2025 USL Championship Final Preview: FC Tulsa vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Jonathan Turner
2d
3 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

TULSA, Okla. – The 2025 USL Championship season reaches its pinnacle on Saturday as Western Conference champions FC Tulsa host Eastern Conference champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at ONEOK Field. Both clubs are seeking the first league title in their histories. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on CBS, TUDN, and SiriusXM FC.

How They Got Here

FC Tulsa (16-5-9, 57 pts)

FC Tulsa punched its ticket to its first-ever USL Championship Final after a dominant 3–0 win over New Mexico United last weekend. The performance secured the club’s first piece of silverware as Western Conference champions.

Taylor Calheira led the way with a postseason brace—Tulsa’s first in club history—continuing the striker’s breakout campaign. Defensively, Tulsa enters the Final in elite form, boasting a 603-minute shutout streak at home, last conceding on September 6. Across 330 postseason minutes, they’ve allowed just 2.15 Expected Goals (0.65 xGA per 90).

A crowd of 9,180 packed ONEOK Field for the conference final, and another strong turnout is expected as the Scissortails aim to become the sixth straight Western Conference team to lift the Championship trophy.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-10-8, 46 pts)

Pittsburgh clinched its first Final appearance in the club’s 26-year history with a gritty 1–0 win over Rhode Island FC in front of a record 6,745 fans at Highmark Stadium.

Hometown midfielder Robbie Mertz provided the decisive strike—Pittsburgh’s first goal of the postseason following two penalty-shootout wins in earlier rounds. Goalkeeper Eric Dick delivered a five-save shutout, extending the club’s postseason streak to 512 scoreless minutes dating back to October 11.

Defensively, the Hounds have been nearly flawless this postseason, allowing just 1.66 Expected Goals Against (0.45 xGA per 90). After three previous near-misses, Pittsburgh now travels to Tulsa with the chance to bring a long-awaited title back to the Steel City.

All-Time Series

Pittsburgh holds the historical edge, entering the Final unbeaten in five meetings against FC Tulsa (3-0-2, +3 goal differential). This will be the first matchup of 2025, as the clubs did not meet in interconference play during the regular season.

Opta Says

32 – FC Tulsa leads the Championship with 32 second-half goals this season. Taylor Calheira has scored nine of those, tied for the league lead in post-halftime goals.
10 – Pittsburgh has conceded just 10 first-half goals, the fewest in the league, and owns a league-best 15 shutouts across regular season and postseason play.

Players to Watch

FC Tulsa – Taylor Calheira

Calheira has set a new Tulsa single-season record with 17 goals across all competitions, paired with a league-best +12.23 Goals Added. His impact extends beyond finishing—he’s won possession 25 times in the final third, tied for second in the league, anchoring Tulsa’s high-press system.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – Danny Griffin

A staple in Pittsburgh’s midfield, Griffin ranks second league-wide with 89 possession wins in the middle third and adds 145 recoveries plus 36 interceptions. His +6.03 Goals Added underscores his influence on both sides of the ball, and his ability to control second balls will be crucial for the Hounds on the road.