# 2016 Bethlehem Steel FC season

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

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of October 1, 2016.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 3 | DF | Taylor Washington (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 4 | DF | Ken Tribbett (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 8 | MF | Maurice Edu (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 11 | FW | Fabian Herbers (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Germany |
| 14 | MF | Eric Ayuk (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Cameroon |
| 19 | MF | Cole Missimo (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 20 | MF | Wálter Restrepo (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Colombia |
| 22 | MF | Leo Fernandes (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Brazil |
| 23 | DF | Anderson Conceição (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Brazil |
| 24 | GK | Matt Jones (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | England |
| 27 | GK | John McCarthy (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 32 | GK | Samir Badr (released) | United States |
| 34 | DF | Mickey Daly (transferred to Carolina Railhawks) | United States |
| 35 | MF | Derrick Jones (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | Ghana |
| 36 | FW | Seku Conneh | Liberia |
| 37 | FW | Gabe Gissie | Liberia |
| 38 | DF | Nick Bibbs | United States |
| 39 | FW | Amoy Brown | Jamaica |
| 40 | MF | Josh Heard | Canada |
| 41 | FW | Cory Burke (on loan from Rivoli United) | Jamaica |
| 42 | MF | Bolu Akinyode | Nigeria |
| 43 | FW | Jamie Luchini | United States |
| 44 | DF | Ryan Richter (transferred to New York Cosmos) | United States |
| 45 | MF | James Chambers | Republic of Ireland |
| 46 | GK | Matt Perrella (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 47 | MF | Fred | Brazil |
| 48 | DF | Auston Trusty (on loan from Philadelphia Union) | United States |
| 49 | MF | Yosef Samuel | United States |
| 50 | DF | Mark McKenzie (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 51 | MF | Lamine Conte (Academy call-up) | Guinea |
| 52 | MF | Joseph DeZart (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 53 | FW | Raheem Taylor-Parkes (Academy call-up) | Canada |
| 54 | DF | Matthew Real (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 57 | FW | Justin McMaster (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 59 | MF | Anthony Fontana (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 60 | MF | Josue Monge (Academy call-up) | Costa Rica |
| 61 | GK | Tomas Romero (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 62 | GK | Kris Shakes (Academy call-up) | United States |
| 63 | FW | Issa Rayyan (Academy call-up) | United States |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | Number | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 3, 2015 | Derrick Jones | 35 | MF | Philadelphia Union Academy | Academy Signing |
| December 11, 2015 | Bolu Akinyode | 42 | MF | New York Red Bulls II | Undisclosed |
| December 11, 2015 | Mickey Daly | 34 | DF | Sacramento Republic FC | Undisclosed |
| December 11, 2015 | Gabe Gissie | 37 | FW | Sacramento Republic FC | Undisclosed |
| December 22, 2015 | Ryan Richter | 44 | DF | Ottawa Fury FC | Undisclosed |
| January 8, 2016 | Samir Badr | 32 | GK | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | Ken Tribbett | - | DF | Harrisburg City Islanders | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | Nick Bibbs | 38 | DF | Saint Louis FC | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | Amoy Brown | 39 | FW | St George's College | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | James Chambers | 45 | MF | St. Patrick's Athletic | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | Seku Conneh | 36 | FW | FC Oss | Undisclosed |
| January 29, 2016 | Josh Heard | 40 | MF | Washington Huskies | Free |
| January 29, 2016 | Raymond Lee | - | DF | Philadelphia Union | Free |
| March 24, 2016 | Fred | 47 | DF | Philadelphia Union | Signed as player/coach |
| April 6, 2016 | Jamie Luchini | 43 | FW | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | Free |

### Out

| Date | Player | Number | Position | New club | Fee/notes |
| February 23, 2016 | Ken Tribbett | - | DF | Philadelphia Union | First team selection |
| March 24, 2016 | Raymond Lee | - | DF | Tulsa Roughnecks FC | Released |
| July 27, 2016 | Derrick Jones | 21 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Signed to first team as a Homegrown Player |
| August 10, 2016 | Auston Trusty | 26 | DF | Philadelphia Union | Signed to first team as a Homegrown Player |
| August 24, 2016 | Mickey Daly | 34 | DF | Carolina Railhawks | Rights traded for loan and transfer fee |
| September 8, 2016 | Samir Badr | 32 | GK | — | Released |
| September 20, 2016 | Ryan Richter | 44 | DF | New York Cosmos | Transfer |

### Loan in

| Date | Player | Number | Position | Loaned from | Fee/notes |
| January 29, 2016 | Cory Burke | 41 | FW | Rivoli United | Undisclosed |
| March 24, 2016 | Joshua Yaro | 3 | DF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| March 24, 2016 | Fabian Herbers | 11 | FW | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| March 24, 2016 | Eric Ayuk | 14 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| March 24, 2016 | Wálter Restrepo | 20 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| March 24, 2016 | Leo Fernandes | 22 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| March 24, 2016 | John McCarthy | 27 | GK | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| April 3, 2016 | Auston Trusty | 49 | DF | Philadelphia Union Academy | Academy Call-up |
| April 3, 2016 | Mark McKenzie | 50 | DF | Philadelphia Union Academy | Academy Call-up |
| May 15, 2016 | Matt Jones | 24 | GK | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| May 22, 2016 | Ken Tribbett | 4 | DF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| August 7, 2016 | Derrick Jones | 21 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |
| September 3, 2016 | Maurice Edu | 8 | MF | Philadelphia Union | Short-term loan |

### Loan out

| Date | Player | Number | Position | Loaned to | Fee/notes |
| July 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.

### 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)

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 9 | Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 47 | −10 | 34 |
| 10 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 31 |
| 11 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 32 | 43 | −11 | 28 |
| 12 | Toronto FC II | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 26 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 31 | 50 | −19 | 25 |

#### Results

All times in Eastern Time.

## Statistics

As of September 25, 2016.
Players included in matchday squads :
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | Playoffs | Playoffs | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 3 | DF | | Taylor Washington | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | | Ken Tribbett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | | Maurice Edu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | | Fabian Herbers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | | Eric Ayuk | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | | Joshua Yaro | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | | Cole Missimo | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | | Walter Restrepo | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | MF | | Leo Fernandes | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | | Anderson Conceição | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | | Mickey Daly† | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | | Derrick Jones | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | | Seku Conneh | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | FW | | Gabe Gissie | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 38 | DF | | Nick Bibbs | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | | Amoy Brown | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 40 | MF | | Josh Heard | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | | Cory Burke* | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 42 | MF | | Bolu Akinyode | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 43 | FW | | Jamie Luchini | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | | Ryan Richter† | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 45 | MF | | James Chambers | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 47 | MF | | Fred | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 49 | DF | | Auston Trusty | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 50 | DF | | Mark McKenzie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | MF | | Lamine Conte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | MF | | Joseph DeZart | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 53 | FW | | Raheem Taylor-Parkes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 54 | MF | | Matthew Real | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | MF | | Justin McMaster | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | MF | | Anthony Fontana | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 60 | MF | | Josue Monge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalkeepers

As of September 25, 2016.
Players included in matchday squads :
| Nat. | No. | Player | Apps | Starts | Record | GA | GAA | SO | | |
| | 24 | JonesMatt Jones | 5 | 5 | 1-3-1 | 6 | 1.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | 27 | McCarthyJohn McCarthy | 11 | 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 Perrella | 4 | 4 | 0-0-4 | 7 | 1.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 30 | 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