Best of 2024 - #4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
December 23, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
With 2024 being the 25th anniversary season for the Riverhounds, there were plenty of nods back to the team's roots throughout the year.
Naturally, one of the highlights was going to be the year's induction weekend for the Riverhounds Hall of Fame. The Class of 2024 turned out to be a true throwback, as the voters selected three individuals from the original 1999 team - midfielder Gary DePalma and goalkeeper Randy Dedini as players, and assistant coach Paul Child as a builder, covering his many roles with the club over two decades.
And while the induction ceremony honored the past on Friday, July 12, the present grabbed attention of its own on the field the following night. Child, Dedini and DePalma delivered the match ball, and the Hounds couldn't be stopped from hammering it into the net on the way to their most lopsided victory in three years, routing Oakland Roots SC by a 5-0 score at Highmark Stadium.
Little went wrong on the weekend, and the Friday night ceremony was highlighted by speeches from the inductees, Hall of Famers Justin Evans and John Kowalski of the inaugural class and current Hounds coach Bob Lilley, who coached against all three of this year's inductees when he led the Hershey Wildcats and Montreal Impact.
The three honorees all had different perspectives to share when it was their turn to speak, but one common thread through all three was the pride they took in helping the club take off. Dedini, in particular, marveled at how things had changed and grown - it was the California native's first visit to Highmark Stadium - and he expressed gratitude that the work he and others put in during those initial years was picked up and carried to new heights in the current USL Championship.
While a few members of the current Hounds were present on induction night, it seemed as though the full squad got the message of carrying on a winning tradition, as they snapped their season-long winless streak in emphatic fashion.
Junior Etou scored the first and last goals of the match in a performance that earned the veteran wing back his first Championship Player of the Week honor. Robbie Mertz scored from the penalty spot, Sean Suber scored his first professional goal, Bradley Sample notched his first two professional assists, and - most fitting of all - the fourth goal was netted by Kenardo Forbes, a player who will almost certainly be in the Hounds Hall of Fame when first eligible.
With past and present united in such a fitting way, the Hall of Fame weekend was without a doubt one of the top moments of 2024.
Riverhounds' Best of 2024
#5: Down Goes Detroit
#4: Fantastic Hall of Fame Week
#3: Coming Dec. 27
#2: TBA
#1: TBA
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