Nov 16, 2025 By Jonathan Guth 7 min read

Robbie Mertz was a toddler when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds were founded, but the Upper St. Clair graduate has grown up, and he fittingly scored the only goal his team would need in a 1-0 victory over Rhode Island FC on Saturday at Highmark Stadium in the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final.

“It means a lot,” said Mertz in regards to scoring the biggest goal in franchise history as a Pittsburgh native. “We have been through a lot in this organization. Not just this year, but in the last six or seven years to get to this moment. It meant the world to me to be able to score tonight, and it’s so special.”

Mertz’s tally in the first 10 minutes of the second half and the strong play in net by keeper Eric Dick helped propel Pittsburgh to its first league final in the 26-year history of the club.

The Eastern Conference Champions celebrated before a record-setting crowd of 6,745 at the soccer-specific stadium in Pittsburgh’s Station Square.

“It’s still sinking in,” said Pittsburgh interim head coach Rob Vincent when asked to describe the feeling of being the Eastern Conference Champions. “I’m elated and super happy for the players and the fans. I just tried to stand back and watch the celebration because this club has been desperate for a moment like this for a long time.

“We’ve come close and we’ve had some big moments, but it was really cool to stand back and watch all that unfold. We will enjoy tonight and we will come back to work on Monday.”

The Riverhounds, who hosted three playoff matches en route to the league final, will travel to face FC Tulsa in the USL Championship Final this Saturday for a noon kickoff. The match will be broadcast on CBS.

FC Tulsa blanked New Mexico United, 3-0, in the Western Conference Final. Pittsburgh and FC Tulsa haven’t played this season.

Pittsburgh’s defense has been stout all season, and the Hounds have turned it up even more in the playoffs by not allowing a goal in three matches, including quarterfinal and semifinal contests that were decided by penalty kicks, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Following a scoreless first half, there were rumblings of a third straight playoff match being decided by penalties, but Mertz got the home team on the scoreboard in the 55th minute that began with captain Danny Griffin rising to meet a high ball that was sent in from Luke Biasi at the top of the box.

Griffin moved the ball to Mertz on the right, and the forward cut inside and then back to his right to maneuver past Rhode Island’s Hugo Bacharch to create space and fired a shot under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead. Griffin had the assist on the goal.

“I just want to say, first of all, the glory goes to God tonight,” Mertz said. “Coming off of last week, missing a penalty and having my team get my back meant the world to me, but it was difficult to be in that moment. I recognized that God had bigger plans for me tonight.

“In terms of the play itself, Danny brought it down out of the air, I gave him a shout, he laid it off to me and I cut inside. Originally, I wanted to hit it with my left, but I didn’t take the best touch, so then, as they kind of committed to blocking that shot, I decided to drop back and go to my right. I had a little bit of room on the outside and hit a shot. It took a deflection, and with some good fortune, it went in the back of the net.”

Rhode Island’s adversity went from bad to worse in the 60th minute when Marc Ybarra was sent off for a second yellow card after being called for a reckless foul on Bradley Sample, and the visitors had to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.

Ybarra was shown yellow in the 30th minute when he was called for a tactical foul after pulling back on the jersey of Perrin Barnes.

Despite being down a goal and a player, the visitors pressed forward to tie the match.

“Any time you go up a man, it’s great, but it also intensifies the game for the other team,” Dick said. “We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas, and that’s what we tried to do, but I think they knew they had to step it up, take risks and take chances being down a man.

“I think we had to weather a little bit of a storm because any time that happens (a team being one player due to being sent off) that team is just going to give their all for the next five to 10 minutes.”

Dick made one of his five saves in the 74th minute when ex-Hound Albert Dikwa sprung JJ Williams on a breakaway. Williams’ high shot was tipped over the bar by Dick.

“They had a ball over-the-top and Sean (Suber) recovered so well to put JJ (Williams) off to make a shot where I could save it, but that recovery saved the goal, so I want credit to Sean there,” Dick said.

Dick denied Hamady Diop on a free kick, and Pittsburgh’s backline didn’t allow a shot on target the remaining 13 minutes on the clock, plus an additional seven minutes in stoppage time, to help Dick record his 15th shutout in all competitions, which is a new Hounds single-season record. The Pittsburgh keeper matched a season high with five saves.

“On the free kick, I don’t even know about the foul, but the wall did its job,” Dick said. “I think the wall stood firm and didn’t go over. I think because it’s so close, you don’t want to cheat, but if he beats me over the wall, he beats me over the wall, but I was fortunate that I was right there and was prepared if they had a chance for the rebound. The guys crushed it.”

Dick and Mertz shared honors as the “Modelo Men of the Match,” which is usually awarded to one player. Dick stopped two shots in the final 20 minutes, while Mertz had a team-leading total of six recoveries and 89.5 percent pass completion (34 of 38) in addition to the conference-winning goal.

Rhode Island’s Noah Fuson put the first shot on target when he received the ball on the right side and sent a solid drive that forced Dick to dive for a save at the near post. Bacharch’s header missed high on the ensuing corner kick.

Griffin had an opportunity in the 36th minute after Metz chipped a ball that sent his captain into the box on goal. Griffin settled down the bouncing ball, but keeper Koke Vegas knocked the ball away for his first of two saves.

Augi Williams had an opportunity to score his 10th goal of the season in the 51st minute, but his shot across the goal from a tricky angle was just wide as Vegas dived to try and knock the ball away.