PITTSBURGH (Feb. 6, 2026) — The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round contest between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Steel City FC will now be played at Highmark Stadium, with an earlier kickoff time of 7 p.m. for the match on Tuesday, March 17.

The venue change, which has been approved by the U.S. Soccer Federation, comes by mutual agreement of the two clubs in anticipation of high ticket demand for the historic match, the first Open Cup match between two Pittsburgh-area teams in 69 years.

Steel City FC, the 2025 USL League Two Great Forest Division champions, earned its place in the Open Cup by advancing through three qualifying matches. The club made its Open Cup debut in 2024, and the upcoming match marks its second test against professional opposition in the competition.

The match will be another chapter of Open Cup history for the Riverhounds at the stadium, which has hosted two Hounds wins over MLS teams since 2023. Highmark Stadium also played host the last time a Pittsburgh amateur team advanced beyond the First Round of the Open Cup, when local side Tartan Devils Oak Avalon called Pittsburgh’s showcase soccer venue home against the professionals of Louisville City FC in the 2017 Second Round.

The First Round outing also will be the first competitive match at the Riverhounds’ home since their victory in the 2025 USL Championship Eastern Conference Final, a win that helped propel the team to its first league title last year. 

Tickets for the First Round match are on sale now.

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