Evans looks like he has done a great job putting together a good defensive squad. Offense always seems to take awhile to come around but you're sure to get results this year. Man I wish you guys didnt have Evans or Kutney or Rolko. It almost didnt feel right wanting you gys to loose when you played us.
The Hounds should do very well in the new set up. Now to see who there going to wipe their backsides on....
how does pittsburgh riverhounds attendance do? I saw Pitt university is building a new stadium. good place to go from the normal crappy high school with football lines on it? The seating is kinda small. I think it was a little bit below 1,000 seats. BUT its only a grandstand so maybe add some more blechers around to crank up the capacity a bit. also. location? will the fans go there? is it on the other side of the city for the team?
I've been told, in no uncertain terms, that Pitt's new stadium is not a possibility. It's too small. The Hounds average 1k-1.5k per game. I think they are still holding out hope that they will be able to build their own stadium. I think fans are MORE likely to go to Pitt however than CV. CV is about 30 mins south of the city. You're basically eliminating all of your potential fans in the North Hills since Pittsburghers simply refuse to cross more than one river to go anywhere. One thing is certain, CV is an awful place to watch football and I believe it keeps fans away.
1,000 between 1,500 is pretty good attendance. the pitt stadium sits 735 people. they could another grandstand with the same capacity and maybe have a stand with smaller capacity for the "steel army" at one of the ends of the stadium. A specific stadium for the riverhounds sounds ok but do they have enough money after they build it to keep the club stable?
Indeed, it does. My wife's from Ross Twp. and rabid soccer fans in the North Hills seem not to know the Hounds exist.
Chartiers bites both in terms of the venue itself and the distance from so many soccer fans from the North Hills. You won't "unleash...the Hounds" there, ever. A soccer-specific-stadium somewhere by Station Square would be friggin awesome. Crowds of soccer fans parading down Carson Street might be too far-fetched a dream, but who knows...?
Yeah it's a shame there's not a field there at the bottom of the South Side near Station Square of Carson Street. It would be a perfect spot for all the high school teams to play and we could use it on Saturday evenings. That would be the ideal solution. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&s...9.990811&spn=0.00918,0.01929&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A
Yes, that's an ideal spot. I love Brewskie's and would love tumbling across the street pre and post match!
It'll never happen. Hounds have already said as much. I am done until they move out of CV. It blows. The school blows. The administration their blows.
PA WEST SOCCER JOINS THE NPSL November 14, 2013 The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that PA West Soccer has been granted an expansion team for Pittsburgh. The PA West Soccer entry will begin play in the Midwest Region’s Great Lakes Conference in 2014. "PA West is known as one of the great, forward-thinking state soccer associations, which is why it's so exciting that PA West is bringing NPSL soccer to Pittsburgh," NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock stated. "Their NPSL team will be great for PA West elite adult players to continue to play and develop, while inspiring the youth players of PA West as the next generation of players.” The Great Lakes Conference already includes AFC Cleveland, Detroit City FC, FC Sparta Michigan, Lansing United, Zanesville AFC, FC Buffalo, and the Erie Admirals. PA West Soccer is led by Association President Natalie Schwoeble. The PA West Soccer NPSL team will be led by Executive Director Tim McCoy, Director of Coaching Paul Halford, Head Coach John Kowalski, along with Schwoeble. Kowalski is the best known of the group, currently serving as the head women’s soccer coach at Robert Morris University. His coaching experience includes time in the USL, MLS, and the MISL along with a variety of U.S. Men’s National Team programs. He has coached notable soccer veterans like Carlos Valderrama, Eric Wynalda, Paul Child, and Dave Kasper. “This new and exciting venture provides a higher level of competition for our older youth and young adult players,” Schwoeble added. “We are very proud to be the first state association in the country to sponsor an NPSL team.” The team’s mission includes a focus on player and game development. They provide their players with opportunities to improve each and every day. They provide a bridge for those players who want or need to play at a higher level, providing the soccer community with a team that they can call their own. “We want to help our players improve whether that means going from being a sub to a starter, from one of the starting 11 to All-American, or making the jump from the college game to the pros,” McCoy concluded. “In addition to developing players, as a USSF state association, we also have a mission to grow the sport. The addition of the team in Pittsburgh is another step toward making the game more visible in a market that has a heritage with the game. Our success could provide a road map for other state associations to consider adding a team to their player development offerings.” PA West Soccer can be found at www.pawest-soccer.org with a new website being developed after an "It's Your Team-Name It!" contest is completed. PA West NPSL can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/pawestnpsl or on Twitter @PAWNPSL. PA West joins Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Nashville Atlas FC (Nashville, TN), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), Cincinnati Saints (Cincinnati, OH), Flower Mound FC (Flower Mound, TX), Temecula FC (Temecula, CA), Storm FC (Broward County, FL), and Lansing United (Lansing, MI) as expansion clubs for the 2014 season. The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 65+ markets across the country. Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL. Respectfully, Gary L. Moody Jr., M.Ed. International Soccer Network, LLC 330-205-2446
Here's the quote that I found funny. Granted I haven't lived in the area for awhile. But they never seemed to me to a very forward thinking organization. And from friends that live in the area they still aren't. Mostly they want to keep things the same and control of their little kingdoms. " "PA West is known as one of the great, forward-thinking state soccer associations,"
I've only gathered this second hand and in bits and pieces since I don't have a kid. From my understanding PA West and the Riverhounds don't get along because of their youth programs competing against each other. For the longest time PA West was THE, and pretty much only, youth soccer organization in the area. With the Hounds own academy starting to pick up steam, and their partnership with the newer Century United youth organization, PA West is seeing their reign weaken as they lose kids. In response PA West have taken shots at the Hounds organization in press releases among other things to try to get kids to stay in PA West. There's some discussion of this in the Lack of US Soccer Developmental Academy in Pittsburgh thread in this forum. There's also rumors that the Hounds are looking to start a PDL team which would directly compete against the NPSL team for players. I also heard they're looking at getting a US Soccer Development Academy certification which is something PA West never did. I wish the NPSL team all the luck on the field, but off the field it's probably going to cause some "fun" local political drama.
I saw a Steel Army post about the PDL situation. But I'm confused. Are the Hounds moving down to PDL or will there be a PDL team in addition to the current team? -Xolo
It's in addition to. The Hounds academy has been around long enough now that if they want to keep the older kids in the system they need a team. From my understanding it'll be a U-23 squad and used as a stepping stone for the academy kids as they go from the academy to the next level. I also heard this was supposed to be a couple years off, but I think the NPSL team announcement forced their hand.
affiliation with Houston MLS and the USL PDL team http://triblive.com/sports/otherlocal/5144572-74/mls-riverhounds-players#axzz2lm97sZbQ
Damn it! I'm a native Pittsburgher who is Crew supporter and was hoping an affiliation with Crew would become a reality. Now with Houston partnership, I must say I'll have a hard time rooting for Hounds. I will however still like to see the sport do well in Pittsburgh on the professional level.