see more crowds like this.”

 

2019

‘Now, there’s an expectation’

Not too long after the playoff loss, Lilley was back at it — putting together the Hounds’ roster.  In fact, Lilley got right to the point in telling PSN’s Mark Goodman when the 2019 season started.

“The minute the (2018) season was over.”

“For the first three weeks, there’s getting our players out of here successfully, paying bonuses left on the contract, making sure the housing is sorted out with them, player meetings, coaches meetings, meeting with the owner.”

Lilley continued to host extended sit-down interviews with those of us in the media that off season, sharing his thoughts — both on and off the record — which was helpful as we formulated our coverage and narratives for the team and culture he was building in Pittsburgh.

Bob the Builder

“This might be the last thing a long-time Hounds fan wants to hear, but a brutal defeat can often be as emotionally galvanizing as a glorious win, if not more so. It all depends on the follow-up,” Matt Gajtka, Riverhounds play-by-play broadcaster and Pittsburgh Soccer Now contributor, said.

Lilley cut to the chase about what mattered most and what the club would be shooting for in 2019.

“They found way to get it done. And we didn’t,” Lilley said when asked about Louisville winning back-to-back USL Cups after the 2018 season.

”I believe next year’s (Riverhounds) team core that’s been together will handle those key moments little bit better.”

“In year one. we set a standard. Now, there’s an expectation. We know what it took this year to be at the top. We didn’t get there all the way. Not only do we have to get better to catch up with this year, but next year, it’s going to take a bit more,” Lilley added.

“There has to be a significant jump to get to another level to get to the top.”

The Hounds retained a core group of 11 players from the 2018 season.

“We feel really good about the eleven we kept,” Lilley said.

“There’s a good balance to that group. It allows us to go get a few new defensive pieces, a few new midfield pieces. We did feel like we needed to change some personnel in the attacking areas. We feel like we were solid in the second half of the season offensively. We were stingy defensively in the first half of the year. And (in the second half of the year) we got better offensively.”

As the Hounds embarked on a new season while also embracing its history (20th Anniversary season kicked off with a preseason celebration at Highmark Stadium), Lilley made a bold statement.

“I’m not going to predict a championship but…”

Lilley’s voice trailed off, and he paused in an ocean of silence before finishing his thought.

“…I’m pretty confident we’re going to be in the conversation when all is said and done.”

“The last time I was part of a 20th anniversary season was in Rochester, and we won a championship.”

“Last year we were able to change the culture of soccer and improve the quality. In 2018, we could’ve done even better. We play our seasons to be the very best.”

“It’s disappointing we gave up the red card right before halftime,” Lilley said of playing a man down when defender Thomas Vancaeyezeele was sent off and the Hounds were playing in the second match in a four-day stretch.

“We knew we couldn’t chase the game. We had some dangerous moments. We had a lot of corners and were willing to go forward.”

In the following match, a bounce-back 4-2 win at Hartford, which I happened to make the trek to cover as it coincided with broadcast support duties for Benfica-AC Milan at Foxborough the next day, in typical Lilley fashion, the veteran coach was not pleased and thought his team’s defending was lacking as they held a 3-0 lead to start and allowed Hartford back into the match.

“We didn’t defend well at any point, for me. Don’t think we worked very hard collectively,” Lilley stated.

Lilley really wasn’t focused on the playoffs immediately after what he saw on Saturday though.  The longtime, successful coach was a bit disgusted by his club’s overall performance.

“They had a few chances early on. It could have been 1-0 them. We were lucky we got the first goal.”

“We got goals we needed. We did good to stay composed and on the ball. Got good performances. At times we defended well.”

But?

“We always looked edgy. Because I don’t think we set the standard to defend. Hartford wanted it to be an open game. So, we let it be an open game. That’s not going to serve us against the tough teams. I think we fall into that trap where we let the game get stretched. It didn’t cost us tonight, but it will if we don’t fix it.”

After another win that was too close for comfort for Lilley, a 1-0 triumph over Loudoun United FC, at home, he continued to beat a similar drum.

