PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds need your help to name Pittsburgh’s newest sports team. 

The city has a new women’s soccer team. In late April, the United Soccer League announced that the Pittsburgh Riverhounds would join the USL W League and start competing in 2025. 

The USL W League serves as a pre-professional league and often leads to players being drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League or playing abroad. Bringing this league to Pittsburgh opens up new opportunities for local Pittsburgh-area talent. 

There are four names that the public can choose from: Confluence, Renegades, Riveters or Strikers. These names were narrowed down from more than 1,000 entries submitted earlier. 

The voting for the team name will continue over the next 2½ weeks and the team’s official crest, logo, and jersey design will be revealed in the coming months. 

The name Riverhounds was suggested, but not considered because they wanted the name to be unique to the new team. 

The Riverhounds Development Academy has been around since 2007, establishing its first girls academy team in 2012. This team allows participation until the girls are 19. This new team allows older women a chance to keep playing. 

The Men’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds is celebrating its 25th anniversary of being established as a men’s professional team in 1999 after Pittsburgh Riverhounds was founded in 1998.