John Phillips stories, Page 2
Riverhounds relish chance at historic win in conference finals
The wild ride that has been the 2025 Pittsburgh Riverhounds season continues to play out like a trip on the Phantom’s Revenge at Kennywood. Some big hills, a few valleys and thrills and screams abound. There was a slow start followed by a rather good run during the summer at...
Riverhounds win PK shootout to reach conference finals
A very raucous and record crowd of soccer fans jammed into Highmark Stadium on Saturday evening with hopes of watching their side do something the Pittsburgh Riverhounds franchise had never done. Make an Eastern Conference final in the USL Championship. Since the league adopted its current playoff format in 2016,...
Against Detroit FC, Riverhounds can avenge playoff loss, earn elusive trip to conference finals
No matter what the sport is, from hockey to football, postseason play is unmatched, as it becomes not just a test of wills, but at times it’s simply about luck and the right place and right time. For Detroit FC, a bit of timing and luck has propelled the No....
Riverhounds win playoff opener, beating Hartford Athletic in PK shootout
There was a sense of anticipation in the air at Highmark Stadium on Saturday as the USL Championship playoffs kicked off in Pittsburgh with the Riverhounds hosting Hartford Athletic. In the end, penalties were needed to decide a winner in a scoreless game. The host Riverhounds came away with a...
In battle of section rivals, North Allegheny stings Seneca Valley in 2OT to win WPIAL 4A title
The road to Highmark Stadium for both the North Allegheny and Seneca Valley girls soccer teams had few tricks and many treats en route to a meeting for WPIAL Class 4A gold on Halloween. The cold autumn breeze that kicked off the banks of the Monongahela River proved to be...
Controversy surrounds Riverhounds playoff opener vs. Hartford Athletic
The chill in the air as November dawns caps off a rather hot two months of soccer by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who finished on a 5-2-1 run, good enough to earn a home playoff tilt. A 30-match regular season culminated last Saturday in a draw with visiting Phoenix Rising of...
Riverhounds finish tumultuous regular season with scoreless draw, clinch 4th seed for playoffs
A turbulent regular season for Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer came to an end Saturday in front of a chilly crowd of 5,067 fans at Highmark Stadium. After 29 games, the local 11 held down 43 points and a fourth-place slot in the Eastern Conference standings of the USL Championship. Coming into...
Freeport secures playoff spot by beating East Allegheny
Punching a ticket to the WPIAL playoffs is never easy. For the Freeport Yellowjackets, they needed a win Friday at home against East Allegheny to position themselves for a spot. In front of a healthy senior night home crowd at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, the Yellowjackets allowed an early TD...
With coaching situation casting shadow, Riverhounds clinch playoff berth
The mood on Saturday at Highmark Stadium was not one of a festive atmosphere the building usually channels when the local 11 from the Riverhounds are home to play. All season, as in the recent few campaigns, sellout crowds are mostly a raucous group, full of optimism. That festive mood...
Gateway soccer programs making in-season strides
The start of the 2025 soccer season in Monroeville was tough on a pair of young Gateway Gators teams. The Gateway boys program is under the tutelage of Mike Rugh for a third season. A Gateway grad from 1996, he was inducted into the school’s soccer hall of fame in...
Riverhounds blanked at home by USL’s top team, Louisville FC
As the leaves begin to turn, many teams hopes of making the USL Championship’s postseason are doing much of the same. That includes the Pittsburgh Riverhounds who, as of late, have turned to falling short in the win department —including a 2-0 loss to Louisville FC on Saturday night —...
Freeport dominates Derry, improves to 2-0
Freeport and Derry entered Friday night’s matchup coming off impressive season-opening wins. Something had to give. And it was Derry that buckled, as the Yellowjackets prevailed 49-6. It didn’t take long for Amos Glenn to continue his strong start to the season, scoring from 25 yards out 1 minute, 11...
