It was 9:24 PM on a Friday night when the news broke: Pittsburgh Riverhounds manager Bob Lilley had been placed on administrative leave.
Eight seasons into his reign in Pittsburgh, Lilley had set the club’s identity for years, and the sudden news back on October 10th could’ve derailed Pittsburgh’s season. Instead, assistant manager Rob Vincent – who played more than 70 matches in Pittsburgh and is still one of the 10 leading scorers in club history – took over as the acting coach and took the ‘Hounds to a title. In the wake of the championship, Vincent spoke with Backheeled to break down how his group pulled it off.
Pittsburgh was set to play the next day after Vincent took over, hosting Indy Eleven with a chance to clinch a playoff spot. By then, the tactics and lineup for the weekend had already been set, but the Riverhounds still got the job done with a 2-1 victory. That match was the jumping-off point for the small but influential tweaks that Pittsburgh would integrate throughout the rest of 2025.
