Preview: Hounds vs. Sporting Jacksonville
USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Preview: Hounds vs. Sporting Jacksonville

Published on March 27, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


PITTSBURGH - The Hounds are in the midst of a stretch of four matches in 10 days thanks to their advancement in the U.S. Open Cup, but the second of those contests is the team's first home match in league play, when they welcome USL Championship newcomers Sporting Club Jacksonville to Highmark Stadium on Saturday.

Though it is still the first month of the season, much of the team's messaging this week has been to try and get things sorted after a 3-0 defeat last weekend in Tampa Bay. Wednesday night's Open Cup match ended with a result, a 2-1 win over Steel City FC, but the performance was far from convincing in the eyes of head coach Rob Vincent, who will look for more against a struggling league newcomer.

The Hounds were able to rotate some players in the midweek win, particularly in the midfield, where Danny Griffin, Robbie Mertz, Bradley Sample, Charles Ahl, Jackson Walti and Sam Bassett all played, but none of them recorded more than 71 minutes and four played less than an hour. Griffin and Ahl both found the net for the first time in the match, as the Hounds are now up to six goals through their first four matches with no player having more than one.

The opportunity to claim three points at home is one the Hounds don't want to pass on, especially against a Jacksonville team also on three days rest but making the 800-mile trip north. Jacksonville grabbed an early lead Wednesday against Miami FC, but the hosts couldn't hang on and eventually fell 4-2 to their in-state opponents. The team also fell 3-0 to Hartford Athletic in its season opener, but a 1-1 road draw at Rhode Island FC proved the newly arrived side is able to put up a fight.

Kieran Sadlier, a veteran of the English and Irish leagues, captains the new side and had both goals against Miami. The Jacksonville roster also has its share of USL veterans, including defenders Mohamed Traore and Wahab Ackwei, most recently of Phoenix and El Paso, respectively, and another large group who made the move upward from MLS Next Pro.

Off of the pitch, Saturday will also be a celebration of the team's 2025 USL Championship title as the first home league match of the year.

The team's championship banner will be unveiled before the start of the match, and the post-match festivities will be punctuated by the first of three scheduled fireworks shows for 2026. The first 1,000 fans through the gate will also get to take home a miniature replica championship banner. The Tailgate Zone will open at its usual 5 p.m. time, with stadium gates opening at 6 p.m. Tickets for the match are still available through Ticketmaster or at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.

Fans unable to make it to the stadium will have plenty of ways to catch the action. KDKA+ will have the live, local broadcast with ESPN+ having the streaming feed. There are also multilingual listening opportunities, as the match will be broadcast nationally on SiriusXM FC, Ch. 157 in English, and by the Hounds' official Spanish-language radio partner, Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2.

Match Info

Riverhounds (1-2-0) vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville (0-2-1)

Date: Saturday, March 28

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Highmark Stadium

Tickets: Ticketmaster

Odds: Hounds -145 / Draw +260 / Jacksonville +370 on FanDuel

TV: KDKA+

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: SiriusXM FC, Ch. 157 (English); Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtag: #PITvJAX

Check out the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 27, 2026


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