Aldi Flowers-Gamboa is back home with a big year in soccer on his mind.
The former Plum soccer standout signed a USL Academy contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and will join the club’s first team for the 2026 season.
The deal, announced Monday, is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval.
Flowers-Gamboa, 18, returns to Pittsburgh 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 Oct. 25.
“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,” Riverhounds sporting director Dan Visser said.
Flowers-Gamboa decided to pursue his professional dreams after his sophomore year at Plum and started that journey with FC Cincinnati’s developmental academy in the summer of 2023.
Flowers-Gamboa’s final season at Plum in 2022 was a strong one. He was part of a loaded offensive attack and finished fourth in scoring with 14 goals to go along with 10 assists.
He earned Valley News Dispatch second-team laurels and was named to the Class 3A All-WPIAL team as Plum finished tied with Franklin Regional for the Section 4 title, made it to the WPIAL semifinals, and earned a spot in the PIAA playoffs.
Flowers-Gamboa spent two years with FC Cincinnati before making the jump to first team play in League One last fall.
He now gets the opportunity to move up a tier with the Riverhounds in the USL Championship.
Flowers-Gamboa has been training with the Hounds since the start of preseason and made a splash in his first preseason match with the team. He recorded a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over the Richmond Kickers.
The signing means the Riverhounds have two USL Academy contract players (midfielder Warren Agostoni is the other) this season, the first time the club has had more than one in a calendar year.
Flowers-Gamboa’s contract makes him a full member of the first team and eligible to appear in all competitions for the Riverhounds while maintaining his amateur status.
Pittsburgh’s 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.
