Each morning, Danny Griffin wakes up grateful for having a job in his chosen field.
“Pretty early on, age 7, 8, 9, I loved running with the ball at my feet,” Griffin said. “I knew this was what I wanted to do, playing soccer every day. It’s a dream come true when you get to live it and do it every day, something you love to do every day. It doesn’t feel like work, the privilege to do it every day and just enjoy it.”
Griffin, 25, who grew up in Wethersfield, makes his living running with the ball at his feet for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, who currently hold the USL players shield shield since finishing with the best regular-season record in 2023. He will be back at home Saturday to play Hartford Athletic at Trinity Health Stadium at 7 p.m. (televised by MyTV9, wtnh.com, ESPN+)
“I’m obviously excited being where I grew up,” Griffin said, “playing with all my family there, my grandparents, aunts and uncles, my parents, my sister, it’s pretty exciting to have them in the stands. Hopefully, there will be a lot of black and yellow (Riverhounds colors) in the stands.”
Griffin, 5 feet 9, is an attacking midfielder, and in his fifth season with Pittsburgh (3-5-5) he has become the Riverhounds’ captain. He’s settled there and life is good on and off the pitch. Griffin and his fiancé, Hannah, are getting married in January and they have bought a house, have a puppy.
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He has three goals in 13 games, with 14 shots, nine on target, and he’s considered a “shape-shifter,” a player who can become whatever is needed in the moment. He has also been one of the most durable players in the league, playing in 121 games, starting 118, never missing a league match, with nine goals, four assists.
“Danny shows up every day in every way,” Coach Bob Lilley said, when Griffin rejoined Pittsburgh. “He brings energy to the group, quality on the pitch and is certainly one of the most complete and versatile players I have coached.”
Griffin was born in Springfield, moving with his family to Wethersfield while very young. “My parents had me involved in all sports,” he said. “But soccer was my favorite. Once we moved to Connecticut, I played on multiple teams.”
He couldn’t play for Wethersfield High; by rule, he had to choose, and he chose to stick with his academy level, eventually becoming captain with Glastonbury-based Oakwood Soccer Club, usually playing against kids a year or two older.
“Your game changes throughout the years as you play, and that’s happened to me,” Griffin said. “That was my whole weekend, my parents would take me to Oakwood, I would show up two hours early, play the game before that, sometimes I’d play a game or two before my actual game, or stay after and play two more games.”
After graduating from Wethersfield, considered a top 40 recruit in the Class of 2016, Griffin played for Providence in the Big East, appearing in 80 games across four seasons, with 13 goals, six assists.
He was drafted 49th overall by Columbus in the 2020 MLS Draft. He joined Pittsburgh in 2020, when he made his first return home to Hartford as a professional, and has been there ever since, except for a brief stint with Huntsville City in MLS Next Pro.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve always had a team that makes teams uncomfortable,” Griffin said. “At times, we don’t have the most possession, there are games when we have the most possession, but we’re a team that, with or without the ball, we’re really going to make teams uncomfortable. Something to work on this year is being more ‘clinical.'”
Hartford (4-7-1) has equaled its win 2023 win total, but is still a work in progress.
“They have a lot more talent,” Griffin said. “They started off the year better. I’m familiar with a lot of those guys. We know it’s a good group they have.”
There may not be a lot of black and yellow in the stands, but there is likely to be a large contingent of youngsters who are beginning the route Griffin began with the programs in the Hartford area.
“I want them to take away how I attack the game,” Griffin said. “My mindset going into the game, what they can get from the game. Beings someone who grew up in Connecticut, played soccer in Connecticut, it’s a dream that’s worth pursuing when you get to do what you love every day.”
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