Sounding Off on Soccer with John Krysinsky

When the Pittsburgh Riveters SC and Steel City FC face off for the second time this month on Friday night at Highmark Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff) in a high-stakes match with USL W League Great Forest Division top spot in the balance, both clubs will be showcasing rosters that will include more than four dozen players from the Greater Pittsburgh region.

Focusing on this  match-up, many players on both rosters are from in and around the Greater Pittsburgh area.  Many of the players on both sides know each other very well.  There are many current college teammates, for...

Steel City FC women's first team is preparing for the final weekend of the regular season in the club's first-go around in the USL W League.

Head Coach Tom Ovenden jumps on with Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky to talk about the season to this point, this Friday's high-stakes match-up vs Riveters at Highmark Stadium as both teams are vying for Great Forest Division top spot and more.  

In a special episode of Sounding Off on Soccer, Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Pittsburgh Riveters SC's Chloe Kuminkoski, who has started Glioma Research Fund, which has been backed by the team's Play for Change initiative.

In this episode, John and Chloe discuss the Riverhounds and Riveters Play for Change Initiative, Chloe's post-graduate work and return to playing soccer in her hometown, how she got involved in establishing the fund in memory of her former classmate, Haley Weiss, and much more.

More about Play for Change and Chloe Kuminkoski Glioma R...

In a special episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast, one of our old friends and longtime PSN contributor, Matt Gajtka joins John Krysinsky to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a remarkable match and come-from-behind victory like none other for Pittsburgh Riverhounds against Keystone Derby rivals Harrisburg City Islanders

John and Matt -- who were both there on that memorable night -- discuss what stands out now -- 10 years later from that match and how Pittsburgh soccer's landscape has been shaped since that time.

More on the 'Miracle on...

While there's been a lot of attention paid to another pre-professional women's soccer team in the Pittsburgh area -- Riveters SC, who made their debut last week, Steel City FC's women are taking another step forward as a club this year, as they move from UWS into the USL W-League -- where they'll compete in the same division as Riveters SC.

Steel City FC will kick off their 2025 campaign this coming week, when they travel north to take on Erie Sports Center on Saturday (6 p.m.).

Looking ahead to a new season, co-captains Emily Graeca...

It will be an unprecedented moment in professional soccer landscape in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds travel to Chester to face Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup's Round of 16 (7:30 pm kickoff at Subaru Field).

This match-up provides an excellent opportunity for the two managing editors and site founders, John Krysinsky from Pittsburgh Soccer Now and Matt Ralph from Philadelphia Soccer Now to come together on a special edition of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast to preview the match between two teams going in different directions...

In the latest episode of Sounding Off on Soccer, Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Steel City FC's Head Coach Dan Brower to talk about the club's newest challenge as they begin a new season in a new league.

Steel City FC kick off a new campaign coming off winning back-to-back NPSL Great Lakes Conference Championships, bringing back many key contributors, but also having said goodbye to some others who have either retired (Nicky Kolarac and Garret Watson) or have moved on to even higher levels (Michael Sullivan with MLS's Toronto FC)

With the the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC gearing up to host a US Open Cup Round of 32 clash vs NYCFC at Highmark Stadium on Wednesday night (7 p.m. -- Paramount Plus), PSN's John Krysinsky is joined by 'Soccer Rabbi' Mark Goodman on the latest episode of Sounding Off on Soccer.  

Among the topics covered and discussed include: 

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC captain Danny Griffin joins Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky ahead of the team's return back home to Pittsburgh -- where Highmark Stadium will have a sparkling new turf pitch -- after spending the entire month of April playing four matches in three different competitions on the road.  

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC completed the month of March with consecutive victories at home to bring their overall record in USL Championship to a 2-1-1 mark.

With the shortened regular season, the Hounds are nearly at the quarter mark of the league schedule -- and a few members of Pittsburgh Soccer Now's team coverage team, Colton Coreschi and Mark Goodman joined John Krysinsky for a couple of segments of the Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast to share their thoughts on the Hounds after the first four matches.

Among the topics tackled by Colton, Mark...

The last we heard from Michael Monsour, he was departing Pittsburgh and his first soccer venture with Pittsburgh City United FC, to lead a group which purchased and took over operations for Manchester 62, a historic club in Gibraltar, which competes in the Gibraltar National League.  

