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WHEREAS, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer Club’s 2-0 victory over Hartford Athletic on Saturday, August 12, made it Coach Bob Lilley’s 100th win with the Riverhounds; and,
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WHEREAS, in 2023, Coach Lilley led the Riverhounds on their longest-ever run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as, for the first time, the team defeated two Major League Soccer teams in the same season on their way to only the second quarterfinal appearance in Riverhounds history; and,
WHEREAS, with more than 100 wins leading the Riverhounds since becoming Head Coach in 2018, which includes winning the USL Championship Players’ Shield in 2023 and a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2019, Coach Lilley stands as the coach with the most wins and longest tenure of any coach in the Riverhounds' 24-year history; and,
WHEREAS, as of the end of the 2023 season, he has more wins leading professional clubs than any active coach in American soccer, and he has qualified for the playoffs every season of his career. Pittsburgh has now been the longest stop in a highly successful coaching career in which Coach Lilley has amassed more than 350 victories at the professional level, including time with the Hershey Wildcats, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, Detroit Ignition and Rochester Rhinos; and,
WHEREAS, Coach Lilley won USL championships in 2006 with Vancouver and 2015 with Rochester, and six times in his career honored as his league's Coach of the Year. He is a member of the USL Hall of Fame and the Men's Soccer Hall of Fame at George Mason University, where he played from 1984-87; and,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and congratulate Bob Lilley for his remarkable career and season; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare, Monday, November 20, 2023 to be “Coach Bob Lilley Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.