Riverhounds announce planned expansion to stadium on Pittsburgh’s South ShoreVideo
Paul Heisley had a vision in 1999. It was not only to bring professional soccer to Pittsburgh but give it a home that would be a center for the sport in the city. He had blueprints. Even a place on the Monongahela River in Homestead to make his vision a...
Productive offseason provides optimism as Sto-Rox rebuild continues
Brendan Blair knows the grind of football in Western Pennsylvania. Having grown up in Stowe Township, Blair played for Sto-Rox, graduating in 2014. After attending Cal (Pa.), where he earned a business degree, he returned to the area and got involved in coaching. Before long, Blair was announced as the...
Change sweeps through Waynesburg after back-to-back playoff seasons
The winds of change swept into Green County this past offseason, and Waynesburg was in the path of much of it. The Raiders graduated four all-conference starters, including starting quarterback Jake Stephenson, who led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances. Waynesburg also welcomed a new coach. Aaron Giorgi had been...
Riverhounds give up lead, lose to Charleston at Highmark
With an overflow crowd of 6,115 on hand, the second largest in Highmark Stadium history, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds came out fast and confident Saturday against their oldest rivals, the Charleston Battery. The Palmetto 11 came into the game with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship...
Program in a good place as Mohawk keeps stacking playoff seasons
The long summer days that lead to the start of a football season are where many coaches feel wins and losses will be determined, based on the effort put in. Mohawk coach Tim McCutcheon is no different, logging hours that go into the evening most days. But to build a...
With 11 starters back from playoff team, Riverside expects even more in 2025
Rob Magnifico returns for a second season as head coach at Riverside in 2025 after leading the Panthers to the WPIAL playoffs last season. The story of how Magnifico came to be coach of Riverside, given the fact that he’s an Ellwood City native who played and then coached the...
Union to lean on young players in 2nd season in Class 2A
There is an old saying that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. And in the case of Kim Niedbala, his coaching legacy starts with his father Rich, who spent 31 years in charge at Western Beaver. The road traveled for Kim was paved mostly in the college...
After challenging season, tradition-rich Beaver Falls eyes success in MAC
When your football program boasts 122 years of tradition, not to mention six WPIAL football titles, you can consider yourself among the elite programs in Western Pennsylvania’s storied history. Despite a winless 2024 season that included six shutouts and a scoring disparity of 306 points, things are trending up for...
A-K Valley legend Joe Stone, who helped Kiski Area, Pitt to championships, dies at age 70
When it comes to telling the story of the 1976 Pitt Panthers national championship football team, the tales usually begin and end with the kid from Hopewell Township, Tony Dorsett. The story that doesn’t get told is that a lanky, talented offensive lineman from the Alle-Kiski Valley named Joe Stone...
Shaler graduate Tim Grubbs makes debut as Minnesota Twins play-by-play announcer
The dream of being a play-by-play baseball announcer is a passion many young broadcasters have. With only 30 jobs available, becoming part of that field is truly rarefied air. Shaler native and 1991 graduate Tim Grubbs was among those with that goal. And his path to getting a shot at...
Riverhounds earn much-needed 3 points with victory over Rhode Island
Getting the first goal in any soccer game is always a big advantage when it comes to winning games and getting three points. When that goal comes from your big offseason free-agent signing who’s struggled all season, it’s even better. Pittsburgh Riverhounds forward Augi Williams took a poorly defended ball...
Riverhounds secure 1-1 draw with Miami FC in final seconds
With July heat and a Wicked (promotion of the night) second-half run to the USL Championship playoffs underway, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds hosted Miami FC on a very rare Tuesday evening game on the Mon. The visitors came into the contest clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the...
Pittsburgh native Kyler Fedko swinging hot bat for Wichita Wind Surge in Double-A Texas League
The road to the majors in baseball can be a long and arduous course. For some, they are gifted to the point that getting to the big leagues is merely a question of how fast. For others, that road can be much longer, one that may never lead to the...