“We allowed the game to get stretched. That’s on us. That wasn’t by design. We tied a game against Swope Park early in the year where the game just became a track meet. We tied the game against Bethlehem Steel early in the year when we had the lead at one point, but the game became a track meet,” Lilley explained as he wanted to see his club enforce its will instead of allowing Loudoun to play at Highmark Stadium on equal terms.

“We could’ve lost points tonight, we were fortunate that we just defended well enough.”

The Hounds push through July and August was impressive, winning nine of 11 matches but they continued to be outside the elusive top four spots in the Eastern Conference, and were definitely looking to stay in the top six to avoid mid-week playoff scenarios come October.

Following a 4-0 throttling, on the road, against another team they were contending with, Ottawa, the Hounds’ attack was firing on all cylinders, as one of the league’s best scoring units, ranking fifth in goals with 48.

Let that sink in for a moment. Bob Lilley’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds were fifth out of 34 teams in scoring goals after 25 games.

In my Player Grades/Analysis following the Ottawa match, this is what I wrote: ‘They’re scoring goals in all kinds of ways. Lilley’s common denominator usually means most will come in the box (sure enough they have 42 of 46 inside the 18), with 11 by way of headers, 24 right-footed, nine left-footed, one from a direct kick and four of seven penalty conversions. The team’s attack is balanced, with Brett scoring 10 goals, Dos Santos eight, Robbie Mertz with six and Kevin Kerr has five. But the most important of those is the 21.1% to be exact, conversion rate (a one-year improvement from 13.6% in 2018). Scoring those 48 goals on 102 shots on target with nearly half of its shots taken (total of 228) being on frame.”

Lilley said it was a ‘”mature performance for us that came at a good time” after the match.

Not only did the Hounds outclass Ottawa on that day, but also added salt to Ottawa’s wound, as they really saw offseason moves really pay off.  Lilley ‘sold’ contract for the speedy winger Christiano François to Ottawa, then, by all intents and purposes, picked up former Ottawa forward Dos Santos, who fit into and understood Lilley’s scheme as a true target forward.  On that night, Dos Santos scored a goal and had two brilliant assists against his most recent former team.

With the Hounds holding a 3-0 lead at the half, leaving Ottawa’s Head Coach Nikola Popovic was completely lost for words during halftime interview on the local broadcast.

Just watch the halftime interview with Popovic.  The poor man was lost for words.

Lilley had gotten the best of him.

After surrendering five goals to North Carolina in mid-August, the Hounds would begin flex its defensive prowess.

In fact, in the final 11 matches of that season, Pittsburgh would concede two goals.

The Hounds would also not lose the rest of the way, finishing with a tremendous late season push to the tune of 8W-0L-3D record.

What was even more impressive, was Pittsburgh would close out the 2019 regular season riding a 25-match unbeaten streak at home.

In an impressive 3-0-win vs Indy Eleven at home in mid-September, the Hounds finally reached the top of the standings.

Forbes added to his lore a brilliant evening with two highlight goals including the show-stopping capper in the 71st minute, when the Kingston, Jamaica native took a perfectly placed spinning, lofted ball from fellow countryman, Neco Brett, and made some more magic, even as he was bottled up by one of the best defenders in the USL Championship in recent years, Karl Ouimette.

“I had a different view, he’s not letting me go on my right so I had to go on my left, so I go to my left and I try to shoot it that’s how we practice and it went it so it was good for the team,” Forbes described his drag swerve move but was most concerned about the result.

“It was nice to get a victory plus a clean sheet.  Indy is a really good team so for us to get a 3-0 win and a clean sheet, moving in the right direction.”

“That goal, that’s one of his favorite high school moves.  He’s been doing it since high school,” Brett said of his fellow Jamaican teammate. “So, in the moment he pulls it off like 99 percent of the time he’s going to pull off that trick you know what I mean and he did it really well he got a brilliant goal.”

This was vintage, prime-career version of Forbes who was probably having his finest season as a Hound, leading the team in assists (and eventually would become the franchise and USLC’s all-time assists leader), as well as coming up with some big-time goals throughout the season.

