The Pittsburgh Riverhounds had one of the best defenses in the USL Championship this year, and Joe Greenspan was at the center of it.
On Tuesday, Greenspan was awarded for his efforts and was named the USL Championship Defender of the Year.
The Westfield, N.J. native was crucial to Pittsburgh’s defensive success. He tallied 151 clearances, which was good enough for fourth in the USL Championship, and helped produce a club-record 18 clean sheets throughout the season.
At one point in the season, the Riverhounds also set the second-longest shutout streak in USL Championship history at 698 minutes. As a whole, the Hounds defense conceded 32 goals, which averaged out to just less than one goal per game.
Greenspan was fourth on the Hounds in minutes played and started 31 of 32 games for the USL Eastern Conference champions.
On the offensive end, Greenspan had a career year and his 6-foot-6 range provided size and length that was valuable on Pittsburgh’s set pieces. He set career highs in goals (4), assists (2) and points (10).
In his third year with the Hounds, Greenspan also received his second-straight All-League first-team honor.
