Steel FC Caps off April With Contest At Defending USL Cup Champion Louisville
USL Cup Playoffs rematch concludes the second month of 2018 campaign
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (April 26, 2018) – A rematch of last season’s USL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal concludes the month of April as Bethlehem Steel FC heads south to battle Louisville City FC on Saturday, April 28. Kick off from Louisville Slugger Field is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on Service Electric as well as being streamed on ESPN+.
Steel FC enters the contest after its bye week last weekend and will be well rested ahead of the club’s battle against the defending champions. The squad has claimed two draws in the month of April, tying Charleston and Cincinnati with matching 1-1 score lines. Philadelphia Union forward Cory Burke has led the offense in the second month of 2018, scoring both goals for Steel FC in April. Overall, Burke has netted 15 career goals with Steel FC.
“We had a bye week so we have had plenty of time to prepare for Louisville and we’ll need all of that time,” Bethlehem Steel FC head coach Brendan Burke said. “They don’t give away much defensively and it’s a difficult environment to play in on top of that. We have a big challenge ahead of us this weekend but luckily we were able to give the guys what I think was a good mixture of rest and push them really hard a couple times throughout that period. Always nice to have a bye week so you can refresh mentally and catch your breath but we knew it was important that we push hard through that period. I think we’re in a good place to give them a test this weekend.”
This weekend’s matchup will see Steel FC looking to avenge a 4-0 loss to Louisville in the club’s inaugural playoff appearance. Saturday’s contest will be sixth all-time meeting with Steel FC looking to claim three points for the first time in the series. In 2017, Steel FC battled Louisville to a 2-2 draw in September at Slugger Field with Burke and Santi Moar notching goals.
On the other side of the pitch, 2018 has started much like 2017 ended for Louisville City FC. The Kentucky-based squad is unbeaten to start the year, sporting a 4-0-1 record and a perfect 3-0-0 record in front of their home crowd. One reason for their success has been the defense, collecting three clean sheets and holding opposing offenses to two goals. Offensively, Cameron Lancaster leads the offense with a pair of goals while seven different players have collected an assist.
