Everything in Pittsburgh is across a river, including Heinz Field and PNC Park. As a former resident, I feel like the Station Square area counts as downtown. There are so many bridges in that area that the river feels like less of a boundary than the hills behind the stadium, which totally cut off Mount Washington behind it (used to live up there).
So just wondering but what're the chances of Pittsburgh going all the way and getting an MLS franchise?
Pretty slim to none. While Pittsburgh is entwined in US Sports, they are also notorious about their struggles in the small media market that is Pittsburgh. The Pirates and Penguins have always had their struggles. If it wasn't for the NFL revenue sharing the Steelers might have struggled too. I think the biggest problem is that Pittsburgh is an over-saturated sports market. An MLS team would struggle for breath.
There's just no need for Pittsburgh. Even if MLS could work, even if we're looking to fill spots 22-28, candidates all over the country make much more sense than another team in the North-East.