Tulsa, Oklahoma — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds won their first championship in club history Saturday, defeating FC Tulsa 5-3 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes at ONEOK Field.
The defensive struggle saw Pittsburgh limit Tulsa to five shots on target from 17 attempts, while managing just one shot on frame themselves. Tulsa goalkeeper Tyler Deric guessed correctly on four Pittsburgh penalties but couldn't stop any, highlighting the fine margins in championship matches.
Interim manager Rob Vincent, coaching just his seventh game after Bob Lilley was placed on administrative leave, became the youngest coach to win the USL Championship at 35 years old. Vincent remained undefeated in all seven matches and led the Riverhounds through three consecutive penalty shootouts during their title run.
The Riverhounds reached the playoffs every season since 2017 under Lilley but never won a postseason match until Vincent's arrival.
FC Tulsa, which finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, fell short of their first league title under head coach Luke Spencer but showed significant improvement in reaching the final.