Pittsburgh City United FC
 | |
| Founded | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Ground | UPMC Graham Field |
| Capacity | 1,300 |
| Owner | Michael Anton Monsour |
| Manager | Michael Anton Monsour |
| League | UPSL Premier Division |
| 2021 | TBD |
| Website | https://www.pittsburghcityunitedfc.com/blog |
Pittsburgh City United FC was an American soccer club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which briefly played in the United Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The usage of both classic soccer club terms "City" and "United" in their name is a direct reference to the team's purpose of finding a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. This is present in one of the club's mottos: A City United to find a cure. Unfortunately, due to financial troubles, Michael was unable to fulfill his obligation to donate half the proceeds to charity. To date the team has not confirmed a single official donation, this has cast Michael Mansour into a questionable light.
History
The founding of Pittsburgh City United FC was officially announced at a press conference on June 3, 2021.[1] It was announced at this time that the club formed an official partnership with the Alzheimer's Association and 50% of the team's profits from tickets and merchandise sales would go to the organization.[2] The club also signed a lifetime deal with Full90 headgear which would see all PCFC players wear protective headgear during matches to spread awareness of concussions and other brain injuries.[3] Six weeks later the club unveiled its first head coach in team history, former Dundee FC player and manager Barry Smith.[4] Italian Nicola Martini was named Director of Scouting in July 2021. It was believed Martini would provide exposure to European clubs for Pittsburgh City United FC players.[5] Later that month the club unveiled its first player signings including most notably US Virgin Islands international Dante Nicholas; former Sporting Clube de Macau Captain Chidi Bright Ike; and 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup veterans Judler Delva and Jean Geffard.[6]
Ownership
The club was owned by Michael Anton Monsour. Michael claims to have learned about soccer from playing FIFA the video game. In August 2021, in a desperate attempt to keep the team afloat, it was announced that Mosnour was exploring fan ownership and began taking reservations on crowdfunding platform Wefunder.[7][8] The lack of interest in the team made this attempt unsuccessful, however.
Michael Anton Monsour was unable to pay his players salaries, secure a venue, or pay for the teams housing and after one rough season, the team folded leaving behind only a legacy of broken promises and misleading statements.
Controversy
Michael Anton Monsour made a lot of promises throughout the single season Pittsburgh City United FC existed, few of which materialized. As these promises continued to collapse, his team began to question whether Monsour knew what he was doing, and whether or not they wanted to continue to be associated with him. Monsour left behind a legacy of unpaid debts and did not manage to make a donation to Alzheimer's research, even after making it a core part of their mission statement.
Stadium
The club intended to initially play some home matches at the 1,300-seat UPMC Graham Field with the ambition of building its own facilities and new stadium in nearby Monroeville, Pennsylvania.[2] Pittsburgh City United FC's home opener was played at the 5,000-seat Highmark Stadium on August 29, 2021 against Germantown. The team was unable to secure a stadium of their own, although fan turnout was almost zero for the duration of the year.
Roster
- As of August 21, 2021[9]
Record
| Year | Division | League | Record (W–L–D) | Regular Season | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |
References
- ^ "Pittsburgh City United FC Announced As Pittsburgh's Newest Soccer Franchise". CBS. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ a b Cran, George. "Dundee legend Barry Smith: Chance to help in battle against Alzheimer's with new club Pittsburgh City United sold me on American adventure". The Courier. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Pittsburgh City United FC Agrees to LIFETIME Sponsorship Deal with Full90 headgear". Pittsburgh City United FC. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Dundee FC Legend Barry Smith To Manage US Soccer Team Partnered With The Alzheimer's Association". KTVN. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "New Pittsburgh soccer team hires noted Italian scout". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Krysinsky, John. "Pittsburgh City United FC roll out initial roster signings". PGH Soccer Now. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Pittsburgh's Newest Soccer Club, Pittsburgh City United FC Exploring Fan Ownership". CBS. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Wefunder Campaign". Wefunder. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Our Team". Pittsburgh City United FC. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Krysinsky, John. "Ready or not Pittsburgh City United FC to make UPSL debut vs Inter Atlantic FC". Pittsburgh Soccer Report. Retrieved 21 August 2021.