With a win Bethlehem will finish 6th and play at the Tampa Bay Rowdies. With either draw or a loss, they will finish 8th and play Louisville in Louisville Friday night.
Author: Tim Jones
Steel clinch playoff spot
Bethlehem Steel FC qualify for the USL playoffs for the first time in their modern history since the Tampa Bay Rowdies eliminated Orlando City B 2-0 Thursday evening. They could finish 8th, 7th or 6th, and will have an away playoff game the weekend of October 20-22.
Bethlehem Steel: Progress at striker
The numbers back the eye-test. Cory Burke and Seku Conneh are much more productive strikers in the 2017 season. Standing pat worked.
Chaos: The Canadian Premier League, NASL, and USL
Soccer Canada has approved the Canadian Premier League for play in 2018. NASL met Friday to try to appeal from U. S. Soccer’s demoting them from division 2. The only certainty about the future of minor league professional soccer in North America is that it won’t be the same in 2018.
The Steel and the playoffs — it’s gonna be close
PSP looks at the Steel’s playoff chances, both the old-fashioned eyeball instinctual way and using Chris Sherman’s statistics. the techniques both old and new say it will be extremely close against Red Bulls 2 for the final slot and the right to go to Louisville on Friday October 20th.
Match Report Bethlehem 2-2 Tampa Bay
Bethlehem Steel score two equalizers to take a point from the 4th place Tampa Bay Rowdies, only the second point they have taken from an eastern conference top four side all season. But both have occurred in the last 12 days.