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Stability and authenticity are coveted, if sometimes underrated, aspects of North American supporter culture, especially in this current era, where clubs can often disappear overnight, and multi-investor ownership groups pump the latest shiny object before quickly losing interest.
But that’s not the case in Pittsburgh, where consistency and authenticity are cornerstone values for Pittsburgh Riverhounds supporters group the Steel Army. Now, thanks to a recent U.S. Open Cup upset, the group is enjoying an unexpected Cup run while maintaining the hard work that’s kept them thriving for more than 15 years.
Founded in 2007, the Steel Army is a true reflection of the city of Pittsburgh: unassuming, confident in its ideals, and always up for a good time.
“We’re not necessarily worried about drawing the most attention to this or that,” said Dan Yost, a director-at-large of the group. “We just want to keep it all self-sufficient, keep it on the tracks. When people are having a good time and enjoying what we do, and enjoying what the club is doing, you just try to stand back and not get in the way of a good time.”
That attitude extends to how the group approaches match days and player interactions as well.
“[The players] are showing up for work and they’re there to do a job, and we want to respect them for doing that job,” Yost said. “We’re there to support them and do what we can to make everything work well. But when they leave the stadium and they punch out for the day, we give them their space, and we just keep doing our own things. This city is pretty un-flashy both in its background and how it embraces its sports teams. It’s just kind of the attitude that works around here.”
The ability to operate in this way is largely due to the Riverhounds’ current owner, local businessman Tuffy Shallenberger.
Founded in 1999, the Riverhounds spent most of its history bouncing between the various iterations of USL Pro, USL-2 and now, the second-tier USL Championship. Shallenberger became the club’s majority owner in 2013, pulled them out of bankruptcy by 2015, and has been at the helm ever since.
“He’s in a position where he isn't a micromanager, but he’s present. He’s been out to tailgates. He’s just a good local guy trying to do right for the community,” Yost said. “So, having the club be locally-owned, locally-operated, it’s not a partnership of 20 people with a couple shares. It’s, ‘That’s The Guy.’ So ultimately if an issue arises, you can have a conversation with ‘The Guy.’”
Shared history is also a key factor.
“We’ve been around each other long enough that the club knows what we’re trying to achieve and they don’t try to get into our business too much,” said Yost. “Having that relationship has allowed us to work from a place of respect with each other, because every knows what everyone is trying to achieve. To get to a point now where we actually have some funds to play with and be financially self-sufficient has been really nice. On the whole we're in a good spot with our relationship with the club and we're just trying to let the good times keep rolling here for a while.”
The good times have indeed kept rolling, especially after last weeks’ 1-0 upset over the New England Revolution, in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup. But going into the match, expectations were not high.
The Hounds were 1-6 against MLS sides, their last win coming in 2001, and manager Bob Lilley historically did not prioritize the tournament. Even though the Revs rolled out a relatively young lineup, some big names, including former U.S. internationals Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez, were still on the field.
But the Hounds took a 1-0 lead just before halftime.
“The longer it drags out, you’re thinking, ‘You’ve had a couple shots, they haven’t really had any serious looks, and you start feeling good about it,” said Yost.
Yost’s phone started blowing up with about 10 minutes left, as the Riverhounds gutted out the last few minutes for the win. Returning congratulatory text messages and Twitter DMs took him until well past midnight.
“Not a ton of rest going into Wednesday but it was worth it,” said Yost.
The excitement continued later in the week when the draw for the Round of 16 saw the Riverhounds awarded a home game, hosting the Columbus Crew on May 24th
“I was driving home from work when the draw was happening, so I had to play the Youtube stream through my car speakers on the way home,” Yost said. “Once the second ball was out [awarding the Hounds the home game] our Steel Army discord was just a torrent of ‘F**k yes’s’. Finally I got home and the phone is blowing up, everyone is immediately asking about tickets.”
Anticipation for the match is already high. The Steel Army will host a tailgate before the match, and Highmark Stadium’s 5,000 person capacity will certainly be pushed to its limits. But in typical Pittsburgh fashion, Yost is excited, but not ready to lose focus just yet.
“In terms of the overall picture, I think the league is still more important,” said Yost. “But that’s not going to stop us from enjoying the hell out of next Wednesday.”