I have never been to a Riverhounds game, and man did I get to see why this town is so excited about their soccer team.
On a humid Pittsburgh evening by the Monongahela, the Riverhounds staged a dramatic last-gasp comeback to snatch a 1-1 draw against Miami FC in front of an energized crowd of 5,095 fans at Highmark Stadium. The match, broadcast nationally on ESPN2, offered a microcosm of Pittsburgh’s 2025 campaign—resilient, defensively tough, and never, ever out of a contest until the final whistle. With both teams fighting for playoff positions in the USL Championship’s packed Eastern Conference, the night delivered high stakes and drama until the very last second.
From the opening whistle, the Riverhounds and Miami FC played with a sense of season-defining urgency. Miami looked sharper in the early stages, and forward Francisco Bonfiglio was a constant threat, nearly opening the scoring in the 19th minute with a strike that grazed the crossbar. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, struggled to establish prolonged possession but remained dangerous on the counter. Their best first-half opportunity came in the 41st minute: Perrin Barnes whipped in a cross that met Bradley Sample’s head, only for his effort to cannon off the post and into the grateful arms of Miami goalkeeper Felipe Rodriguez. Those were fleeting flashes of brilliance in a first half dominated by tight defending and missed half-chances.
The second period, however, ramped up the drama. Eric Dick, Pittsburgh’s reigning USL Goalkeeper of the Year, made two spectacular diving saves to keep his team level—one from Bonfiglio’s angled drive and another denying Cristian Vazquez, whose shot rattled the bar. The breakthrough came late: in the 83rd minute, Miami found joy down the left as Allen Gavilanes squared for Bonfiglio to score his 11th of the year, briefly moving him into a tie for the USL Golden Boot lead. With time running out, Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes looked in jeopardy, and Miami controlled the tempo, trying to see out a crucial away win.
But soccer in Pittsburgh rarely ends quietly. In the fifth and final minute of second-half stoppage time, substitute Junior Etou surged down the left wing, beating his marker to deliver a pinpoint cross to the near post. There, rookie Charles Ahl, a 22-year-old former Stetson University star, ghosted into space, planting a precise header just inside the post for his first professional goal. The Highmark Stadium crowd erupted—the type of sporting catharsis that told you something bigger than a point in the standings had been won. As the referee signaled full time seconds later, Ahl was mobbed by teammates; the Riverhounds bench celebrated as if they’d won, not drawn.
And me?...I am sold on the Riverhounds!…next game Saturday against Rhode Island.
(photo courtesy of Sportsvival)