PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC announced on Monday the club had re-signed center back Illal Osumanu to a two-year contract with a club option for the 2027 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval. 

Osumanu was a mainstay on the Hounds’ back line in 2024, finishing as one of just two players to eclipse 2,500 regular-season minutes for the season while starting 29 of 34 USL Championship contests. The 28-year-old also recorded 97 clearances — eight shy of the team lead — and was among the top five in nearly every defensive category, including tackles won (32 at a 70 percent success rate), interceptions (28) and blocked shots (14).

“Illal took a big step forward in 2024, on the field and in the locker room,” said Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley. “His defending skills, athleticism, and leadership will be important for us as we go into the 2025 season.”

A native of Accra, Ghana, Osumanu was a USL League One champion with Union Omaha in 2021 before signing with the Riverhounds ahead of the 2023 season. He made 10 total appearances in his first year with the Hounds, none more memorable than the team’s 2-1 win against San Diego Loyal SC on June 24, 2023, when Osumanu headed home the game-winner, his first goal as a professional, in stoppage time at Highmark Stadium.

Prior to turning pro, Osumanu had a decorated college career. He played one season at the University of Charleston (W.Va.), helping the team to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2016, before playing his next three years at nearby Marshall University, where he was part of the first Thundering Herd team to win the Conference USA Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament in 2019.