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With the Pittsburgh Riverhounds organization entering the women’s soccer scene via its brand-new Pittsburgh Riveters SC team, and local grassroots club Steel City FC also choosing to jump to the USL W League after years in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and United Women’s Soccer (UWS) leagues, 2025 promises to be a seismic year for soccer and women’s sports in Pittsburgh.
For the Riveters, it’s the excitement of the city’s highly successful men’s soccer club placing a women’s team into its structure for the first time. The Riverhounds Development Academy has been producing top-level women’s soccer talent for years, and, as a pro organization with years of top-level experience behind the scenes, the Riveters promise to be a well-resourced, extremely competitive force from their first minute of action — there’s plenty of buzz about impressive season ticket sales and fan engagement already to show for it.
Internally, as well, there’s nothing but excitement and high expectations for the upcoming year, nowhere more exemplified than by goalkeeper coach and first assistant coach Reaghan Duval, herself a veteran of the USL W League’s inaugural season in 2022.
“I didn’t know much about the league when I was brought on by the Greenville Liberty,” Duval begins. “I think it really helped playing for a team with an established men’s pro side because we were treated as equals, which was fantastic. We played all of our home games over at Legacy Early College, which sat around 3-4,000, and we would get a couple thousand people to show up, which felt packed and was awesome.”
“The whole atmosphere behind the training sessions, staff, how they treated you, the locker room facilities, all of that was awesome,” Duval adds. “I definitely think the Riveters are going to match that atmosphere, because we also have that men’s pro side. Sitting down with [Sporting Director] Dan Visser and [Riveters Head Coach] Scott Gibson, they’re trying to match everything we do on the men’s side and treat our girls equally.”
With Duval and her pioneering compatriots setting a high standard of play and fan experience from the start, the USL W League has grown rapidly, more than doubling from 44 clubs in its first year to 93 participating in 2025. It’s a growth reflected across women’s sports nationally in recent years, and one the Riveters hope to seize and capitalize on.
“I think that speaks to the whole structure within the U.S. and the USL specifically,” Duval says. “Now we don’t only have the NWSL, but we also have the USL Super League, and I think we’re going to continue seeing that growth and development.”
“We already have a men’s side and structure to get people to say ‘I want to invest in this, I want to be part of the inaugural season,’” Duval continues. “We don’t have to build a stadium, we don’t have to build new locker rooms or a training facility — we have everything set in place, we have the foundation, and that’s appealing to a lot of already-invested fans.”
With a fan-friendly slate of home matches on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, fans will have plenty of chances to experience the Riveters’ high-quality operation over the course of their season.
Pittsburgh Riveters Schedule
Fri. May 16, 7 PM – vs. Cleveland Force FC
Sat. May 24, 6 PM – @ Flower City 1872
Tue. May 27, TBD – @ Cleveland Force FC
Fri. May 30, 7 PM – vs. Flower City 1872
Thu. June 5, 6 PM – @ Erie Sports Center
Sun. June 8, 5 PM – vs. FC Buffalo
Wed. June 11, 7 PM – @ Steel City FC*
Sun. June 15, 5 PM – vs. Erie Sports Center
Sat. June 21, TBD – @ FC Buffalo
Fri. June 27, 7 PM – vs. Steel City FC*
For Steel City FC, it’s the continued growth to a new level from the bottom up of one of the city’s longest and most storied soccer clubs. Formed from the merger of the decades-old Pittsburgh Hotspurs and Pittsburgh Arsenal organizations, Steel City has reached new heights in recent years — fielding nationally competitive men’s and women’s teams and reaching the vaunted U.S. Open Cup for the first time in 2024. They’ll now take a progressive step into a larger soccer scene within the United Soccer League’s national footprint across the men’s and women’s games.
With a robust, community-centric academy system constantly developing high-quality talent, the Steel City women are aiming to match their elevation to a higher level of competition. A consistently strong force since 2015 in the WPSL and then in the UWS since 2022, the team has already announced the return of a strong roster core from recent years, highlighted by homegrown Steel City FC academy graduate Emily Graeca — returning for her fourth first-team season with the club as captain in 2025.