This week, Michael joins John Krysinsky to talk in more depth about his experience and shares more of this thoughts on the ups and downs of overseeing a club and much more -- including his thoughts on if he were to return to Pittsburgh -- about the possibility of a second pro s...

Deep in the heart of Texas, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC came up short in its second match of the season, falling 2-0, to San Antonio FC on Saturday night at Toyota Park.

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Shortly after the match, PSN's John Krysinsky was joined by Colton Coreschi to break down the Hounds' first loss of the season.  

You can catch the post match reaction show on Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast and on PSN's YouTube Channel.  

Kenardo Forbes always knew the end of his illustrious playing career -- as the most decorated player in Riverhounds SC history -- would be coming to a close in recent years, but it wasn't until this preseason when it became clear.

"Once I knew I didn't have the fitness to go full 90 minutes," Forbes told Pittsburgh Soccer Now last week in an exclusive interview, after the Hounds training session at AHN Montour Sports Complex.

PSN's John Krysinsky has more from Kenardo on his retirement and transitioning to becoming a part of the club's coaching staff.<...

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (0-0-1) battled back to earn a 1-1 road draw to open the USL Championship regular season against North Carolina FC (0-0-1) at WakeMed Park in Cary, NC on Saturday night.

PSN's John Krysinsky and Colton Coreshi have the immediate post match reaction and share their takeaways.   

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It's time to partake in the Annual Pittsburgh Soccer Now predictions for the new Riverhounds and USL Championship season on the Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast.

PSN’s John Krysinsky was joined by Mark Goodman 'Soccer Rabbi' and La Mega Media‘s Amadeo Eichberg, as they took turns making their predictions for the season ahead.

These predictions included:

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's Rachael Kriger, who also contributes to Equalizer Soccer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and serves as color commentator for Pitt women's soccer match broadcasts, joins John Krysinsky to tackle some questions about the women's game -- both as it relates to the Pittsburgh area, nationally and internationally.

Together John and Racheal discuss the following:

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky and Colton Coreschi cover an array of topics including: 

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC kicked off the 2025 campaign with its first preseason training session on Monday.  Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky was there to catch some of the session and caught up with three players including the newest Hound, Augustine Williams, Danny Griffin and Eric Dick, before wrapping things up with Head Coach Bob Lilley.   

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky caught up with Riverhounds President Jeff Garner, discusses numerous topics including: 

-- Looking back at the organization's biggest accomplishments since taking over in mid-2022 
-- Timetable on Highmark Stadium renovations 
-- Excitement is high, and tickets are selling for debut of Riveters SC  
-- Importance of community partnerships 

and much more.

The first episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast for the New Year features a special guest -- former Pitt and North Allegheny standout Sarah Schupansky -- joining Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky.  

Schupansky signed a two-year deal, through the 2026 NWSL season with a club option for the 2027 season, with Gotham FC.  

Sarah discusses her soccer journey and much more, including the hectic past couple of months transitioning from completing her senior season and college career at Pitt to taking part in the process of signing on with an agent and earning her first pro co...

Shortly before the Holidays, Michael Sullivan experienced a whirlwind end to 2024, as his collegiate career came to an end but in a little more than a week's time, was selected in the MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky caught up with Sullivan for an interview in the latest edition of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast. 

The Pittsburgh area native who is from Tarentum and starred at Deer Lakes High School along with Steel City FC (previously Arsenal and Century United), then for four years at Pitt, shared more about his journey a...

Following the news that his club's men's and women's first teams will be joining USL, Tom Ovenden, owner / director of Steel City FC, joins Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky to discuss the big move and look back at his club's incremental growth over the years.  

Among the topics discussed include: 

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky has more on Pitt men's soccer's NCAA Tournament run which has them on the precipice of another College Cup.

John is joined by ACC Network / ESPN+ broadcaster Jason Earle, who was on the call for Pitt's NCAA tournament win on Sunday (3-2 extra time thriller vs Kansas City) and has called many Pitt men's and women's soccer matches in the past few years.

In addition, John also shares his thoughts on Riverhounds SC's first roster signing announcements (and Edward Kizza's departure) that came last week and what to expect as...

Captain Gabe Norris & HC Jonathan Potter, fresh off RMU Men's Soccer's Horizon League championship, joined PSN's John Krysinsky as they now look forward to the Colonials' first @NCAASoccer Tournament appearance since 2005 

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Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky & Colton Coreschi discuss and break down the Riverhounds SC's season ending 1-0 loss at Charleston.  For Pittsburgh, they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season.

