Steel FC Opens May with Rematch against Kickers
May 4, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Philadelphia Union II News Release
Bethlehem Steel FC controls the ball vs. the Richmond Kickers
(Philadelphia Union II)
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A rematch of the home opener begins May as Bethlehem Steel FC hosts the Richmond Kickers on Sunday, May 6. Kick off from Goodman Stadium on the campus of Lehigh University is set for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on Service Electric as well as being streamed on ESPN+.
Steel FC is looking to rebound from a loss in its last contest at defending USL Cup Champions Louisville City FC. Despite outshooting and more possession than their hosts, a 10-minute span that saw Louisville string together three goals were the difference. Philadelphia Union midfielder Marcus Epps scored Steel FC's only goal of the night just before the halftime whistle, with rookie Mike Catalano collecting his team-high second assist.
"From restarts to throw-ins, we didn't get pressure on the ball and it leads to some lapsed defending at the top of our box," Bethlehem Steel FC head coach Brendan Burke said. "I would say that all three goals, we could have done much better to prevent such easy opportunities in a game where we played well. We had a 15 minute spell where we were just sound asleep and there is no other way to put it. We have not had that all season so I was really disappointed with that and hopefully it's a one off and it will certainly be a focus leading into the Richmond game for us this weekend."
This weekend's contest is a rematch of the 2018 USL opener where Steel FC erupted for a 4-1 victory in its home opener. Union midfielders Eric Ayuk and Derrick Jones found the back of the net in the first half while Steel FC forward Brandon Allen struck for a brace in the second half. Despite the result, Burke says the club hasn't set back on its loins because of the previous matchup.
"You have to take confidence in the way that you approached the game last time but we've really erased that game from our memory in terms," Burke said. "They have guys like Dane Kelly coming back into the team, who is the all-time leading goal scorer in USL, so this is a far more dangerous team than what we say the first time around and that isn't lost on us."
Richmond enters this weekend's rematch 2-2-1 in its last five contests and is coming off a 2-1 victory against Toronto FC II. After falling behind on a ninth-minute goal at home, the Kickers battled back with Yudai Imura finishing off a play from Dane Kelly two minutes later. Richmond claimed all three points with a bounce off a Toronto player that proved decisive in the 55th minute of play.
MATCH INFORMATION
2018 USL Regular Season
Date: May 6, 2018
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA.
Bethlehem Steel FC: 1-3-2
Richmond Kickers: 2-3-1
Match Day Twitter: @BSteelFC
Game Day Hashtag: #BSTvRIC
Game Notes: bit.ly/2HTcRyE
Match Preview: bit.ly/2HOJl1g
Match Center: bit.ly/2riLGXI
ESPN+ Stream: es.pn/2waLEGi
Images from this story
 Bethlehem Steel FC controls the ball vs. the Richmond Kickers |
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