The Riverhounds have a new set of bosses, a mostly new stadium and a wholly new lease on life having emerged from bankruptcy two months ago with a strong owner, Tuffy Shallenberger, and a fortified front office headed by new team president Richard Nightingale.
All concerned impressed at the team’s press conference Wednesday, especially Nightingale with his extensive background in business, branding and, of course, soccer. His experience with Nike alone could prove a valuable boon for a franchise that will need help to grow.
My main target on the day was Mark Steffens, the new coach, so we spoke on a terrace overlooking Highmark Stadium and Downtown’s fabulous First Side.
Steffens, 61, has 18 years of coaching in USL Pro, including two championships in Charlotte and nine appearances in the finals. He’s a native of Huntington, N.Y., but as you’ll hear in the video, his background in the sport is built almost entirely in the aggressive Dutch model.
I’ll have more on the Riverhounds in the Friday Insider, but I wanted to share this now.
Good interview, even an Arjen Robben mention. Sounds like the coach has good theory. Quick passing game requires good passers. When you watch the best players they can kick the ball 40 yards right to the foot of another player.
Riverhounds in the 3rd division, anyone in US Soccer even thinking about someday moving to an English system where the top teams in league move up a division move up and the bottom teams in move down? Probably need all the leagues to establish themselves better before considering such a system.
Sounds good, I hope he brings that type of a game to the hounds. It would be nice to see more goals, more attacking. I agree with him. So what type of players are they looking to bring in DK?
Hopefully someone figures out soon that partnering with one youth club in Pgh is bad for business and won't put more "bums in seats". There are a lot of good soccer-people in this city that have been turned-off by the arrogance and ignorance of their decisions to not reach out to other youth entities.
Sadly, MLS is digging their heels in the sand at every mention of promotion and relegation. We may eventually see that between sub MLS levels, but until there is a change in philosophy and league structure from the top or very heavy handed pressure from FIFA, promotion and relegation isn't going to happen.
I'm very excited to see what kind of player Steffens can attract to Pittsburgh. He has a history of finding the guys from small schools that fall through the cracks and turns them into viable professionals. Keep your eyes on Miro Cabrillo. He joined the team mid-season after graduating at RMU. When he got some consistent minutes at the end of the season, he looked sharp, his first goal was the game winner at Charlotte, against Steffens' Eagles. He may be the breakout star of this year.
If Nightingale can accomplish 70% of what he discussed yesterday, this organization is going to be flourishing in three years.
I am very excited at some of the developments. The bankruptcy plan included the projection of LOSING $700,000 in 2015, so obviously Tuffy is committed to soccer in Pitt and is looking at the long haul.
USLPro has already filed for D2 status by 2017. I am in agreement that most of the teams are already D2 caliber and two of the weaker financial clubs (Dayton and Charlotte) have dropped to PDL. If D2 status is approved, I am not sure if that means PDL will be D3 or not - and what does it mean for the NASL.
It will be interesting moving forward to see which MLS teams elect to put a full reserve team in the USLPro vs partnering with a stand alone team. So it will probably take 4-5 years to see how it all plays out. Fielding a full reserve team is quite the financial commitment. Some teams may take the cheaper (partnership) option.
Once the MLS cherry picks the top remaining markets (Atlanta for sure and perhaps Minnesota, San Antonio, Miami/Ft. Laud, Sacramento), the remaining NASL teams may very well just jump into USLPro as well. After all, teams aren't loyal to leagues, they are loyal to themselves. If Cosmos 2.0 can't get a stadium they may be on life support sooner than we could imagine.
It should be interesting either way...and for the Hounds the future does look much brighter.
I'm very skeptical right now to be honest. Being a supporter since the "comeback" season in 2008 and experiencing some pretty terrible soccer I want to believe that this turnover is going to help but I just don’t see it. We're way behind already with a decreased budget and many holes to fill. At this point it looks like Angulo has higher aspirations (who could blame him) so we have no proven scoring threat. Unless Gilstrap re-signs we're again looking for an everyday keeper and it doesn't sound like Marshall will be returning to anchor the back-line. The two remaining best players on the roster, Dallman and Earls, both play a direct style which I am not sure will translate well into the dutch system. To the poster above regarding Miro, yes he's a great kid with a good motor but a dutch system doesn't require a CF and besides, I don't even think he's under contract at this point. Most teams have already filled up their rosters and started training so here we are again in a similar situation, waiting to pick up the scraps from the MLS cuts in February and flying guys into Pittsburgh at the last minute. It's no mystery that the academy has always been a much larger priority leading up to last season, and while the team did toss money at a few "high profile" players the professional club still took a backseat to the kids. It's time to shift focus. Frankly I'm tired of hearing about it and I want to see it. I keep hearing about how great Steffens is. Why? Why is appointing Steffens a move in the right direction? He won 1/3 of his games last season, only scored 33 goals and led the club to self-relegation. Interim manager Niko Katic had better results in 2014. In fact, Steffens’ Charlotte Eagles had only reached the post-season once since 2011. Justin Evans had more playoffs seasons in that same time-frame. I'd love to hear why everyone is so optimistic because to me this move sounds like more of the same from a club who’s been big on promise but short on results.
Great interview, very positive approach to moving forward. Mark brings an impressive track record in implementing advanced technical training, playoff appearances and championships, despite a modest budget to work with. It sounds like the way he goes about his business - something he is respected for on the pitch and off - may have an equally large impact on team and player demeanor. No one has a magic wand, but he definitely has the right resume for this job! Good Luck !!
December 18, 2014
Interview: Mark Steffens, Riverhounds
by Dejan Kovacevic • Videos • Riverhounds
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The Riverhounds have a new set of bosses, a mostly new stadium and a wholly new lease on life having emerged from bankruptcy two months ago with a strong owner, Tuffy Shallenberger, and a fortified front office headed by new team president Richard Nightingale.
All concerned impressed at the team’s press conference Wednesday, especially Nightingale with his extensive background in business, branding and, of course, soccer. His experience with Nike alone could prove a valuable boon for a franchise that will need help to grow.
My main target on the day was Mark Steffens, the new coach, so we spoke on a terrace overlooking Highmark Stadium and Downtown’s fabulous First Side.
Steffens, 61, has 18 years of coaching in USL Pro, including two championships in Charlotte and nine appearances in the finals. He’s a native of Huntington, N.Y., but as you’ll hear in the video, his background in the sport is built almost entirely in the aggressive Dutch model.
I’ll have more on the Riverhounds in the Friday Insider, but I wanted to share this now.