Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy adds three new coaches

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy has announced three new coaching additions to the staff: Allen Duda, Matty Evans and Josie Valeri.

The trio brings a diverse array of experience as coaches and players, and their addition in part-time roles will further strengthen the RDA staff moving forward into 2021.

“We are delighted to add all three coaches to our RDA Staff. As our programming continues to grow, it’s important that we bring in coaches and trainers that can add value to our excellent staff that we already have in place. Matty and Allen will add valuable experience and further enhance our ties to the college game. It’s also great to welcome Josie back to the RDA as a coach after her time as a player in the RDA program.”

Duda is the Carlow University women’s soccer team’s current head coach, holding that position for three years after previously being an assistant coach for the Celtics. In 2018, his first season in charge, Duda was named the River States Conference Coach of the Year after guiding Carlow to the No. 3 seed and a semifinal appearance in the conference tournament.

A graduate of Peters Township High School, where he was an: All-State, All-Region, and All-American selection as a player; and a graduate of Slippery Rock University with a B.S. in physical education and sports management. Duda has more than 25 years of experience coaching and training young athletes in the Pittsburgh area.

Evans is the top assistant with the men’s soccer team at Robert Morris University, having recently come to the Colonials to return to the Pittsburgh area. Hailing from Bedford, England, Evans started 36 games as a goalkeeper for Seton Hill University. He graduated with his B.S. in sport management and moved directly into coaching at Seton Hill as a student assistant in 2016.

In the years that followed, Evans spent seasons coaching in the college ranks at West Chester, Lander, Appalachian State, and Georgia Southern. Both West Chester and Lander made NCAA Tournament runs with Evans on staff, and Appalachian State achieved its best-ever finish as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2019.

Valeri is in the midst of her college career as a starting center back for Point Park University, and she will be completing her sophomore season in spring 2021. During the fall, she started 9 of 11 matches for the Pioneers as they accumulated an 8-3 record. No stranger to the black and yellow of the Riverhounds SC, Valeri was a longtime player in the RDA. She ascended from the youngest age groups to represent the club in its early seasons as an ECNL member while also playing for Seneca Valley High School, where she graduated in 2019.