PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC announced on Wednesday the club had signed forward Kazaiah Sterling to a one-year deal with a team option for the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval and receipt of the player’s P-1 visa.

Sterling comes to the Hounds after spending the past two seasons with South Georgia Tormenta FC in USL League One. In that span he led the club with 30 goals in 48 matches and helped guide Tormenta to the League One title in 2022, scoring in all three rounds of the playoffs and being named League One Final MVP.

“Kaz is very good in front of goal and intelligent with his movement in attacking areas,” said Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley. “He also is a gifted passer who can link play and make life difficult for opposing defenders, and we look forward to having him as part of our team in 2024.”

A native of Enfield, England, Sterling began his career as a youth player for Leyton Orient before making the move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. With Spurs, he made his First Team debut at Wembley Stadium in December 2017, entering as a substitute in a UEFA Champions’ League win over APOEL Nicosia.

In the subsequent seasons, Sterling spent time on loan in the English leagues with multiple clubs, including Sunderland – where he scored his first league goal – Doncaster Rovers and Southend United, before making his move to the United States for the 2022 season.

Analysis

Kazaiah Sterling’s arrival at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC gives the reigning Championship Players’ Shield holder a potential solution to the gap that was left behind when Albert Dikwa departed for Rhode Island FC this offseason. Filling the shoes of the Championship’s Golden Boot winner is a big task, and while Sterling shouldn’t automatically be expected to replace all of Dikwa’s goal production, there’s a lot to like in what he does bring to the table.

Sterling’s 30 goals in 48 appearances for South Georgia Tormenta FC in USL League One came at a strike rate of a goal every 119.4 minutes – comfortably the best in the league’s history among players with at least 20 goals – and he also provided nine assists on 59 chances created. While there might be some regression – Sterling’s shot conversion rate of 37 percent is 17 percent higher than the average among the league’s all-time leading scorers – this feels like a positive move that can help the Hounds remain a contender.