Steel FC Battles The Battery Sunday Afternoon
Steel FC continues home stand at Goodman Stadium against Charleston
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (April 5, 2018) – Bethlehem Steel FC looks to return to its winning ways as the club continues a three-game home stand against the Charleston Battery on Sunday, April 8. Kick off from Goodman Stadium on the campus of Lehigh University is set for 3 p.m. and will be streamed on YouTube and on the club’s website along with locally on Service Electric.
All fans arriving at Sunday’s contest will receive a Bethlehem Steel FC calendar, courtesy of Lehigh Valley Health Network. The calendar will feature photos of the 2018 squad along with dates for all of this season’s matches and player birthdays. Tickets for the contest can be purchased online or by calling the Steel FC ticket office at 1-844-STEELFC.
Steel FC is coming off a strong defensive performance where it didn’t allow a goal during the final 85 minutes while the club was down to 10 men to Nashville SC. Ultimately, Michael Cox’s sixth-minute conversion from the penalty spot proved decisive. While playing 11v10, Steel FC won the possession battle and outshot the visitors but were unable to equalize.
“Obviously disappointed with the weekend but very happy with the way the players responded to the way everything started,” Bethlehem Steel FC head coach Brendan Burke said. “The energy level, the ground they covered, I think it was another important step forward us to establish what we want to be at home this year. Again we showed signs of progress from what we have been over the last two years so happy with the performance, upset with the result but we’ve moved on from it and our focus is on Charleston now.”
Sunday’s contest will be the fifth all-time meeting between Steel FC and the Battery. After battling to a scoreless draw in the first meeting in 2016, Charleston has claimed all three points in each of the past three contests. Last season, both matches were decided by first-half goals that went in the Battery’s favor for matching 1-0 score lines.
Charleston enters this weekend’s contest with the same record as Steel FC, having picked up one win in their first three matches. After falling by a 1-0 margin to FC Cincinnati, the club bounced ball the following week with a one-goal victory over Penn FC. Under the direction of Mike Anhaeuser, Charleston is coming off a 5-2 setback at New York Red Bulls II where six of the seven goals were scored in the second half.
"I think they’ve replaced players well but it’s taking a little time for them to gel but they showed during the preseason that they are capable of beating MLS sides so I’m not of the mindset that they are a weak or poor team,” Burke said. “The Red Bulls [II] game got a little frantic and end-to-end but they have good athletes at every position. They are able to compete and win their duels on a regular basis already early in the season. They are a very organized group, Mike [Anhaeuser]’s groups never give up and I’d imagine off the back of giving up five goals this past weekend on the road, they will be hyper-focused on keeping us out of their goal.”
