As new season dawns, Riverhounds looking for championship to punctuate golden era

Bob Lilley has seen his share of season openers in a career that now spans five decades as a player and head coach across multiple versions of indoor and outdoor soccer in the U.S.

Lilley is beginning his eighth season as manager of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

It’s no secret the team has seen its greatest success under his tutelage. In 2023, Lilley guided the Hounds to the USL’s Players Championship Shield for top overall record.

Despite that honor, the team failed to turn it into a postseason title. That disappointment carried over into a rough start to 2024. By midseason, Lilley was able to refocus his club and secure a seventh straight playoff appearance. But Lilley knows what it takes to gain a foothold in the minds of fans and local media.

“We want to earn our place based on merit,” Lilley recently said at the club’s training facility in Coraopolis.

When it comes to soccer in this country, everything must be earned. As the Riverhounds enter their 26th season, the team has come a long way from its early days of playing games at Bethel Park High School.

From their recent new training digs to Highmark Stadium on the banks of the Mon, the club has been teetering on the brink of big things the past few years. Perhaps the timing is right to kick the front door in, and the new season starts Saturday on the road against North Carolina FC in Cary, N.C.

Upper St. Clair native Robbie Mertz knows the Riverhounds have unfinished business when it comes to winning a USL title.

“That’s the part we’ve been missing,” said Mertz. “We’ve been a perennial power in the league for seven years now. We know that we’re close. We just haven’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs. I think it’s just that continuing to build a team that can play its best soccer in October and November when it really counts. I think everyone in this group will be ready to do that this year.”

Mertz has spent a total of six seasons with the Riverhounds as a midfielder, the past four making up his second stint with the club. He has seen his own share of change, including the influx of new talent the team has signed over the offseason to combat the losses suffered in free agency.

Their top goal scorer, Edward Kizza, departed for Indianapolis after scoring 12 goals last season. Enter free agent Augi Williams, who coincidentally enough played for the Indy Eleven in 2024 and scored 13 goals.

The burning question is can the new members mesh with those coming back and create a cohesive club that can keep winning?

“Turnover is something we’ve been used to in recent years.” Mertz said. “Last year, I thought it took a while for us to jell as a group. But the new guys have come in and bought in, and that’s huge. It’s a long season, and everybody’s going to need to do their part at some point.”

Another club constant the past four seasons has been defender Luke Biasi. The Buford, Ga., native and Syracuse grad said adapting to the new players will determine early success.

“With the core guys that have been here, communicating, giving pointers, giving advice. I think turnaround on teams is always normal as players come and go,” Biasi said. “Getting everyone up to speed and making everyone feel comfortable and confident and making sure everyone executes game plans is key.”

Team captain Danny Griffin begins his sixth season as a midfielder for the Riverhounds. The Connecticut native has found a home here while also showing how durable he can be, routinely leading the team in minutes.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys, a lot of new guys in, but still a lot of veterans we’ve kept over the past two to three years together with this group,” said Griffin. “I think guys are ambitious. Guys are hungry, and with the new guys coming in, there’s a lot of competition. I think we’ve jelled well, and fast.”