History
The Riverhounds were founded by Paul Heasley in 1999 as a member of the USL's A-League, now known as USL-1. It played its home games in Bethel Park, at Bethel Park High School's football stadium. That same year the Riverhounds were named the A-League Organization of the Year. John Kowalski was the first head coach of the club; Justin Evans was the first player drafted to play for the Riverhounds. In their 1999 inaugural season, they advanced to the conference semi-finals in the A-league playoffs. Two years later in 2001, they reached the US Open Cup quarterfinals after beating the Colorado Rapids of the Major League Soccer and then-A-league opponent El Paso Patriots in their first two games, but the Hounds were eliminated in the quarterfinals by their second MLS opponent of the tournament, the Chicago Fire, in a two-overtime, 3–2 defeat. The Riverhounds have not reached that level of success since that time due in large part to undergoing multiple ownership and location changes.
In 2004, the club moved down to the USL's Second Division. The team also moved to Moon Township to play at Moon Area High School's football stadium for just one season. In December 2004 Heasley sold the team to Sports Facility LLC, owners of the Washington Wild Things baseball team of the Frontier League. The Riverhounds played both the 2005 and 2006 seasons at the Wild Things' minor league baseball stadium, CONSOL Energy Park, on the outskirts of Washington, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Pittsburgh. The franchise continued to hold soccer academies and training to youth across the tri-state area, but did not play during the 2007 season due to a structural reorganization. During that hiatus, the Riverhounds were sold yet again to a new ownership group.
On October 29, 2007, the organization announced another venue change. Beginning with the 2008 season, Chartiers Valley High School's stadium, located just off the Kirwin Heights exit of Interstate 79 in Pittsburgh's South Hills, would be the new home of the Hounds.
The Riverhounds' games were broadcast from 2000 through 2002 on WPTT-AM (now WMNY-AM) and on Fox Sports Radio – WBBG-AM in 2003, and 2005 and 2006, and on WPIT-AM in 2008 by Chris Shovlin. Shovlin was partnered with former Riverhound midfielder Steve Bell on WPTT and with former assistant coach Paul Child on Fox Sports Radio. Shovlin and Bell won the 2003 Pittsburgh March of Dimes A.I.R. Award for Best Play-by-play. Shovlin also served as the team's Director of Publicity during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Only one jersey number, "99", has been officially retired by the Riverhounds. That honor was bestowed upon original owner Paul Heasley for founding the club in 1999.
Read more about this topic: Pittsburgh Riverhounds
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