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The USL Championship's Longest Running rivalry between the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Charleston Battery will have a new chapter in the 44th match to be played between the clubs, as they'll face off in the USL Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinal round on Saturday at Patriots Point in Charleston, SC (6:30 p.m. kickoff).  

Ahead of the match, PSN's John Krysinsky caught up with USL Championship broadcast analyst, Ricky Lopez-Espin, who will be on the call for Saturday's match.  

Together, John and Ricky break down the match between the second place Battery, who made a run to...

In the newest episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast, John Krysinsky is joined by Robert Morris University women's soccer Head Coach Michelle Rick, who's led the Colonials to a berth in Horizon League playoffs in her first season at the helm. 
 

Plus, John is joined by PSN's busiest contributor, Griffin Floyd, who's been covering both Riverhounds and Pitt men's soccer home matches, to talk about the atmosphere at both Highmark Stadium and Ambrose Urbanic Field as both teams are peaking at the right time.  

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC wrap-up the 2024 regular season on Saturday facing a must-win situation -- as they can clinch a playoff berth for the seventh straight season under the direction of Head Coach Bob Lilley. 

Team Captain and midfielder Danny Griffin joined Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky at midweek, as the team is preparing for yet another 'do-or-die' match -- this time at home (Saturday, 7 p.m.) against Western Conference last place team, El Paso Locomotive, as if they win that match, they'll clinch a postseason spot. 

Griffin discussed a number of topics including: 

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Robert Morris Men's Soccer Head Coach Jonathan Potter, who has the Colonials in first place in the Horizon League with three matches to go.   

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC goalkeeper Eric Dick joined PSN's John Krysinsky in the latest episode of the Sounding Off on Soccer. 

With the Riverhounds in the thick of USL Championship playoff race, with five matches remaining, they currently are two points behind the playoff line despite a strong second half season push that has included many strong performances from the veteran keeper, who is second in the Championship with 11 clean sheets.  
 

Among the topics covered in the interview include: 

 On Wednesday, PSN's John Krysinsky was joined by Pitt Women's Soccer's Randy Waldrum to discuss the team's start to the new season and previews the upcoming matches this weekend in California vs Loyola Marymount & Cal-State Fullerton. 

In this interview, Coach Waldrum talks about the challenges he has faced personally and the team's start to the season.

Waldrum will not be making the trip, as he tends to his wife, who recently had heart surgery.

The veteran head coach also discussed among other things:

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Al Alvine, who was named the fifth head coach in Duquesne women’s soccer history on Dec. 29, 2011 and in just four seasons he accomplished what nobody did in the program history of Duquesne women’s soccer – win an Atlantic 10 championship.  The 2024 season will be Alvine's 13th at the helm of the Duquesne's women's program, 

Riverhounds midfielder Jackson Walti joins Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky to discuss the ups and downs of his first season with the club, and his second pro season.  Walti began the season in the starting lineup, then saw his playing time decrease, but in the past month, has been a regular part of the Hounds' starting eleven.  

In his sixth season as a professional, Pittsburgh-area native Robbie Mertz has taken a leadership role with his hometown club, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.   

The former Upper St Clair, University of Michigan standout joins Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky to talk about the Riverhounds' challenging 2024 season, the ups and downs, and how he's and the team have persevered.

Steel City FC's goalkeeper Garret Watson joins Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky to talk about his club's run in the NPSL playoffs -- as they have hunger and intentions to make a run all the way the National Championship match.  

On the latest episode of the Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast, John Krysinsky is joined by Michael Wottreng, who will be on the call when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC host Hartford Athletic FC on Saturday night (8 p.m. kickoff) in what will be a Nationally televised match on ESPN 2.

John and Michael preview what both describe as a match of two desperate teams in search of points, at one point the play-by-play broadcaster pointing out "It's as much of a must win as you can possibly have in the middle of July"

Before Pitt's Randy Waldrum departs Pittsburgh for the Olympics, where the veteran coach will lead Nigeria's women's soccer team, he sits down with Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky on the latest episode of Sounding Off on Soccer podcast.

Among the topics discussed included:

Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast returns from its hiatus with one of our favorite guests, as Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy, to talk Copa America, the USMNT getting CONCACAF'd and Mike's column about the 1994 World Cup and the impact that had on soccer in the United States.