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WHEREAS, in 2023, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for the first time won the USL Championship Players' Shield as the team with the best record at the end of the 34-game regular season, amassing 19 wins and 10 draws with only 5 losses; and,
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WHEREAS, as part of their regular season, the Hounds won 13 matches at their Highmark Stadium home on the South Shore, equaling the USL Championship record for home wins in a season; and,
WHEREAS, concurrently, the Riverhounds reached the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for only the second time, advancing through a club-record four rounds of competition. During the tournament, the Riverhounds defeated two Major League Soccer teams in the same year for the first time, securing a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution and a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew in front of a Highmark Stadium record crowd of 6,107; and,
WHEREAS, Striker Albert Dikwa was named the USL Championship Player of the Year, was the winner of the Golden Boot as the league's top goal scorer with 20 goals and was named USL Championship All-League player for the first time in his career; and,
WHEREAS, Center Back Arturo Ordóñez was named the USL Championship Defender of the Year for his work anchoring a defense that led the league with 15 shutouts, and he also received the first All-League honor of his career; and,
WHEREAS, Midfielder and team captain Kenardo Forbes was honored as an All-League player for the seventh time in his decorated career after becoming the first player with back-to-back 10-assist seasons in the USL Championship; and,
WHEREAS, the team set a new attendance record, averaging more than 5,000 fans per match and selling out Highmark Stadium for 13 of 17 matches during the regular season to break a record set in the team's inaugural 1999 season; and,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby congratulate the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for a record breaking 2023 Season; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare, Monday, November 20, 2023 to be “Pittsburgh Riverhounds Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.