Still learning soccer after nearly five decades. A southwestern Ohio buckeye transplanted to Chester County. Used to teach history, enjoys new ideas, sometimes bakes bread, is a sports fan, and loves apparently unconnected connections.
Here’s our best guess at how the east’s season finales will shake out into the conference playoff quarterfinals. Places 5 through 10 are separated by only four points, and Bethlehem’s outcomes range from fifth-place to missing out entirely. Even if there are five other major upsets, If Bethlehem wins on Sunday they will secure the last playoff spot.
Playing soccer in a minor league baseball park provides lots of ready-made seats, parking, concessions, and lights. But a quality soccer pitch? Not so much, not even with the oil billions in the Bronx.
The game was a “must-win” against a team that had scored 16 goals in its previous six games. Bethlehem Steel FC prevailed 4-0 to remain in 6th place in the USL eastern conference playoff race with three more games to play.
Tim Jones offers explanations why Bethlehem head coach Brendan Burke, USL Coach of the Month for August, was able to bring Bethlehem back into playoff contention.
Of the dozens of players who have trialed with Bethlehem Steel, only one has ever made the team and returned for a second year: former Temple Owl Matt Mahoney.
The Bethlehem Steel FC have signed a 15-year-old U.S. youth international midfielder Selmir Miscic.
Two new international soccer initiatives commence in the FIFA international window this weekend. Tim Jones describes and explains one, the Concacaf Nations League. You may watch bits of the other, the UEFA Nations League, on TV Thursday through Tuesday.
Penn FC ended Bethlehem’s run of August success decisively on the second day of September at Lehigh. A sustained run of emotion, focused effort came a cropper against mature, experienced desperation as Penn faces a challenging path to the playoffs. Bethlehem must finish strongly after its upcoming trip to Pittsburgh against the Riverhounds.
Bethlehem’s current position in the table, 5th, reflects that they have played the most games in the league, and that a “points-currently-won” table hides the fact. A points-per-game statistic is a more accurate comparison, and PSP has calculated one. We have also sketched out a possible path to the playoffs.
Several days ago Union principal owner Jay Sugarman introduced new Sporting Director Ernst Tanner to the Media at Talen Energy Stadium. Tim Jones listened carefully and has been thinking about what he said.
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