By Katie Mayock, Journalism Intern – Sports
Pittsburgh has a new addition to its professional sports scene: Pittsburgh Riveters SC is set to open play in the USL W League in May 2025. The USL W League is a pre-professional soccer league that acts as a stepping stone for players striving to play domestically or internationally at the professional level.
The team’s name was selected through a community-wide, online “Name the Team” poll in which the Riveters received 53% of nearly 10,000 votes. The name pays homage to Pittsburgh’s industrial heritage and to Rosie the Riveter, the iconic symbol of female strength and empowerment from World War II. “Our players, much like Rosie, embody the ‘We Can Do It!’ spirit. They are trailblazers, ready to break new ground in Pittsburgh, a city known for its rich sports history,” the Riveters posted to their Instagram page.
- Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh-area native who worked for Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, designed the original Rosie the Riveter “We Can Do It” poster in 1943, when women took over factory and other industrial work for the men who were away fighting. The team’s logo combines the image of Rosie the Riveter and her red bandana with the emblematic black and yellow of all of Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams.
“We’re already hard at work building the inaugural Riveters’ team and are very excited about the level of talent we’ll be able to showcase on the field next summer,” said Dan Visser, Sporting Director of the Riveters and Riverhounds, in a team press release.
The Riveters took the first step to building the inaugural team on September 25th when they announced Scott Gibson as the team’s first head coach. Gibson has been heavily involved in Pittsburgh-area soccer since arriving from England to play collegiately at Duquesne University and then professionally for the Riverhounds. He currently serves as the Riverhounds Academy Director, a role he will continue in while coaching the Riveters.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and responsibility to be the head coach for the Pittsburgh Riveters. Having witnessed firsthand the growth of the women’s game over the past 15 years in Pittsburgh, this is another step forward in the overall vision that we have as a club,” Gibson said in a press release. “In 2012, we launched our first girls academy team with the hope that one day we could provide a pathway to players, and the Riveters will now provide that. I am excited to get to work with our incredible staff to make this a team that our community and supporters will be proud to get behind.”
On October 2nd, the team announced defender Tessa Dellarose as its first player. Dellarose, a graduate of Brownsville Area High School and the Riverhounds Development Academy, currently plays for the fourth-ranked UNC Tar Heels and the U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team.
“We’re confident this special group of women will not only give fans something to cheer about, but also inspire the next generation of young girls in Western Pennsylvania and beyond,” Visser added.
The Riveters will hold an open tryout on December 6th to fill out the rest of their roster. The team will play its home games at Highmark Stadium, the current home of the Riverhounds, who play in the USL Championship, the men’s division of the USL.
