For the first time in nearly three decades of existence, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are league champions. The soccer club clinched the USL Championship title in penalties on Nov. 22 in Tulsa after a remarkable playoff run where the team scored only a single goal over four games, but conceded zero, wining three matches via shootout.

The Hounds’ title is a shot in the arm for a city whose sports teams have been on a historic run of mediocrity — though the Penguins are suddenly and surprisingly contending for the playoffs this year. The victory is particularly well-timed for the club and its owner, Connellsville businessman Tuffy Shallenberger, as it comes just weeks after the announcement of a massive planned expansion to Highmark Stadium in the city’s South Shore neighborhood.

On-field su

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