PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC announced on Thursday the club had signed goalkeeper and Pittsburgh native Ben Martino to a one-year deal with a club option for the  2026 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Martino was previously with Nashville SC of Major League Soccer, which acquired the 22-year-old’s Homegrown Player rights from the Philadelphia Union in January 2023. Martino spent the past two season on loan at Nashville’s reserve team Huntsville City FC of MLS NEXT Pro, where he recorded 86 saves and three shutouts in 30 appearances across two seasons.

“Ben is a young keeper with good technical qualities and pro experience already under his belt. We are excited to see his progression this year back in Pittsburgh,” said Riverhounds Head Coach Bob Lilley.

Martino began his youth career in the Riverhounds Development Academy, making him the second player to sign a professional deal with the First Team after previously playing for the Hounds’ youth teams. He competed in the RDA while attending Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh through the age of 16, when he left to join the Philadelphia Union Academy.

Martino made his First Team debut in the USL Championship as a 17-year-old, appearing in three matches as a USL Academy signing for the Philadelphia Union II before graduating and playing college soccer at Virginia Tech, where he made 34 appearances in two seasons before turning pro with Nashville SC.