Steel City FC is an American pre-professional soccer club based out of Pittsburgh. The club has two senior teams, with the men's team playing in the USL League Two and the women's team playing in the USL W League, along with several youth teams.
Men's team history Formed in the 1976 as a youth soccer team, the Pittsburgh Hotspurs launched its Men's First Team in 2019 to compete in the National Premier Soccer League. According to the team's first coach Tom Campbell, NPSL officials contacted the Hotspurs about joining the league after the Fort Pitt Regiment folded after the 2018 season.https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2019/04/17/gearing-up-for-first-season-in-npsl-hotspurs-sign-former-riverhounds-kolarac-and-broome/ Ahead of the cancelled 2020 season, the Hotspurs partnered with the women's team Steel City FC. The team won their first trophy in 2020, winning the NPSL Members Cup over Cleveland SC, FC Buffalo, and Erie Commodores FC.https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2020/07/30/pittsburgh-hotspurs-capture-npsls-members-cup/
In 2021, the Hotspurs merged with another youth soccer club, Arsenal FC of Pittsburgh. Prior to the start of the 2023 season, the entire Pittsburgh Hotspurs organization rebranded as Steel City FC, adopting the former name of the women's team.
Steel City FC made their U.S. Open Cup debut in 2024,https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2023/12/15/its-official-steel-city-fc-enter-2024-u-s-open-cup-proper-tournament-for-first-time-in-club-history/ losing to NISA club Michigan Stars FC in the first round by a score of 1-0.https://www.npsl.com/22162/
In December 2024, Steel City announced it would join USL League Two for the 2025 season, being placed in the newly-formed Great Forest Division within the Central Conference.https://www.uslleaguetwo.com/news_article/show/1331100 In their first season in USL League Two, Steel City FC won the Great Forest Division title to clinch a playoff spot, though they lost to the Flint City Bucks in the conference quarterfinals, 4-3.
Following the 2025 season, Steel City qualified for the 2026 U.S. Open Cup, their second appearance in the tournament. Steel City FC faced defending USLC champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the first round, the first match between two Pittsburgh-area clubs since the Harmarville Hurricanes defeated Morgan Strasser in the national quarterfinals of the 1957 National Challenge Cup. Steel City FC won its second consecutive Great Forest Division title, and fourth-straight overall, with an unbeaten 9-3-0 record. The club won its first USL2 playoff game over Northern Indiana FC, before falling to the Flint City Bucks for the second season. Head coach Dan Brower would step down to spend more time with his family, with Jonathan Velotta named as his replacement.
Seasons
SeasonLeaguePositionPlayoffsUSOCLeagueConfPldWLDGFGAGDPtsPPGConf.OverallPittsburgh Hotspurs 2019 NPSLEast101721025 -1550.506th84thDNQDNQ 2020NPSLRust BeltSeason cancelled due to COVID-19 2021 NPSLRust Belt108201914 +5242.40 2nd10thRQFDNQ 2022 NPSLRust Belt128402415 +9242.00 2nd26thRQFDNQSteel City FC 2023 NPSLGreat Lakes1210023212 +20322.67 1st5thRFDNQ 2024 NPSLGreat Lakes10703368 +28242.40 1st9thRFR1 2025 USL2Great Forest128132612 +14272.25 1st15thCQFDNQ2026USL2Great Forest12903203 +17302.50 1stCSFR1 Total – – 78 51 14 13 167 89 +78 168 2.15 - - -
U.S. Open Cup matches
Women's team history The club's women's team was founded as a separate organization, competing in the Women's Premier Soccer League through the 2019 season. Ahead of the 2020 season, Steel City FC merged with the Pittsburgh Hotspurs. The team joined United Women's Soccer for the 2021 season. Following the 2020 merger with the Pittsburgh Hotspurs, the team continued to use the moniker Steel City FC until 2022, when the team competed under the Hotspurs brand for a single season before the entire organization rebranded as Steel City FC.
In December 2024, the women's team joined the men's team in moving to the USL and joined the USL W League for 2025, with the team placed in the newly-formed Great Forest Division within the Central Conference.https://www.uslwleague.com/news_article/show/1331094
Seasons
SeasonLeaguePositionPlayoffsLeagueConfPldWLDGFGAGDPtsPPGConf.OverallSteel City FC 2015 WPSLCan Am7511254 +21162.29 2nd12thDNQ 2016 WPSLGreat Lakes101901525 -1030.306th93rdDNQ 2017 WPSLGreat Lakes84401626 -10121.50 3rd49thDNQ 2018 WPSLOhio Valley82511322 -970.866th75thDNQ 2019 WPSLKeystone84311313 0130.86 3rd50thDNQ 2020WPSLOhio ValleySeason cancelled due to COVID-19 2021 UWSMidwest South103701527 -1290.904th33rdDNQPittsburgh Hotspurs 2022 UWSPenn-NY100821330 -1720.205th44thDNQSteel City FC 2023 UWSEast84312010 +10131.637th17thR1 2024 UWSEast95132410 +14182.255th9thDNQ 2025 USLWGreat Forest1033415150131.304th50thDNQ2026USLWGreat Forest105501215 -3151.504th49thDNQ Total – – 98 36 49 13 181 197 -16 121 1.23 - - -
Players Men's first-team squad
Colors and Badge During their time as Pittsburgh Hotspurs, the club predominantly wore blue and yellow. Following the rebrand, the club adopted a new color scheme of dark blue, light blue, black, and gold.
The club's crest is dark blue and gold with stylized trusses and arches evoking the look of the city's 446 bridges. Above the team name is a gold astroid similar to those found on the logo of the Pittsburgh Steelers, flanked by "EST. 2021", the first year the men's and women's first teams competed following the merger. The badge combines elements of the Pittsburgh Hotspurs' crest with the crest used by Steel City FC prior to the merger of the two clubs.
Stadium Both the men's and women's first teams currently play their home games at Founders Field, a 1,500-seat venue built primarily for rugby in the Pittsburgh suburb of Cheswick. Previously, the men's team played home games at the Ellis School's athletic field in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood.
The men's team also hosted Michigan Stars FC at the University of Pittsburgh's Ambrose Urbanic Field during the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.
Honors National Premier Soccer League Great Lakes Conference Regular Season Champions (2): 2023, 2024 NPSL Members Cup (1): 2020
USL League Two Great Forest Division Regular Season Champions (2): 2025, 2026
References
External links