After completing her freshman year locally with the University of Pittsburgh, Graeca is set to continue her collegiate career at James Madison University for her sophomore season. But first, she’s staying home to lead her longtime club into a bright, new era.
“I think it’s a great opportunity, especially coming off a spring season, to have a place to come back and get quality training and meaningful games against quality opponents,” Graeca says of the Steel City organization. “It helps us stay in touch with our game. It’s a vital place for us to come back and get reps and continue to prepare for our fall seasons and develop.”
“I think moving to a new league and the standard increasing and being more competitive, that’s really great for the club,” Graeca adds of the move to the USL W League. “We’re very fortunate to have a super supportive staff and a professional environment that a lot of kids can look forward to and get a chance to play within. I have played since I was in high school, and it’s been wonderful to keep playing with old teammates after going our separate ways in college.”
That continuity is a vital part of Steel City’s organization. A true grassroots club, Steel City operates from a bottom-up approach, placing community, youth development, and a close-knit family feel as the key pillars that make them a successful club. As a key architect of the organization’s strong, nurturing environment, club director, owner, and women’s team head coach Tommo Ovenden is quick to highlight the importance of keeping the game accessible.
“While a lot of soccer across the country can feel corporate, we are very grassroots for senior club football,” Ovenden explains of the club’s ideals. “Where there’s some real character and culture to what we’re doing, with our own spin and story. There’s a Picasso quote, ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’ I think the important thing for us, as we get older, is remembering where we’ve come from and sticking to our roots. It’s what soccer in this country needs.”
“We’re built on being club-centric, and we’re thrilled about our league matchups because of how good it’ll be for the local game and getting young girls and families interested in soccer,” he explains. “That higher-level piece is a big driver for the base of our pyramid, so we’re very excited about that. The higher level of play will be amazing from a recruitment standpoint and taking us to the next level.”
Steel City FC Schedule
Sat. May 24, 6 PM – @ Erie Sports Center
Sat. May 31, 3 PM – vs. Cleveland Force FC
Tue. June 3, 6 PM – vs. FC Buffalo
Sat. June 7, 6 PM – vs. Erie Sports Center
Wed. June 11, 7 PM – vs. Pittsburgh Riveters SC*
Sat. June 14, 6 PM – @ Flower City 1872
Wed. June 18, 7 PM – @ Cleveland Force FC
Sat. June 21, 4 PM – vs. Flower City 1872
Fri. June 27, 7 PM – @ Pittsburgh Riveters SC*
Sun. June 29, 4 PM – @ FC Buffalo
Two high-intensity rivalry matches will bring a thrilling atmosphere most sports struggle to provide. With the Riveters playing at Highmark Stadium in Station Square just south of the Monongahela, and Steel City playing north of the Allegheny at Founders Field, fans get to experience a true cross-river derby for bragging rights across the city. It’s an exciting competitive facet of which both organizations are eager to take advantage.
“Having these local rivalries, everyone will grow to love it,” says Ovenden. “I think it’s not only a good thing for business, but for development as well to have these rivalries in the city.”
“I think that rivalry games are very important to promote to younger girls,” Graeca says. “Getting to show something locally that’s so exciting and competitive and fun, that’s how you spark love for the game.”
“The USLW is in its fourth season, going strong, bringing in 10-20 new teams each year. So not just in Pittsburgh, but all across the country, people want to invest in women’s sports,” Duval explains. “I think the cross-town rivalry is something people are really going to piggyback on and get invested into — picking sides. The rivalry is fun, catchy, [and] it’ll get people to want to come out and see this game and see who comes out on top.”
Fans will get two chances to see the sides match up in their divisional schedule. The first will be mid-season on Steel City’s turf at Founders Field on Weds., July 11 at 7 p.m. The second is the highlight of the schedule this season — the Riveters’ season finale at Highmark Stadium on Fri., June 27 at 7 p.m. — which has the opportunity to not only have massive playoff implications on the field, but the chance to be one of the most attended and thrilling games across the entire league.
With everything to play for on the field, it remains to be seen who will emerge on top within the city. But one thing is certain: this new experience, and the chance it represents for women’s sports in Pittsburgh, is a win for all of us.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2025.