Pittsburgh’s wonder strikes from Brett and Forbes weren’t enough to see Lilley walk away completely pleased.

“I’m more interested in the execution. And what we do when we get behind the defense,” Lilley said, but didn’t completely downplay the goals.

“To me, they were great strikes. We picked a good night to bring that offense out. But I’m more interested in the final pass, and getting into the final position to have clear cut opportunities to score.”

Then, Lilley added a little jab.

“Although, I am happy they’ll have something for their highlight collection.”

The Hounds closed out the season atop the table but with Nashville breathing down its neck as the final two matches would require road points.

A Steevan Dos Santos’ header in the 88th minute was the difference in a 1-0 win at Saint Louis FC in the penultimate contest of the regular season.

“I think it was a really professional and solid performance for any game, especially a road game that meant a lot,” Lilley said. “

The guys played great. They had to battle on the road and had to be persistent. They did a good job with a difficult opponent.”

The following week, with Eastern Conference regular season top spot and number one seed in the upcoming conference playoffs on the line, the Hounds found more late match magic to pull out a 1-0 win at Birmingham.

Mostly used off the bench late in matches that season, rookie Mark Forrest came through with the game-winner on the edge of stoppage time.

“Yeah. In both games, we wore them down. We stayed the course and kept creating chances. One of them was going to go in,” Mertz told PSN’s Matt Gajtka.

“Saint Louis, they were really fighting for their lives. Birmingham, they got the information that they were in (the playoffs) already. That changed that game a bit, but it’s still tough to beat anybody in this league. It was still a really good battle. We had a couple games down the stretch — Charleston a few weeks ago, too — that really tested us and will be good preparation.

“That may have been the best Riverhounds’ team during the Bob Lilley era,” Gajtka, who was the Riverhounds’ play-by-play broadcaster from 2015-19, said in retrospect.

Midfielder Anthony Velarde, in his first year with the club, expanded in an interview with PSN’s Mark Goodman, on the concept that in Bob Lilley’s system, they evolved and got better as the season went along.

“We believe in ourselves more than in the beginning of the season. We want to go to training and get the work in.”

Velarde believed that the squad was in the right head-space for the playoffs.

“We have good vibes now. We need to be pushing even more than at the beginning of the season.”

Heading into a rematch a week later against Birmingham, assistant coach Dan Visser, in his fourth season with the club and second under the tutelage of Lilley told Goodman: “I’m a big believer in our head coach and in the adjustments he’s able to make, and I’ll take him against any coach in the league.”

Heading into the playoffs, Velarde also shared with Goodman a perspective that sometimes gets lost among fans and those who may not follow second division pro soccer teams very closely, about the unique team bonds that are developed over the course of a long season, but it will all come to an end as soon as the last whistle is blown — and the band will almost be assuredly broken up.

“I played in the NCAA Division II playoffs. So, I have some idea of the mentality and the pressure. When you play at a high level, you understand that you lose you go home, and you don’t get to play with some of these players again. So, cherish the moment. Cherish that you guys are in this together; that you’ve made it this far. This sport, you never know where life takes you.”

“There’s no secret the USL is kind of on a year-to-year basis. That’s just how this league is. We’ve worked our asses off to be at this point, and to be the top team on the Eastern side. We’re looking to go forward and reach the final.”

Gajtka wrote in Q/A piece with Robbie Mertz following the Hounds clinching first-place overall:

“It was fitting that the Pittsburgh-area native, Mertz, was the only member of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the camera frame when the final whistle sounded.

When asked about what it meant to accomplish the regular season first place finish and head to the playoffs with home field advantage in the Eastern Conference, Mertz shared: “I feel like we’re doing it for the city. A lot of the guys share that (feeling). We know as pros that nothing’s guaranteed in this business. A lot of guys go their careers and struggle to get into the position we’re in right now, so it’s pretty special.”

In the club’s second-ever home playoff match at Highmark Stadium, the Riverhounds left no doubt this time, blowing away Birmingham, 7-0, as Neco Brett did most of the damage with four goals.

