Investing in homegrown prospects, Riverhounds sign Aldi Flowers-Gamboa as second player on USL Academy player contract

Riverhounds SC announced via release and through its social media platforms, it has signed forward Aldi Flowers-Gamboa to a USL Academy contract, bringing another talented young player into the club’s First Team for the 2026 season. The deal is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval.

An 18-year-old Pittsburgh native, Flowers-Gamboa returns to his home city after spending last fall with Texoma FC in USL League One on an academy contract.

He made his senior-level debut with the Texas club, making five appearances, including his first start in the season finale last Oct. 25.

“Aldi is a local player who left Pittsburgh to join the FC Cincinnati Academy and later gained professional experience with Texoma FC,” Dan Visser, Riverhounds Sporting Director, said.

“We’re thrilled to welcome him home and continue showing that there’s a clear professional pathway in Pittsburgh for the region’s top talent.”

Flowers-Gamboa played locally at Plum High School along with local clubs AAFC and BVB Pittsburgh, before leaving to join the FC Cincinnati youth system in 2023. He spent two years in the MLS organization before making the jump to First Team play in League One last fall, and now he gets the opportunity to move up a tier with the Hounds in the USL Championship.

He has been training with the Hounds since the start of preseason and made a splash in his first preseason match with the team, recording a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over the Richmond Kickers.

The signing means the Hounds have two USL Academy contract players this season — the first time the club has had more than one in a calendar year — as Flowers-Gamboa joins previously signed midfielder Warren Agostoni. The contract makes Flowers-Gamboa a full member of the First Team and eligible to appear in all competitions for the Hounds while maintaining his amateur status.

The Hounds season-opening roster will be finalized in the coming week, as the team prepares for its season opener March 7 on the road against the Charleston Battery.

John K’s Thoughts on Signing of Aldi Flowers-Gamboa to USL Academy Contract 

In recent seasons, the Riverhounds took advantage of the USL Academy contract option, by adding a player in four of the past five seasons to its roster, beginning with Wyatt Borso in 2021, Anders Bodroy in 2023, followed by Pablo Linzolan in 2024-25.

For the club, the benefits of adding an USL Academy player or two include the opportunity to sign top local youth talent to train and compete with senior teams while preserving the players’ NCAA college eligibility.

These contracts create a direct, low-cost pathway for clubs to develop, evaluate, and integrate high-potential young players into their professional systems.

Each of the previous Academy Contract players saw sparce playing time with the first team, but gained valuable experiences. They also filled one extra roster spot for designated Academy contract players for all home matches, giving the Hounds added depth during the course of the long season.  Having an extra player on the roster that they can utilize during the rigors of a long campaign that includes multiple competitions is also a win-win situation. This year, the Hounds will be competing in the US Open Cup beginning in the first-round (first time in a very long time they’ve entered this early), plus will also have USL Cup matches where they’ll want to maximize and be resourceful with player selections.

Plum High School boys Head Coach Raf Kolankowski, who has coached Flowers-Gamboa at different levels, shared with PSN that the young

player possesses a high IQ, composure, and attacking flair in the final third, as he’s spent much of his recent career as an attacking midfielder or forward.

“Good for him. He’s worked hard — and pursued some good opportunities and has traveled a lot as a young player,” Kolankowski added.

“It’s great that he can come back home with the Riverhounds.”

One interesting note, is that while Flowers-Gamboa is from the Pittsburgh area, he is not a product of Riverhounds Academy as a youth player.

The club is starting to double down on Sporting Director Dan Visser’s initial vision that he shared when he was promoted into this role, to start intertwining even more focus on youth development within the entire organization.

The Riverhounds have taken an aggressive approach in this direction with the signings of Aldi and Warren Agostoni, two players who left Pittsburgh to pursue higher pathways. These players were lured back by the opportunity to train and play with their hometown first team while still being able to keep their college eligibility. With the early start to Open Cup (rare first round start), USL Cup competition and an extra roster spot for Academy players for home regular season matches, there will be opportunities for each to contribute to the club this season.

Not only will the Riverhounds have two new USL Academy contract players, but they will also be launching a new USL League Two team, Riverhounds 2, this season.