PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds aren’t simply looking to build on their championship success. Club president Jeff Garner believes the organization is positioned for something considerably bigger as professional soccer enters a potentially transformative period in the United States.
Speaking with Stream Punk Entertainment, Garner discussed the Riverhounds’ championship culture, continued growth in Pittsburgh, plans to expand Highmark Stadium and, perhaps most significantly, the club’s desire to join USL Premier when the new Division One league begins play in 2028.
“We’ve applied and are absolutely focused on moving into the USL Premier, the USL’s new Division One league in 2028,” Garner said.
While some elements of that process remain outside Pittsburgh’s control, Garner said the Riverhounds feel confident they belong among the clubs making the jump.
“We’ve officially applied and are sort of just waiting on that process to play out,” he said. “But I think we feel pretty confident that we would be in that group.”
Highmark Stadium Expansion Part of the Plan
One of the most important pieces of Pittsburgh’s Division One ambitions is Highmark Stadium.
Garner noted that current U.S. Soccer Division One standards call for facilities with 15,000 seats, a requirement that has helped shape the Riverhounds’ plans for stadium expansion.
Work continues behind the scenes, with Garner describing progress as occurring on a weekly basis. The project is expected to involve a combination of public and private investment, requiring coordination with elected officials and other stakeholders.
Once the project is ready to move forward, Garner estimated design and permitting could require approximately nine to 12 months. Construction of the first phase could then take another nine months or more.
That timeline means Highmark Stadium might not reach 15,000 seats by the time USL Premier begins in 2028. However, Garner believes demonstrating meaningful progress toward the standard could be enough.
He also noted that promotion and relegation could ultimately force U.S. Soccer to reconsider how rigidly some facility standards are applied. If clubs can earn promotion between divisions, requiring an immediately promoted team to suddenly produce a 15,000-seat stadium would create obvious complications.
For the Riverhounds, however, the goal remains clear: continue building the infrastructure necessary to operate at a higher level.
Building From a Championship Culture
The organization’s ambitions come after a championship run that Garner believes perfectly reflected Pittsburgh.
Garner, who previously won a USL championship with Orange County in 2021, said winning is embedded in the Riverhounds’ organizational culture.
“We want to be the best at everything that we do, whether that’s on the field or off the field,” he said. “And so we’re always striving to set a new standard.”
Pittsburgh’s championship run was built around a dominant defense and an ability to survive adversity. Garner acknowledged that whether the Riverhounds were the best team throughout the postseason could be debated, but they were the hottest — and the strongest defensively.
“That’s the defense. That’s the blue-collar work ethic,” Garner said. “That’s Pittsburgh. That’s the city we represent.”
This season has brought its own challenges. Pittsburgh returned slightly more than half of its roster, lost players through free agency and incorporated both veteran and younger additions. Injuries have also made it difficult to establish sustained momentum.
Despite the uneven stretches, Garner believes the Riverhounds are now playing some of their best soccer as they approach the portion of the season that matters most.
Pittsburgh’s Soccer Audience Continues to Grow
Success on the field represents only part of the club’s trajectory.
Garner pointed toward attendance, youth participation and the response to this summer’s World Cup as evidence that soccer’s footprint in Western Pennsylvania continues to expand.
The Riverhounds averaged approximately 5,100 fans per game last season despite playing in a stadium with a listed capacity around 5,000, according to Garner, with crowds regularly surpassing that number.
World Cup watch parties offered another glimpse of the potential audience. The organization held events connected to all 104 matches, ranging from smaller gatherings with restaurant partners to major events at the stadium.
For U.S. matches, Garner said crowds exceeded 5,000.
The Riverhounds Academy has also experienced growth of more than 20 percent year over year in recent seasons.
Put together, Garner believes those trends demonstrate that the demand exists.
The challenge now is continuing to develop the infrastructure and product capable of serving it.
USL’s Opportunity in Underserved Markets
That growth isn’t limited to Pittsburgh.
During the conversation, Stream Punk pointed toward markets such as Maine, where Portland Hearts of Pine has demonstrated the potential for professional soccer to establish a following in communities without an abundance of major professional sports options.
Garner strongly agreed that reaching underserved markets is one of USL’s greatest strengths.
By establishing League One, League Two and USL W League clubs throughout the country, USL can provide communities with something they previously lacked: a local soccer identity.
For younger fans in particular, Garner believes that matters.
Instead of traveling several hours to see a higher-level professional club, children can attend games in their own communities, develop an attachment to the local team and potentially see a pathway they can pursue themselves.
“It’s in their backyard,” Garner said.
Garner views that expanding ecosystem as groundwork that has been developing for years. With USL Premier coming next, the league’s Division One competition could effectively become the final piece at the top of that structure.
A Different Path Than MLS
Promotion and relegation could further distinguish USL from Major League Soccer, but Garner believes the league has another potentially important advantage: providing young players with a pathway toward Europe.
He noted that MLS has developed MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro, creating a substantial player-development system. But Garner said the Riverhounds encounter young players who feel they can become “stuck” within that structure.
For many ambitious American players, reaching MLS isn’t necessarily the final objective.
Europe is.
Garner believes USL can increasingly position itself as a more direct conduit.
Young players could choose USL opportunities rather than entering a much larger MLS developmental system, knowing clubs are willing to help move talent overseas when the opportunity arises.
That, combined with promotion and relegation, youth development and the league’s expanding national footprint, could also make USL increasingly attractive to investors.
Riverhounds Looking Toward the Next Level
For Pittsburgh, many of the necessary pieces are already taking shape.
The Riverhounds have a championship-caliber first team, a growing academy, a dedicated fanbase, their own stadium and training infrastructure, along with ownership Garner described as committed to continuing the organization’s growth.
He believes the Riverhounds can eventually establish themselves alongside Pittsburgh’s traditional major professional sports franchises.
Getting there will take time.
Garner compared the process to gradually adding thousands of supporters, taking advantage of major moments such as the World Cup and continuing to give fans reasons to return.
“We’ve got to do our part,” Garner said. “We’ve got to be consistent. We’ve got to win championships and win games. We’ve got to grow the stadium.”
With USL Premier approaching, Highmark Stadium expansion progressing behind the scenes and American soccer entering a period of unprecedented attention, Garner sees an opportunity.
The Riverhounds intend to take it.
And if the club’s plans come together, Pittsburgh’s championship may ultimately be remembered not as the destination, but as the beginning of the Riverhounds’ next chapter.
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