Roundtable: Remembering the City Islanders and Pittsburgh Riverhounds derby

The Philadelphia Union II head into Highmark Stadium tonight looking to play the spoiler against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds after lopsided losses to their Pennsylvania rivals earlier this season.

There was a time when a meeting between Pennsylvania rivals was a much bigger deal and while there are plenty of reasons to celebrate both the success of the Hounds on the field and the future potential of the young prospects the Union is fielding in their 2 team, it’s a far cry from what it once was.

That rivalry between the Hounds and the City Islanders for the Keystone Derby Cup hit overdrive in 2015 when each team had a miraculous comeback in front of their home fans. Both games are featured in John Krysinsky’s book Miracle on the Mon but the center piece was the 6-5 comeback win that gave the book its title.

Krysinsky, managing editor of Pittsburgh Soccer Now, joined us for a recent roundtable discussion about his book, the rivalry and what’s happening now in lower level professional soccer in Pennsylvania. BrotherlyGame contributor Chris Bratton, who covered the City Islanders for the site and former City Islanders goalkeeper Nick Noble, an assistant coach at West Virginia men’s soccer, also joined into the discussion.

Listen to the Brotherly Game Roundtable Episode.