The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC are going to need some hefty replacements for the 2021 season. On their personal social media pages, defender Thomas Vancaeyezeele and Robbie Mertz announced their departures from the club.
Mertz is the hometown kid, hailing from Upper St. Clair. He went on to college at the University of Michigan. Then, Mertz was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. However, the team released him during the preseason. Mertz then found his way back to his hometown.
His good-bye post was lengthy, but included all the emotions of featuring for his hometown club.
“It’s one thing to grow up in Pittsburgh — to be a die-hard Steelers, Pens, Pirates (and Hounds) fan and to feel the same level of appreciation every time you emerge from the Fort Pitt Tunnel and onto the bridge. I’ve lived that,” Mertz wrote. “But it’s another thing to represent the city of Pittsburgh, to wear the colors that all of its athletes uniquely, recognizably, and proudly don each time they prepare for competition ‘dahn’ on the Three Rivers.”
Mertz went on to hint that leaving was his own decision.
“I’m still just a kid from Western PA, a kid who has had to earn every chance that he’s gotten in the game of soccer. No handouts, no free passes. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, isn’t that how we like to do things in this town?”
“That’s why, in true Pittsburgher fashion, I am moving on to continue to pursue my dream, to grind and scrap until I have nothing left to give to the game of soccer,” Mertz wrote. “This is a decision that will take me out of my comfort zone and away from home, hopefully allowing renewed growth in the process.”
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Robbie Mertz and his time with the Riverhounds
Mertz, despite being only 23-years-old, has left his mark in Pittsburgh.
Mertz scored 11 goals in 40 appearances for the Riverhounds. He was constantly met with large applause and standing ovations at Highmark Stadium, just a hop, skip and jump away from where he grew up.
There’s no indication to where Mertz will sign, but Pittsburgh will have to do some searching to find his replacement. However, Anthony Velarde proved in 2020 that he is a capable and well-rounded starting midfielder.
“These last two years have been the most incredible blessing — to be surrounded by friends and family in my hometown, to feel the support of the city that raised me, to be called ‘one of our own,’ all while doing what I love most. To the [Riverhounds] organization, to the [Steel Army], to the rest of the growing fanbase: Thank You,” Mertz wrote. “And most of all, thank you to my teammates these past two seasons. You are all the reason that this season of my life has been so fruitful and so memorable.”
Thomas Vancaeyezeele also announces leave
After three seasons in Pittsburgh, Thomas Vancaeyezeele is heading out of Pittsburgh, too. Like Mertz, he has not publicly said where he will land next. In his post,
“Au revoir Pittsburgh! It is time for me to say goodbye to this fantastic city,” Vancaeyezeele wrote. “I am so grateful for the people that I have met here. From my teammates, my friends, the coaching staff to the [Steel Army]. I was so happy these past three years and it’s because of you guys! [Thank you!]”
Vancaeyezeele started his Riverhounds career in the midfield before head coach Bob Lilley turned him into a defender. It’s a role that Vancaeyezeele has excelled in with Pittsburgh. He was a regular starter, and finished his career with 80 regular-season appearances, where he scored four goals and tallied one assist. Vancaeyezeele registered over 7,000 minutes in regular-season play.
In the playoffs, he made four appearances and scored once.
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