With USL Championship season suspended, Riverhounds set to meet challenges

Originally suspended for 30 days, the 2020 USL Championship season has now been extended through May 10 because of health concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus, the USL Championship’s Board of Governors announced Wednesday.

Even after the original postponement, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds still held practices in order to stay prepared for when their 2020 season would resume. That came to an end Monday when Gov. Tom Wolf strongly urged all nonessential businesses across the state to close for at least 14 days to help mitigate the spread.

“Our last day was Monday, but things were really starting to get serious Thursday/Friday, so we trained then gave the guys the weekend off,” coach Bob Lilley said. “We brought them in at the beginning of the week, but we were aware Sunday night that something might come quickly.

“So, we talked to the guys on Monday before practice and kind of set the expectations because we thought we might not be bringing them back in.”

Just like other sports teams around the world, the Riverhounds are met with the challenge of how to stay ready for the possible start of the season while balancing staying healthy. Because of the halt in play and social distancing that’s been required, it’s definitely been a challenge for some players.

Ryan James, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, considers himself a player who’s always working to be in top shape when he steps onto the field.

“I’m one of those guys where, if my hip isn’t hurting, I’m always looking for the next thing,” James said. “I’m always looking for the thing that’s the most sore. I’m always with the trainers, I think my trainer would agree that I’m the most annoying player because I’m always seeking his advice on things.”

Since the news and spread of covid-19, James said he’s started taking precautions when it comes to his everyday routine around Riverhounds staff and teammates.

“As soon this started happening, I saw I was distancing myself,” James said. “Not necessarily from the trainers but from the group environment of the training room because there are so many guys taking ice baths or using training equipment. So, I just started getting a little more cautious about myself and how I’m affecting other people.”

Lilley also has been met with the challenge of keeping his team in top shape for the upcoming season. Although they have only missed two days of practice during the current hiatus, Lilley has already started to put into place a training regiment his players can follow.

“We sent some balls home with the guys, but we did allow players to leave town to because if this thing takes a turn for the worst, it’s a time where players are gonna want to be close to their families,” Lilley said. “In the meantime, we’ve sent them stuff that they can do on their own as well.”

Staying in shape isn’t the only challenge the Riverhounds face. The suspension means they don’t get to spend time together on the pitch preparing for the season and building a familiarity with each other.

James is one of the key players who returns to Pittsburgh from last year’s Eastern Conference Championship team. He’s hoping the relationships the players have built the past two years will last through their downtime.

Lilley believes all the work his team has put in throughout the preseason will allow them to hit the ground running when the season officially starts.

“The learning is done, well the learning is never done, but the implementation of who we are and what we want to do tactically is done,” Lilley said. “So, for us, it’s more about getting them into a rhythm when they get back; we won’t have to spend too much time on relearning stuff.”

The Riverhounds will miss games that were scheduled for March and April. On Wednesday, the Riverhounds said they would honor any tickets for home matches when the missed games are officially rescheduled.