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 and Helena Locateli along with Head Coach Tom Ovenden joined John Krysinsky on the latest episode of the Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast.

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 their respective leagues.

John and Matt take a look at the match-up and discuss a number of topics:

• Finally -- a Philadelphia vs Pittsburgh pro soccer match-up
• Taking a look at Pennsylvania's soccer landscape and various professional rivalries that have come and gone
• Throw out records and where teams stand in their respective leagues
• Another facinating tactical match-up between Bob Lilley vs MLS coach who's relatively new to his club
• Thoughts on lineup selections for both squads
• Can the Hounds navigate their way against Philadelphia's high press

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:

• John breaks down the Hounds current form -- which has not been good -- as they head into this midweek Open Cup clash at Highmark Stadium
• Pittsburgh's short history of success against MLS clubs in Pittsburgh -- and how this current Hounds group which is struggling -- can draw inspiration from past, positive results vs MLS clubs

https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2025/05/05/struggling-riverhounds-can-find-inspiration-from-short-history-of-solid-home-performances-vs-mls-clubs-in-us-open-cup/

• Mark, who also hosts the Colorado Rapids podcast, Holding the High Line, jumps on to take a closer look at NYCFC and breaks down their squad.
• The pair also discuss the challenges for coaches in lineup selections, the importance of depth and how young players can make an impact in Open Cup matches
• Impact that the crowd at Highmark Stadium can have in a match like this

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 and John, included:

• Early season takeaways
• Biggest surprises
• Biggest disappointments
• What to expect as Hounds will be on the road for almost all of April (pending US Open Cup match )

Listen to both segments here and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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 soccer team in our region.

In more than two years, Monsour has the club positioned in a good place.The club, which followed the lead of Monsour's Pittsburgh City United by mandating protective headgear for its players, subject to approval from the Gibraltar Football Association. As part of the takeover, the club filmed a documentary and continues to promote the impact of protective headgear on head injuries and partner with the Concussion Legacy Foundation. By January 2023, one of the most iconic football clubs in Gibraltar’s storied football history, became the first top flight European football club to have all 10 outfield players wear protective headgear in a professional match in an effort to promote concussion awareness and safety in the beautiful game.