Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: Seven-Decade Wait Extended, Dream Revealed and Bridge City FC to cap inaugural campaign

Welcome to this week’s Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer.

From the professional ranks at Highmark Stadium to the high-scoring indoor action at Sewickley, the local scene is heating up as spring officially arrives. Between the added intrigue of the historic Open Cup clash waiting another week to be played (after all, we’ve waited seven decades — what’s another week), a landmark milestone for Hounds’ captain, and the conclusion of a milestone indoor season, there is no shortage of things happening around Pittsburgh on the pitch.

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Quick Hits: The Weekly Recap

• The Pittsburgh Derby Freeze-Out: The historic U.S. Open Cup clash between the Riverhounds and Steel City FC was postponed due to wintry conditions. It has been rescheduled for this Wednesday, as the stakes just got higher.

• Second Round Stakes: Following the completion of all of the other First Round Open Cup matches, U.S. Soccer announced that the winner of the Hounds vs. Steel City match will stay right here in the 412 to host Virginia Dream FC (NPSL) at Highmark Stadium on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:00 PM.

• After an unexpected mid-week off due to the Open Cup postponement, the Riverhounds (1-1-0) head to St. Petersburg to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-0-0) at Al Lang Stadium. John Krysinsky takes a closer look at this match-up in PSN’s Riverhounds Notebook. 

• Bridge City Blitz: Bridge City FC has been making a massive splash in its inaugural MLIS season, recently putting up a staggering 14 goals against the Summit City Sentinels two weeks ago — as PSN’s Joey Jirmasek was there, then last Saturday, BCFC closed out its home schedule with 9-4 win in rematch with Chicago last week. Though Bridge City were officially eliminated from playoff contention, the boys from the ‘Burgh will look to close out the season with a fourth consecutive win as they look to play spoiler in a high-stakes match for Toronto on Saturday, as the hosts can clinch a playoff spot with a win.  Watch Live

• College Rivalries Bloom: Pitt, Duquesne, and RMU are deep into their spring exhibition schedules, providing a first look at the rosters for the 2026 fall season.

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Pittsburgh Soccer Now: Essential Reading

• A Bridge Across Seven Decades: Riverhounds, Steel City FC face off in historic Open Cup match

• Pittsburgh Derby Open Cup Freeze-Out: Riverhounds vs Steel City FC clash moved to March 25

• Riverhounds Notebook: Previewing Hounds-Tampa Bay; Danny Griffin reaches 15,000 minutes milestone

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Upcoming Pittsburgh Soccer Schedule: All Teams

U.S. Open Cup (The Pittsburgh Path)

Round	Date	Matchup	Venue
First Round	Mar 25	Steel City FC vs. Riverhounds	Highmark Stadium (7 PM)
Second Round	Mar 31	PIT/STC Winner vs. Virginia Dream FC	Highmark Stadium (7 PM)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL Championship)

Date	Time	Opponent	Venue
Mar 21	7:30 PM	at Tampa Bay Rowdies	Al Lang Stadium
Mar 28	7:00 PM	vs. Sporting JAX	Highmark Stadium

Bridge City FC (MLIS Indoor)

Date	Time	Opponent
Mar 21	7:00 PM	at Toronto   Watch Live

College Spring Season (Exhibitions)

• Pitt Men: Mar 21 at St. Bonaventure (2 PM); Apr 9 vs. RMU; Apr 17 vs. Duquesne.

• Pitt Women: Mar 28 vs. West Virginia (5 PM).

• Duquesne/RMU: Mar 27 (Women) RMU vs. Duquesne; Mar 29 (Men) RMU vs. Duquesne.