PITTSBURGH & TAMPA, Fla. - The United Soccer League announced today that Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC will add a USL League Two team for the 2026 season.

Beginning play in 1999, Pittsburgh is one of the longest standing clubs in the USL ecosystem. The club has won the Players’ Shield as the league’s best regular season club three times and made the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice. This season, as the No. 4 seed, the Riverhounds marched to the final, defeating FC Tulsa to claim its first USL Championship title. The League Two side will be known as Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2.

“Riverhounds 2 plays an important role in our player development structure, and competing in USL League Two will allow us to take the next step in strengthening that pathway,” said Dan Visser, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Sporting Director. “USL League Two provides meaningful competition for players while aligning closely with our long-term vision for developing players for professional opportunities.”

In 2007, Pittsburgh launched its Riverhounds Academy, providing youth soccer players an opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the game using a skill-driven development model that focuses on individual improvement over team performance in competitions. Today, the Riverhounds Development Academy serves around 1,300 players from ages 3 to 18. Riverhounds 2 will further connect the club’s rising stars to the first team as they take on collegiate and professional opportunities. The League Two team will accompany Pittsburgh Riveters SC, the organizations pre-professional women’s team, who compete in USL W League.

“Creating a connection between our professional clubs and the opportunities pre-professional soccer provides is a key part of League Two’s mission,” said Joel Nash, USL SVP of Youth and Pre-Professional Properties. “Having the current champions join League Two is exciting for the league but more importantly will create more opportunities for elite young players to develop into professionals in Pittsburgh and the whole USL ecosystem.”

Riverhounds 2 will compete in League Two’s Central Conference.

To learn more about Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, visit the club’s website, Instagram, X, and Facebook.