The Pittsburgh Riverhounds, a storied team in the USL Championship, achieved their first championship title with a nerve-wracking 5-3 penalty shootout win over FC Tulsa this past Saturday after finishing 0-0 in regular play. Both teams showcased their strong defenses, creating few opportunities, leading to a tightly contested match.

Tyler Deric, the Tulsa goalkeeper, anticipated many of the Riverhound’s penalty kicks but couldn’t stop any, highlighting the razor-thin margins of such a pivotal game.

This championship marks a significant accomplishment for Rob Vincent, who took over as interim manager after Bob Lilley was placed on administrative leave. Vincent has now made history as the youngest coach to secure this title at 35 years of age, surpassing Juan Guerra’s previous record.

Despite Lilley’s leading the team to playoff appearances each year since 2017, they had yet to win a playoff match until now, under Vincent, the team bonded and succeeded in creating history.

While FC Tulsa is left to reflect on a challenging defeat in front of their fans, the team is notably moving upward, having improved from last season’s 10th place in the Western Conference under Luke Spencer, and coming within a shootout of clinching their own league title.