The 2016 season was Bethlehem Steel FC's inaugural season of competitive soccer – its first season in the third division of American soccer and its first season in the United Soccer League. Steel FC competed in the league's Eastern Conference.
Roster
Transfers
In DatePlayerNumberPositionPrevious clubFee/notesDecember 3, 2015 Derrick Jones 35 MF Philadelphia Union Academy Academy SigningDecember 11, 2015 Bolu Akinyode 42 MF New York Red Bulls II UndisclosedDecember 11, 2015 Mickey Daly 34 DF Sacramento Republic FC UndisclosedDecember 11, 2015 Gabe Gissie 37 FW Sacramento Republic FC UndisclosedDecember 22, 2015 Ryan Richter 44 DF Ottawa Fury FC UndisclosedJanuary 8, 2016 Samir Badr 32 GK Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 Ken Tribbett - DF Harrisburg City Islanders UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 Nick Bibbs 38 DF Saint Louis FC UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 Amoy Brown 39 FW St George's College UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 James Chambers 45 MF St. Patrick's Athletic UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 Seku Conneh 36 FW FC Oss UndisclosedJanuary 29, 2016 Josh Heard 40 MF Washington Huskies FreeJanuary 29, 2016 Raymond Lee - DF Philadelphia Union FreeMarch 24, 2016 Fred 47 DF Philadelphia Union Signed as player/coachApril 6, 2016 Jamie Luchini 43 FW Lehigh Mountain Hawks Free
Out DatePlayerNumberPositionNew clubFee/notesFebruary 23, 2016 Ken Tribbett - DF Philadelphia Union First team selectionMarch 24, 2016 Raymond Lee - DF Tulsa Roughnecks FC ReleasedJuly 27, 2016 Derrick Jones 21 MF Philadelphia Union Signed to first team as a Homegrown PlayerAugust 10, 2016 Auston Trusty 26 DF Philadelphia Union Signed to first team as a Homegrown PlayerAugust 24, 2016 Mickey Daly 34 DF Carolina Railhawks Rights traded for loan and transfer feeSeptember 8, 2016 Samir Badr 32 GK ReleasedSeptember 20, 2016 Ryan Richter 44 DF New York Cosmos Transfer
Loan in DatePlayerNumberPositionLoaned fromFee/notesJanuary 29, 2016 Cory Burke 41 FW Rivoli United UndisclosedMarch 24, 2016 Joshua Yaro 3 DF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMarch 24, 2016 Fabian Herbers 11 FW Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMarch 24, 2016 Eric Ayuk 14 MF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMarch 24, 2016 Wálter Restrepo 20 MF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMarch 24, 2016 Leo Fernandes 22 MF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMarch 24, 2016 John McCarthy 27 GK Philadelphia Union Short-term loanApril 3, 2016 Auston Trusty 49 DF Philadelphia Union Academy Academy Call-upApril 3, 2016 Mark McKenzie 50 DF Philadelphia Union Academy Academy Call-upMay 15, 2016 Matt Jones 24 GK Philadelphia Union Short-term loanMay 22, 2016 Ken Tribbett 4 DF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanAugust 7, 2016 Derrick Jones 21 MF Philadelphia Union Short-term loanSeptember 3, 2016 Maurice Edu 8 MF Philadelphia Union Short-term loan
Loan out DatePlayerNumberPositionLoaned toFee/notesJuly 22, 2016 Michael Daly 34 DF Carolina RailHawks One month with option to buy
Competitions
Bethlehem Steel FC compete in USL, which is the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. Steel FC's affiliation with the Philadelphia Union of MLS has prevented the team from participating in the U.S. Open Cup competition. The decision to make affiliated "farm teams" ineligible for the U.S. Open Cup was decided for the 2016 iteration of the tournament.
Preseason
USL regular season
The 2016 USL season will be contested by 29 teams, 14 of which compete in the league's Eastern Conference. All teams will play a regular season total of 30 matches between teams within their respective conference. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams from each conference advance to the 2016 USL Playoffs for a chance to compete for the USL Championship Title.
Standings (Eastern Conference)
Results
All times in Eastern Time.
Statistics As of September 25, 2016. + Players included in matchday squadsNo.Pos.Nat.NameLeaguePlayoffsTotalDisciplineAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals3DFTaylor Washington28000280304DFKen Tribbett100010008MFMaurice Edu3000302011FWFabian Herbers6200620014MFEric Ayuk173001730015DFJoshua Yaro4000400019MFCole Missimo190001903020MFWalter Restrepo7000700122MFLeo Fernandes141001410023MFAnderson Conceição130001304034DFMickey Daly†171001714035MFDerrick Jones265002655036FWSeku Conneh182001823037FWGabe Gissie181001811038DFNick Bibbs121001210039FWAmoy Brown8000811040MFJosh Heard222002223041FWCory Burke*204002044042MFBolu Akinyode260002602143FWJamie Luchini160001600044MFRyan Richter†295002952045MFJames Chambers273002739147MFFred6000601049DFAuston Trusty190001902050DFMark McKenzie2000200051MFLamine Conte0000000052MFJoseph DeZart0000000053FWRaheem Taylor-Parkes3000301054MFMatthew Real2000200057 MFJustin McMaster8000800059 MFAnthony Fontana8000801060 MFJosue Monge20002000
Goalkeepers As of September 25, 2016. + Players included in matchday squadsNat.No.PlayerAppsStartsRecordGAGAASO 24 JonesMatt Jones5 5 1-3-1 6 1.20 0 0 0 27 McCarthyJohn McCarthy11 11 4-4-3 14 1.27 5 0 0 32 BadrSamir Badr†10 10 1-3-6 16 1.60 2 0 0 46 PerrellaMatt Perrella4 4 0-0-4 7 1.75 0 0 0Total30 30 6-10-14 43 1.43 7 0 0
Players with names in italics were on loan from Philadelphia Union for individual matches with Bethlehem. Players with names marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Bethlehem. Players with names marked † were transferred from the club midseason. League denotes USL regular season Playoffs denotes USL Playoffs
Honors Week 1 Team of the Week: D Ryan Richter Week 4 Team of the Week: M Eric Ayuk Honorable Mention: M Derrick Jones Week 6 Team of the Week: G John McCarthy Week 14 Team of the Week: Honorable Mention: G Samir Badr Week 16 Team of the Week: Honorable Mention: F Cory Burke Week 17 Team of the Week: M Derrick Jones Week 20 Team of the Week: Honorable Mention: D Ryan Richter
References