Pittsburgh may have made the move to make their title defense even more robust
Photo from Monterey Bay FC
For the defending USL Championship title-holders, the 2026 offseason has been defined by a “revolving door” in the goalkeeper’s room. With recent years standout Eric Dick moving on to his hometown Indy Eleven and backup Jacob Randolph also departing, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds were left with a glaring vacancy between the sticks as they prepare to defend their crown.
That vacancy was filled this month with a familiar face: Nico Campuzano, the former University of Pittsburgh standout, is returning to the Steel City on a deal for 2026 (with a 2027 option).
While his most recent stint at Monterey Bay FC was a tale of two halves, the Hounds are betting that a return to Pittsburgh’s structured defensive environment will unlock his elite potential.
A Tale of Two Seasons in Monterey
Campuzano arrives back in Pennsylvania coming off a 2025 campaign in California that was nothing short of “battle-tested.” Through the first third of the season, there was a legitimate case for Campuzano as the best goalkeeper in the league. In fact Johnathan Starling and I made that case on the mid-season Third Half Podcast.
By June 1, 2025, his numbers were elite:
Saves: 46 (League-leading)
Save Percentage: 79.3%
Goals Prevented: -3.12
He had Monterey Bay punching above-their-weight in the USL Championship’s more competitive Western Conference.
However, the weight of a struggling Monterey Bay side eventually took its toll. Being asked to carry an unsustainable workload—recording 14 more saves than any other keeper in the league by June—Campuzano’s efficiency naturally dipped as the team’s form faltered. By the season’s end, he still led the USL Championship with 84 saves, but his save percentage had slid to 67.5%, finishing with a +1.06 Goals Prevented mark. The backline was a problem but Camuzano had slipped. By the end of the season, we weren’t even mentioning him on the podcast.
Hounds Defensive Structure a Plus
The optimism in Pittsburgh stems from the belief that Campuzano won’t be nearly as lonely in the Riverhounds’ box. Under new Head Coach Rob Vincent, who led the club to its first-ever league title as acting manager last fall, the Hounds have maintained a reputation for a suffocating defensive block inherited from the great Bob Lilley.
The statistical contrast is telling: while Campuzano was busy making 84 saves last year, Pittsburgh’s Eric Dick recorded 20 fewer saves across the regular season. That discrepancy isn’t necessarily a reflection of skill, but of structure (this can be distinguished from tactics- structure happens on the training ground whereas tactics are often employing a low-block in matches but doing that because the defensive structure isn’t there).
By reducing the volume of shots Campuzano faces, the Lilley/ Vincent system should allow the 27-year-old Spaniard to maintain the high-efficiency output he displayed early in 2025.
Coming Home Could Be Big
For Campuzano, this is more than just a tactical fit; it’s a homecoming. As a graduate transfer at Pitt, he started every game during the 2020-21 and 2021 seasons, leading the Panthers to their first-ever College Cup appearance.
“We got to know Nico during his time at Pitt, and we’re excited to welcome him back,” said Sporting Director Dan Visser. “He’s an elite shot-stopper and also very comfortable with the ball at his feet.”
My thinking is Pittsburgh has just fortified its defense again making themselves one of the three clear contender’s at the moment in the Eastern Conference along with LouCity and Tampa Bay.