In latest sign toward building roster continuity, Riverhounds extend contracts of backline duo Beto Ydrach and Guillaume Vacter

In the first offseason roster build under the leadership of Sporting Director Dan Visser and newly permanently appointed Head Coach Rob Vincent, it hasn’t exactly been business as usual for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

In another clear sign pointing in the defending USL Championship title winner’s effort to reinforce roster continuity came on Tuesday when the club announced that they’ve taken another step in locking in some key players for another season or two.

The Hounds announced that they have extended contracts for backline duo Beto Ydrach and Guillaume Vacter, two players who were instrumental in fortifying one of the best defending units in the league, which didn’t allow a goal in the final seven matches last season, including all four postseason matches.

The new deals come on the heels of both players’ leading contributions to the Hounds’ USL Championship title in 2025.

According to the team’s press release, financial terms were not disclosed, but both new contracts go into effect for the 2026 season with a club option for 2027.

“Gui and Beto played important roles in our success last season, and we’re excited to reward them with new contracts. We expect them to remain key pieces within the group for years to come,” Visser said through the team’s release.

Ydrach, 24, famously netted the clinching penalty kick in the Hounds’ shootout win over FC Tulsa to secure the league title, and he also headed the game-winning goal in the team’s U.S. Open Cup victory over New York City FC in the Round of 32 last year.

A Puerto Rico international with 17 appearances for his national team, Ydrach started 27 of the Hounds’ 29 regular season matches as a rookie out of the University of Akron.

Vacter, 25, signed with the Hounds a month into the 2025 season, and shortly after his April 26 debut for the team, he locked down an everyday starting role at center back. The native of Paris and first-year pro out of the University of Connecticut started the Hounds’ final 23 regular season matches and the playoff opener against Hartford Athletic before an injury knocked him out of the lineup in November.

Vacter, Ydrach and the rest of the Hounds will be on the field when preseason training for the team’s Championship title defense begins Tuesday, Jan. 27.

John K’s Immediate Thoughts on Extending Contracts of Beto Ydrach and Gui Vacter

Roster stability matters.

Apparently, both Dan Visser and Rob Vincent with the backing of team owner Tuffy Shallenberger — each subscribe to this theory.  Being able to retain starters who made an immediate impact once they stepped foot on Highmark Stadium pitch goes a long way in keeping a strong core intact.  Both Beto Ydrach and Guillaume Vacter were instrumental in the Hounds’ title winning run and success as a defensive unit a year ago as each brought their own unique skill sets and different types of contributions to make the team better while being interchangeable and durable pieces of the Hounds’ back line.

While Sean Suber deserved all of the accolades that he earned as the central defender between the two last seasons, landing as All-USL Championship First Team selection and finalist as Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Hounds center back grouping exemplified the expression, “the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.”

The former UConn Huskies standout, Vactor, was a defensive machine.   The metrics back it up.

Though Luke Biasi did a solid job replacing him in the last two-plus matches of the postseason, Vacter showed in big time moments in the regular season (starting the last 23 matches) and in his only postseason match played before going down with an injury vs Hartford, that he was not going to be beaten in one-on-one situations and could be someone who could help advance possessions forward.

With the Hounds holidng advantages in possession, Vacter had 71 touches, including seven passes into final third and was a defensive force, winning 8/9 duels.  It was Vacter, not Suber, who had the highest FotMob rating for any field player on the team during the 2025 season (7.20)

While Vacter was superb defensively, he was also someone who could come up on set pieces and deliver a goal, but maybe more importantly generated a high number of chances for a center back (12).

Ydrach became yet another Riverhounds player who provided enormous versatility — as he mostly played on the backline as the cleverest of the trio with the ball at his feet — but also was utilized a few times in central midfield and as an attacking midfielder in a few games.  He scored one big goal (Open Cup game-winner) and there was a reason why he was selected as the fifth kick-taker in each of the penalty kick shootouts.

While Vactor was a force and a stone-cold stopper, in his first season as a pro, Ydrach rated very highly among center back peers in USL Championship

Now the question is — who will join the duo on the back line?  Will the Hounds continue to build around a three-man center back group or will they mix things up with four in the back at times under Vincent.

Returning to unit will be Illal Osumanu, also locked into a deal for 2026 (and team option for 2027) in Pittsburgh along with the newest addition, former NE Revolution center back, Victor Souza, How the Hounds will line up remains a question, but there’s a real good chance, if all goes well, that they can keep this group intact for the next few years.