Fewer than 3,000 tickets remain for the Riverhounds June 17 game against D.C. United, which will mark the first appearance by an MLS team at Highmark Stadium and the first by an MLS team here since 2001.
The remaining tickets will go on sale today at 10 a.m with midfield seats, available at $15 each, and all other tickets at $12 each. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com and at the Highmark Stadium box office.
The Riverhounds have sold more than 1,000 tickets to season-ticket holders to whom tickets became available Monday, and they expect the fourth-round match in the annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to sell out within a week.
The U.S. Open Cup features pro soccer teams from North America’s top four leagues in a single-elimination tournament. The Riverhounds are among the final 32 in the tournament with five rounds remaining.
Riverhounds midfielder Rob Vincent, who leads the USL in goals, believes that this game carries a lot of significance.
“It’s huge,” Vincent said. “You obviously want to pit yourself against the best opposition. It’s going to draw in a lot of fans, so it’s going to be a great night for this city and for this club.”
But, Vincent said, the Riverhounds are playing for more than the experience.
“We want to go on a Cup run, and we know that if we beat D.C. there is a chance we’re going to be playing another MLS team,” he said. “So, we really want to do well and win the game.”
Riverhounds coach Mark Steffens is excited about the upcoming match and for his team’s opportunity to represent the USL against an MLS team.
“We’re going to see a little bit of a higher level of soccer from D.C. United,” Steffens said.
He added that the level of play in the USL has improved since it struck an affiliate partnership with MLS in 2012. Since 2013, the Riverhounds have been affiliates of the Houston Dynamo, and Steffens said this could be a chance to show MLS teams just how much the USL has improved.
“I think they’ll also see that the leagues are not very far apart,” he said. “It’s just going to be high-level soccer from both teams.”
The Riverhounds are coming off of four consecutive wins, including their most recent game which might have been the greatest comeback in franchise history. They trailed the Harrisburg City Islanders, 5-3, in the 89th minute before scoring three late goals to grab a 6-5 victory.
The Hounds have two more games to play in USL action — Saturday against St. Louis and June 13 at Charlotte — before they can focus on D.C. United.
Alex Woodin: awoodin@post-gazette.com and 412-263-1959.
First Published: June 3, 2015, 4:00 a.m.