“When I got in the locker room, I realized everyone was locked in,” Brett said.

“Whenever I get in the locker room and the guys are locked in, I know they are going to bring their ‘A’ game. I was looking forward to a game like this. Not this many goals but a good game.”

“We knew their backline wasn’t steady,” Brett said.

“All we had to do was put pressure on them. That’s exactly what we did.”

“We were lethal in the box,” explained Jordan Dover, who cashed in a Ryan James cross for Pittsburgh’s fifth goal.

“Lethal in attacking areas. … We were clinical in the box, clinical with our finishing. We were really ready to go.”

“It was lovely. After the first couple of goals went in, guys were getting really excited. The crowd was into it. Soccer’s not always the most glamorous sport, so anytime you can put a whole bunch of goals in in front of your home crowd, it’s a good time.”

“You could tell right from the get-go we were tired,” Tom Soehn, Birmingham coach said as his team had to play a mid-week first-round playoff match to advance.

“I couldn’t tell how much of a carry-over we would have, but unfortunately it was big. Pittsburgh is a good team. If you come tired or heavy-legged, they are going to take advantage.”

Behind Lilley’s famous hard-driving exterior, it’s clear his goal was to have the grind pay off in the autumn.

“I’m always trying to get the most out of the guys,” Lilley said after the Birmingham beat-down.

“They’ve worked really hard. They push each other. They’re a tight group. They bond together sometimes over my misery.”

Lilley then paused to chuckle.

“And that’s OK. I just want to see them get what they deserve. I’m proud of them, but we have a lot of work to do. Our goals are a lot more than winning their first playoff game at Highmark Stadium.”

Next up for Pittsburgh was hosting the two-time defending USL Championship title winners, Louisville City FC, in the Eastern Conference semifinal round in the first pro match to be played in November at Highmark Stadium.

Surrounded by five reporters and two TV cameras at the end of that Thursday’s training session at Highmark Stadium, Lilley had a message to deliver, Gajtka reported for PSN.  

The gist?

The Hounds weren’t getting the respect it deserved, even after finishing first in a highly-competitive Eastern Conference race and dispatching Birmingham Legion FC in the playoff opener by an unprecedented 7-0 score.

Ahead of facing the two-time defending champs, Lilley went to bat for a team he’s guided consistently upward for two seasons.

“I don’t want them to sell themselves short,” Lilley said of squad he steered to a 17-2-4 record over the final four months of the regular season, which hadn’t lost in 12 games, the longest unbeaten run in the league.

“There are people out there who are going to say that, since Louisville are the defending champs, that we’re the underdog. That’s crazy to me.  I know what we’re capable of, on this field or on the road. There’s no one we take a back seat to. It’s important to remind people of that until it’s ingrained in their brains.”

“Louisville is similar to us in the fact that they’re sure of themselves,” Dover added.

“It took them a while to kind of get things together, but once they did, they were consistently good throughout the end of the season. They’ve been here before. They’ve won two championships, so they know what it takes. We have to be ready for their experience, their composure, match their energy and put out a good performance.”

A resilient, talented, and playoff-tested Louisville City FC club came to Highmark Stadium to show Lilley and the Riverhounds that they still had work to do to reach postseason glory, walking away from Pittsburgh with an impressive win, sucking the energy out of their opponents and Highmark Stadium in the process.

The experienced visitors weathered the early Pittsburgh storm, erased a 1-0 deficit, and dictated tempo for large portions of the second half and especially into overtime to walk away with a 2-1 victory that ended Pittsburgh’s impressive season, halting all of the Hounds impressive streaks.

“It’s disappointing. They had a great season. (We) didn’t play well tonight in any phase,” somewhat resigned Lilley said after a match where the Hounds went up early when Kenardo Forbes whipped in a ball that found the head of  Thomas Vancaeyezeele, who timed his run perfectly to flick a header into the back of the net.

Much like they did the previous week — the Hounds were up early and had all the momentum and the crowd was whipped up in a frenzy.

