Written by LSF Yogi, Dead Air 412 Staff & The Honey Lounge
Three months ago, Iron City FC was a club looking for a home field. Today we have one, a captain's armband on Vale's arm, a first APSL cup run in the books, and a squad rebuilt from open tryouts. The fall was not always pretty. It was always ours.
This is the story of August through October: the nights that hurt, the nights that flew, and why every one of them pushed the club forward.
Date
Match
Result
Notes
Oct 30
vs Crafton FC (APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup), Riverview Park
L 1–5
Reserves and first-timers get minutes; Leo and half the back line rested in the first half
Oct 28
vs Crafton FC (APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup), Riverview Park
D 4–4
Hagar, Jordan, Alexi, Rich score; Wesley Johnson debuts
Oct 24
vs Drita SC (APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup), J.C. Stone Field
L 3–7
Programme Issue 01 launches
Oct 21
vs EL Bayern Munich FC
W 4–1
Statement win
Oct 18
vs Chino Hills FC, Schenley Oval Sportsplex
W 3–1
Another win on the board
Oct 11
vs FC ZemZem
W 2–1
Vale penalty; GK JT debuts at 17
Sep 22
vs AFG Boys SC, Schenley Oval
W 6–1
Vale hat trick
Sep 6
vs David Goggins FC (Steel & Grit Derby, 7v7), Schenley Oval
L 7–11
High-scoring derby
Aug 22 & 29
vs Crafton FC (Midnight Cup / 412 Derby)
L 0–10
Fielded 12- and 13-year-old pickup players
Aug 8
Iron City SC Academy vs DreamTeam Academy, Lomé, Togo
W 1–0
First international game and first international goal in club history
August: A home, a kit, and a hard lesson
The season started an ocean away. On August 8 in Lomé, Togo, Iron City Sporting Club, our Ghana side, beat DreamTeam Academy 1–0. It was the first international game in Iron City history, and the winner was the first international goal ever scored for the badge. Iron City was never meant to stay in one place.
Back in Pittsburgh, the foundations went down fast. UPMC Graham Field became our official home, and Defender Soccer came on as our shirt manufacturer and kit designer. An open trial in late August found players with the hunger and discipline this badge demands.
Then came the first Midnight Cup: the 412 Derby, East Side against West Side, Iron City vs Crafton FC. It was free, under the lights, with music, cars and Dead Air 412 cameras rolling. On the pitch it was a gut check. With most of the squad away on holiday or sick, our expected back line unavailable and goalkeeper Seth injured, Iron City filled the team sheet with 12- and 13-year-old pickup players. Crafton won 10–0 and lifted the first Midnight Cup trophy on August 29.
We did not hide from it. We wrote about it, owned it, and went back to work.
September to mid-October: The response
September opened with the Steel & Grit Derby, a 7v7 against David Goggins FC at Schenley Sports Oval on September 6. Iron City lost 11–7 in a wild, end-to-end game. Coming off the 10–0, emotions ran high and voices got raised. That is what happens when a group of brothers all want the same thing. The passion is the point; the job is learning to aim it.
Two days later came the news that changed the season's shape: Iron City FC officially entered the APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup, drawn into Group D with Crafton FC and Detroit's Drita SC.
The squad answered on the pitch. On September 22 under the Schenley lights, live on Twitch, Iron City beat AFG Boys SC 6–1. Vale Martinez scored a hat trick in a physical, emotional game.
Open tryouts on October 2 and 3 at Schenley Park drew 50 to 60 players a day, and the club cut that pool down to 30. A week later the new-look group beat FC ZemZem 2–1. Vale converted a penalty and played across two positions, an own goal sealed it, and 17-year-old goalkeeper JT made an impressive debut.
Iron City then added two statement wins in a row: Chino Hills FC 3–1 under the Schenley lights on October 18, then EL Bayern Munich FC 4–1 on October 21.
October 24: Matchday at J.C. Stone
Our first APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup group match took us to Lt. J.C. Stone Field in North Park against Drita SC, a Detroit club founded in 1990 and one of the APSL's new Mitten Conference sides.
New captain Vale Martinez Saldivar (#15) led the side out, with vice-captain Ilkas "Reggie" Davis Jr beside him. Iron City lined up in a 4-4-2: Jorge in goal; Muyi, Yelsin, John and Reggie across the back; Yousef, Vale, Mo and Alexis in midfield; Habib and Jordan up top.
Drita won 7–3. It was a lesson in what this level asks of us, and we scored three goals against an established club in our first cup match. The day also marked the debut of the Iron City FC × Dead Air 412 matchday programme, Issue 01, a digital edition built to make every home game feel like an event.
October 28: Crafton again, and a draw that felt like growth
Four days later we met Crafton FC under the lights at Riverview Park, streamed live on XbotGo. In August, Crafton had taken the Midnight Cup. This time Iron City went toe to toe and came away with a 4–4 draw.
Mouzamil Hagar, Jordan, Alexi and Rich all scored, and captain Vale added an assist. Defender Wesley Johnson made his first-team debut, the youngest debut in club history. Programme Issue 02 also arrived, our first $2 print edition.
Compare that night to the August derby: the same opponent, a deeper squad, and a team that kept answering back.
October 30: Minutes for the next wave
The rematch with Crafton on October 30 was 0–0 at halftime before Crafton pulled away in the second half to win 5–1. The scoreline was never the main goal, though. Iron City handed its reserves real minutes, and several players got their first taste of organized soccer. Starting keeper Leo and half the first-choice defense sat out the first half, resting legs and making room for the next wave.
Off the pitch: Building more than a team
Iron City was founded by Dremar "DJ" Everette in Wilkinsburg, an African American-founded and owned club built with players from across South America, Africa, the Middle East and Pittsburgh's own neighborhoods. This fall, the work off the field grew as fast as the work on it.
This fall also tested the club's foundation. A player who also served as the club's sponsorship officer threatened the lives of the team, the owner and the managers. The fallout cost Iron City investors and partnerships across the Pittsburgh area that the club valued at $350–460 million. Today the club has no sponsors.
Dremar and the staff drew strength from Macklemore and from the resilience of the people of Gaza. They removed that person from the team and the admin side, and got back to work.
Media: Dead Air 412, led by LSF Yogi with the Honey Lounge, covered every step with match reports, previews and the new matchday programme series.
Youth academy: The Iron City FC SC Youth Academy, for ages 7 to 19, is taking shape under Reggie. About 15 young players are already involved, with costs kept low and scholarships for lower-income families and standout student-athletes.
Kit: Defender Soccer remains our jersey manufacturer and kit designer.
The vision: A permanent headquarters and stadium in Penn Hills, and a long road toward top-level American soccer and, one day, USL Premier.
What's next
With the APSL Great Lakes Fall Cup complete, Iron City turns to winter. Friendlies, conditioning and strength training start November 4. Beer City Cup trips follow in Miami (January 16–17), Savannah (March 6–7) and Nashville (April 24–25). Competitive friendlies begin in February, the UPSL and APSL league seasons in April, and the Ohio Valley Premier League in May.
Follow the movement: Iron City FC or Iron City FCSC on every platform, matches live on Twitch and XbotGo, and full games on Facebook and YouTube. Reach the club at ironcityfcsc@gmail.com.
Street DNA. Warrior Energy.