By Colton Coreschi

The U.S. Open Cup has a long and storied history in the city of Pittsburgh, but much of it dates back long, long ago. On March 25th, Steel City FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds began a new chapter of the history of the legendary competition in the city, with a showdown that served as a reminder of all the Cup represents to local clubs across the nation and what it means to represent and stand for your community.

Four Champions have emerged from the city in the Open Cup’s long history – the 1942 Pittsburgh Gallatin, 1949 Morgan-Strasser, and 1952 and 1956 Hamarville Hurricanes. And only twice have Pittsburgh clubs faced each other directly. The first was in 1952 when the Hamarville Hurricanes routed the Heidelberg Tornadoes, 9-1, in the regional stages of that year’s competition. The last was in 1957, when Hamarville again featured in a 2-1 win over Bridgeville, PA’s Morgan-Strasser.

So when Steel City and the Hounds took the field at Highmark Stadium in 2026’s first round, it was a battle for the city that was 69 years in the making, and the first time Pittsburgh would get to celebrate a truly local men’s derby in the modern era. The occasion was not lost on either side but was deeply felt within the Steel City organization as a club rooted in community, steeped in family, and dedicated to serving the city for the love of the game.

Photo: Randy Warner

While the Riverhounds may have been the team advancing to the second round when the final whistle blew on that Wednesday night – advancing on goals from Danny Griffin and Charles Ahl as part of a strong Hounds lineup that featured numerous regular starters and USL veterans – it was perhaps Steel City who made the truest impression and strongest representation of what the beautiful game means in Pittsburgh. Despite the result, Steel City made it a real tough night for the crosstown pros in a 2-1 defeat, and they did it with a roster that exemplifies the Steel City way and a real belief in local, homegrown talent.

On the Hounds side of the field, the lineup has long featured Upper St. Clair native Robbie Mertz as a stalwart in midfield – and he was again a standout in the center of the pitch for the hosts. He was joined by University of Pittsburgh alum Jackson Walti, who has continued his career in the city with the Hounds after four standout years with the Panthers. The Mertz family, in particular, has ties to both sides of the battle, as Robbie’s brother Ryan featured on the 2024 Open Cup debut team for Steel City, playing all 90 minutes in that momentous occasion. Not to mention sister Landy, who also featured locally for Upper St. Clair and the Pittsburgh Panthers before becoming one of the first NWSL draft selections in program history.

But a quick glance across the field from Robbie and Jackson tells the tale of just how deep Steel City’s ties into the Pittsburgh community run.

The 18 players who suited up on matchday for Steel City included nine Pittsburgh-area natives, five homegrown players from the Steel City academy, five players from the local Robert Morris and Duquesne universities, and even three current high-schoolers. From team veteran, 29-year-old goalkeeper Garret Watson – a Steel City first-team player from 2022-24 turned club coach who started in the club’s 2024 Open Cup debut and every qualifier to make it to the 2026 Open Cup – to 17-year old Fox Chapel High School senior and academy homegrown Sean Regan starting at centerback for the full 90 minutes, Steel City’s bottom-up, grassroots ethos was on full display and impressed.

Check out the game through Randy Warner’s lens. (full gallery)

Among the starters was also forward Nick Graeca, who has featured on Steel City’s first team every year since 2022. The 23-year-old from nearby DuBois, PA, has been a staple of the club over the years, including featuring in the team’s Open Cup debut in 2024 against the Michigan Stars, and now does so as a student in medical school up in Erie – a perfect example of the dedication, hard work, and commitment that pervades through the Steel City organization.

So much so that it was fittingly Graeca who stepped up to the penalty spot in the second half when Carlos Santamaria was taken down in the box as Steel City battled valiantly from behind in the second half. Much like his sister Emily did against the Pittsburgh Riveters in their USL W League showdown in 2025 – herself a four-year player for Steel City’s women’s side and currently at James Madison University after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh – Nick stepped up and slotted a perfect penalty into the bottom-right, making history as Steel City’s first-ever Open Cup goal-scorer and paving a bright path for future generations to follow.

From the opening minute, Steel City showed trust and belief in its system, constant throughout the program from the youngest kids to the first teams on both the men’s and women’s side. In a fashion not often seen when young, upstart amateurs face organized, professional opposition, Steel City came out with an effective, aggressive press against the Hounds, hassling their defense and midfield and giving the hosts no breathing room.

Despite the early goal from Danny Griffin on a contentious melee in the box, Steel City showed no fear and didn’t back off an inch, holding the Hounds to just a narrow 1-0 advantage in the first half. They’d press just as hard in the second half, before the Hounds fresh-legged substitutes managed to find some space to convert into Charles Ahl’s goal, doubling the host’s advantage.

Still, Steel City showed the resolve that saw them battle through the gauntlet that is Open Cup qualifying last fall, including in the club’s 3-2 comeback win over Croatia Cleveland to secure qualification. The gutsy visitors took real control of the second half, ultimately forcing the penalty that allowed Graeca to score the club’s first Open Cup goal to cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately for Steel City, a difficult challenge from William Afawubo earned a second yellow card, and left the visitors down to ten men for the remainder of the match. While the hoped-for goal never came, Steel City did not cease their press for an equalizer through the very final moments. As the final whistle blew, it was all the Hounds’ players could do to lie down and catch their breath after 90-plus minutes of the toughest fight Steel City’s young, passionate roster could throw at them.

The crowd of 4,287 on-hand – featuring as many Steel City scarves, shirts, smoke, and colors as their black-and-yellow Hounds counterparts- may have been treated to a Riverhounds win, but were also treated to just what a true, homegrown, community-centric club can do against even the most difficult of opponents. Much like in the aftermath of the hard-fought 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Michigan Stars in 2024, the conclusion of Steel City’s 2026 Open Cup run feels less like an ending and more like another step forward for an organization that keeps pushing for more.

Seven years ago, the men’s first team took the field for the first time. Five years later, Steel City debuted in the Open Cup for the first time. Two years later, they earned their way through qualifying to the first Pittsburgh men’s derby in 69 years and a first Open Cup goal, all while sticking to the foundational, grassroots principles that have gotten the club this far.

Ultimately, this match was just the beginning of this new era of soccer in Pittsburgh. With the Riverhounds 2 entering USL League Two’s Great Forest Division, there will be another two men’s derby matches in 2026 to go alongside the two women’s derby matches this year between the Steel City women and the Riveters. And no matter the results, the very existence of these games and what they mean to this city are proof positive that Steel City has built something special, something real, something grounded in community, family, and principles – and they’re eager to keep proving it.

Photo & videographers top moments from the night:

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