Former Pitt defender Arturo Ordoñez completed his final season with the Panthers in 2021, and on Thursday, it was revealed that he would continue his athletic career at the professional level with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC of the United Soccer League.
It’s a short trip across the bridge from @Pitt_MSOC for our newest player.
Welcome to the squad, Arturo!
Read more about @OrdonezOsuna here: https://t.co/5DyVe5vBm7 pic.twitter.com/N1LGduhcCf
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) February 17, 2022
“Delighted to sign my first professional contract with the [Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC],” Ordoñez said in a message on Twitter. “Grateful for this opportunity. Thanks to [Pitt] for these amazing three years and [making] this opportunity possible. Vamos!”
During his Pitt career, which lasted from 2019 to 2021, Ordoñez played in 57 games, starting each of them, and evolved into a capable offensive contributor in addition to an effective defender for a team that rose to prominence after decades of dormancy. All told, he came up with six goals and four assists in three seasons. Notably, all three of Ordoñez’s goals in the 2020-21 season were game-winners.
With that said, it was the Spaniard’s defensive prowess and physicality that piqued the interest of Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley.
“Arturo is a physical defender that we know well from his time at Pitt,” Lilley said in a statement. “His competitive nature and ability to play out of the back will only strengthen the overall quality of our defensive group.”
Ordoñez earned All-ACC honors in each of his three seasons at Pitt. In addition, he was ranked as the No. 69 men’s college soccer player in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer, following the 2021 postseason.
With the Riverhounds, Ordoñez will have an opportunity to make an impact on a team that finished among the top five in the USL’s Eastern Conference in 2021. The 6’2”, 174-pound defender will also get a chance to play alongside fellow Pitt alums Robby Dambrot and Shane Wiedt, who played on Pitt’s back line the year before Ordoñez arrived in Pittsburgh. The three will return to Ambrose Urbanic Field with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC this Saturday at 1 p.m. to face Pitt in a preseason game.