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MLS, no, but Pittsburgh could be an NWSL town

By Rachael Mckriger for The 4 min read
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known as the City of Champions due to professional teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers and Penguins.

The “Big Three” — and no I’m not referencing the “Big Three” from “This Is Us” — sports in Pittsburgh bring in big crowds, revenue and have some of the most popular players in sports on their rosters.

For years, many Pittsburghers, and other sports fans, have wondered why the city does not have a professional basketball team. It’s a pretty simple explanation: The University of Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team is popular enough to suffice. Despite lackluster performances — especially in the most recent 2016-17 season — the Panthers still pack the Petersen Events Center for games.

There has also been question to why Pittsburgh doesn’t have a professional soccer team. The talk might not be as great as a potential NBA team talk, but it’s still there. Technically, Pittsburgh does have a “professional” soccer club, with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds sitting in the second-division United Soccer League.

However, Major League Soccer is the first-tier division for soccer in the United States. There’s no club in Pittsburgh, and the closest one to the city is the Columbus Crew SC in Ohio. The MLS opened up an open expansion bid, giving cities the chance to submit themselves to potentially be picked to be the next city with an MLS club.

Cities like Tampa Bay, Nashville, St. Louis and San Diego submitted bids, as well as other big cities. However, Pittsburgh did not.

It’s clear that Pittsburgh isn’t a big soccer town, but there is some interest. There have been plenty of efforts to attract people to soccer games. For instance, back in 2014 AC Milan and Manchester City featured at Heinz Field for a friendly match. On Aug. 16, 2015, the United States Women’s National Team also made its mark at Heinz Field, on its first Victory Tour stop after winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The USWNT event sparked major interest, especially with hometown girl Meghan Klingenberg on the roster for the match. Klingenberg started the match, and even scored a goal. The Gibsonia native even waved around a Terrible Towel for her goal celebration in front of the 44,028 fans. The attendance set a record for the largest crowd in a “stand-alone” USWNT match in the United States, according to U.S. Soccer.

I was at that match in August 2015, and saw the crowd erupt when Klingenberg scored the goal. Equal eruptions rose whenever the seven other goals in the 8-0 win were scored. There were fans from different parts of the United States sitting in the seats at Heinz Field — just to watch a soccer match.

Now granted, the Riverhounds would never get that type of crowd for a few reasons. First, they don’t have the players that the USWNT, Manchester City or AC Milan have. Second, Highmark Stadium can only fit so many fans. And finally, the USL isn’t as popular as the MLS.

However, what if Pittsburgh doesn’t need the MLS? What if they could have the National Women’s Soccer League?

The NWSL is growing just like the MLS. The league is currently in its fifth season, which marks it as the longest-lasting domestic women’s league in the United States. Currently, there are 10 teams, with the closest one being the Washington Spirit in Boyds, Maryland.

While the MLS features in big, flashy stadiums in big cities, the NWSL is a bit different. The Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride share the same stadium as their MLS counterparts — the Portland Timbers and Orlando City SC. Other than that teams have their own fields, or share with USL clubs. For example, FC Kansas City shares their pitch with the Swope Park Rangers of the USL at Swope Park Village.

If Pittsburgh would adopt an NWSL club, it could share Highmark Stadium with the Riverhounds. That could bring plenty of soccer popularity to Pittsburgh, with big name players coming to the city. Some of the best players in the world — including Brazil’s Marta, Canada’s Christine Sinclair and plenty of USWNT players — feature in the NWSL.

Klingenberg could even propel the club by making a return to the city. Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris of the Orlando Pride made a similar move when she returned to her hometown club for their inaugural season in 2016.

The city of Pittsburgh would be the perfect place — especially size wise — for the NWSL to make its mark.

Pittsburgh might not have submitted its name for the MLS expansion draft, but submitting for an NWSL expansion should be on the city’s radar.

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