The Pittsburgh Riverhounds, having been eliminated by MLS side New York Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup, begin play in another tournament, the USL Cup, against the Greenville Triumph SC at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Highmark Stadium.
The Prinx Tires USL Cup, formerly known as the Jägermeister Cup, is a World Cup-style tournament that features 43 professional clubs from USL Championship (second tier of American soccer) and USL League One (third tier) combined into seven regional groups.
The tournament begins Saturday at the Regional Group Stage, where each team will play home and away matches, with the winner of the Group advancing to the next round and the tournament finals being held in October.
The Riverhounds’ Group consists of the Charleston Battery and Loudon United FC from tier two and Greenville, the Richmond Kickers and the Charlotte Independence from tier three. The Triumph, from Greenville, S.C., are in ninth place in USL League One with a 2-2 record. USL Cup matches will take place between the regular USL schedules.
Pittsburgh, 3-3-1, is coming off a 2-1 victory over rival Detroit City FC on Saturday in USL action at Highmark Stadium. The first-half scoring started quickly as the Riverhounds’ Albert Dikwa scored at the 2-minute mark. The Hounds’ Perrin Barnes dropped a pass that bounced into the Detroit box, and Dikwa one-timed a shot that beat the Detroit goalkeeper, Carlos Herrera, over his shoulder for a 1-0 Hounds’ lead.
Riverhounds’ goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made a couple of key saves as the half continued and Dikwa applied pressure on two other occasions. The score remained 1-0 at halftime.
In the second half, a defensive battle ensued, and it wasn’t until the 83-minute mark that Dikwa struck again. Detroit’s Herrera attempted a clearing pass from his goal, which was intercepted by Dikwa, who moved down the right side of the box and beat a diving Herrera with a shot to the left for a 2-0 Hounds lead. Dikwa’s brace (two goals) were his fourth and fifth of the season to lead the squad.
In extra time, Detroit was able to get on the board at the 92-minute mark when Darren Smith took a crossing pass from the left and sent it toward mid-box. Chisom Egbuchhulam took control of the ball and beat Campuzano with a quick shot, making the final score 2-1.
Detroit outshot the Riverhounds 19-11 for the match and won possession 66% to 34%. Campuzano was credited with three saves. With the win, the Riverhounds and Detroit are now in a four-way tie for third place in the Eastern Division. Detroit is now 3-2-1 for the season.
For his efforts in last week’s win, Dikwa was named the USL Championship Player of the Week — the first such award for a Hounds player in 2026. It’s the first time Dikwa has been named player of the week since 2023, his Golden Boot-winning season in his previous stint with the Hounds.
Saturday’s USL Cup game against Greenville will mark the on-field debut of the Riverhounds’ “chromatic” third jerseys, featuring Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania as the front-of-kit partner.
The front of the white jersey features the image of one of the city’s iconic bridges replicated in the multicolored, screen-printed style of famed artist and Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol.
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