“We said we have to be able to pressure them and disrupt their rhythm, which we did a good job for most of the game. I think we ran out of gas at the end.”

As profiled in Alan Saunders‘ post-match piece for PSN, the Hounds were simply doing too much chasing and started to run out of gas.

“We didn’t execute the game plan,” Forbes said.

“We didn’t keep the ball enough. That’s on us as players. That’s on me as the midfielder to get us possession and I didn’t do that today.”

“When we played forward, we didn’t close the spaces,” Lilley said. “So every ball that spit out, they were picking those up and turning them into transition moments. That’s a big part of the game, when it’s that competitive: winning second balls, getting recoveries in the midfield.”

While LouCity brought on a number of experienced and talented players off the bench to help with the defending champs second half and extra time push, Lilley would only bring on two subs in the match, Steevan Dos Santos, in for Kevin Kerr, who came off the field for the last time in his heralded career, and Mark Forrest, in extra time, for Brett.

“Maybe they could have matched Louisville’s energy in the second half and extra time if Lilley had enough trust in Anthony Velarde, Noah Franke or Dani Rovira to deploy one or more of them off the bench,” Gajtka wrote following the match.

“For what it’s worth, Lilley himself seemed to be second-guessing his substitution decisions in the immediate aftermath.”

About a month later, the lead for my feature from an offseason interview with the Hounds Head Coach read:

“Lilley arrived back in his office after an intense morning workout at Highmark Stadium, taking advantage of a gift from team owner Tuffy Shallenberger: a new elliptical machine.  The veteran coach was in high spirits, even after having just spent the previous weekend conducting early season invitational tryouts, closely watching aspiring hopeful young soccer players looking to make their mark, hoping to get his attention, and an invite to Riverhounds SC training camp come January.”

When the conversation led into the playoff loss, Lilley pointed to the missed opportunities that the Hounds had late in the first half and early in the second half as the moments that were the most haunting from the playoff loss.

However, the excitement of turning the page and building a roster for the 2020 campaign brought Lilley back from the doldrums of talking about the bitter loss.

If we make any moves before the holidays, but it’s got to make sense. There’s some things we know now. If its the right fit, right price,” Lilley explained.

“Every day that passes, I learn more about the market. I‘ll make better decisions the more I know. What types pf players are available. What positions are deeper. Prices go down if there are more players available at certain positions. If there’s a shortage of of players at other positions, we may have to move quicker. All those things you learn and the more knowledge gathered over the years — you know what’s out there and have all this information.”

Lilley cited current Riverhound, Robbie Mertz as an example of a player who went through the process that included MLS combines, getting drafted in the top-flight league, then still had to work his way through different stages before landing in Pittsburgh.

Mertz, after completing his senior season at the University of Michigan, was already on Lilley’s radar in having trained in Pittsburgh as part of the Pathway to the Pros program in Summer 2018. went through the MLS combine in January 2019 and was subsequently taken in the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids. Mertz went through training camp with the Rapids, but didn’t make the team. When Mertz left Colorado, he didn’t come directly to the Hounds but went through the process of getting looks from other clubs.

“He called after he got let go by Colorado, but I told him to try other options first,” Lilley said. “So he did, went to another camp, fortunately for us, that didn’t work out for him either.”

Lilley added of Mertz: “He’s not the kind of kid that feels sorry for himself.”

Down to his last chance and facing only other options of maybe signing late with a League One team if things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, Mertz made the most of his chance once he got back to training with the Hounds in the last weeks of the preseason.

“I told him he wasn’t guaranteed anything because he was a local player. He had to earn it,” Lilley said. “He had to fight. He needed to deliver at that point. He has to produce, or he’s not getting a job.

“There’s something to be said, if you like a guy, and he has to produce, and he’s able to do that,” Lilley added.

As they exercised Mertz’s 2020 contract option, Lilley and the Hounds, found a foundational player for the club.

(Coming next — LILLEYBALL IN PITTSBURGH, PART II — featuring the mid-years of Lilley’s tenure from 2020 COVID-19 shortened season through the 2023 Players Shield winning campaign)

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