To The Army,

Well, here we are. It's July of 2009, and we're in a similar situation as we
were last year.....a few wins out from the playoffs. Our advantage this year is
pretty clear: we have 5 home games in a row to finish the season.

It seems like years since we've played at CV, but we're just 1 game away from
the return.

Thinking back on last season, there was a moment that catapulted us toward
the playoff run - Harrisburg. Of my moments as a pro, I will never forget the
run to the corner, celebrating Justin's goal. I will also never forget the toast
at Molly Brannigans that night. That night made the Riverhounds organization an
organization. Until then, we were just efforts and hope glued together by
financing.

I know as a supporter, the past year and a half have been tough. As a player,
they have been tough. As an owner, they have been tough. As a player/owner who
loves the Army, they have been very tough.

Each day I show up to work, I am faced with a variety of challenges from
financial constraints to planning on how to get out of a high school stadium to
how to properly evolve our youth academy to how to finish all the work in time
to get to practice. Scott Gibson, Justin Evans, and I show up at 8am to start
our work day, then train our youth players each and every day for an average of
4.5 hours, then get back to work, and then leave for our own training. During
that time, I sort out two separate companies, trying to elevate both to new
levels. We shed the tired skin every afternoon in order to perform at training.
As professionals, it is expected that we will perform, no matter what we did
during the rest of the day. And we do so.

We have others working full time jobs, like Nate Salsi and Cody Bragg, who
turn on the jets in the evenings to do the same. We do so as the nucleus of the
team. We do so because we love what the team represents. We do so because of the
Army.

My work will transform over the next few months, as we embark on a mission to
make a significant impact on soccer in western pennsylvania. The love and
respect for all that the Army provides is in that project. There is a brighter
future in that project - hopefully we can all enjoy it together.

But for now, here we are again. It's July 2009 and we're in a similar
situation as we were last year....a few wins out from the playoffs. If there are
7 of you in Harrisburg or 70, you are the Steel Army and we play for you. You
each work and support families and make sacrifices in order to turn on the jets
when supporting us. If we are to move forward into a brighter future, we need
each other. It has to start back up again, in Harrisburg. It is not EPL, it's not
La Liga, it's not MLS, its your team.

Let's get points and pints from here on out!

Thanks for all that you do and will do.

Kutney

How many is 5,000?

By: Jason Kutney

Numbers these days seem to have lost their value. Gas prices were the thorns in our side just a year ago, when we were struggling to fill up our midsized sedans for less than $55 per tank. Now, the same car is pulling out of the station for less than half the price! Meanwhile, American businesses are singing the blues and looking for bailout money. AIG, Freddie and Fannie, “the big four” – just about everyone is getting in line, looking for their billions of dollars of aid! MSNBC, CNBC, FOX NEWS, and others just wait around to report the Unemployment Rate, almost hoping to see a higher number so they have more to talk about! We, as Americans, see these numbers and just go on about our business as best we can. We pull our resources together and respond. Most Americans have no idea how gas prices are truly swayed, or what over $100,000,000,000 of “help” looks like in strategy, or what the Unemployment Rate means until it hits home. We’re faced with an interesting dilemma these days – numbers have lost their meaning!

But I ask you – how many is 5,000?

In the broad scope of things, 5,000 now seems like a small number. If you won $5,000 in the lottery, you would say “just $5,000” when you told your friends and family. If America only cut 5,000 jobs over the previous 6 months, we would be thrilled. If 5,000 people showed up at Heinz Field to watch the Steelers play on Opening Day 2009, the Rooney Family would panic. However, what if those same 5,000 showed up at Chartiers Valley High School on May 2nd to watch 18 professional soccer player band together, in hopes of representing Pittsburgh? That would be a sellout!

Here we are, just over a month away from that day, and I ask you: how many is 5,000? Is it attainable? Can we pull it off? Can Pittsburgh, one of the nation’s leading sports towns, support professional soccer? All of these questions face us, the Riverhounds, on a daily basis.

And at the end of each day, I sit back and think about the number 5,000…

In our new world of fantasy numbers, remember that 5,000 is real. 5,000 standing to listen to the national anthem; 5,000 hearts beating as the first ball rattles the crossbar; 5,000 coming together to form a family for 90+ minutes; 5,000 steps taken by players playing their hearts out for 5,000 times less than the Steelers, Pirates, and Pens.

5,000 – my dream!

See you on May 2nd.