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Philadelphia Union II is an American professional soccer team based in
Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
competing in
MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS clubs ...
. Founded in 2015 as Bethlehem Steel FC, the team is the official affiliate of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. The team competed for five seasons in the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
(the first three as Bethlehem Steel FC) before going on hiatus from competition during the 2021 season. The club's current colors are navy blue and gold.


History

Since the formalized partnership between
United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
and Major League Soccer in 2013, MLS teams had begun to form and field their own teams on the then third tier. This endeavor was largely driven to fill in the missing piece of player development between high school/college players and professional soccer players. In June 2015, the Philadelphia Union sent out a survey to fans gauging interest in fielding their own USL team. The survey input and directives from the Union front office eventually led to the creation of a team that would play in the
Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
, officially announced on August 19, 2015. This announcement made the Union the ninth MLS team to independently own and operate a USL club. The announcement also coincided with dissolving the previous affiliation with USL side
Penn FC Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...
(formally Harrisburg City Islanders), originally established in 2010. After surveying fans for a name of the team, the results ended overwhelmingly in favor of “Bethlehem Steel FC” honoring the previous incarnation of the team in the early twentieth century. Bethlehem Steel FC would become the “missing link” of player development between YSC Academy and first team for the Philadelphia Union. The club began to take shape hiring former Union assistant coach, Brendan Burke as the first head coach of the team's history on October 29, 2015. On December 3, 2015, Burke made his first signing to the team in Derrick Jones, who was a player developing in the Union Academy.


First seasons (2016–2018)

In preparation of their inaugural season, Steel FC built a roster with a combination of USL veterans ( Mickey Daly,
Ryan Richter Ryan Richter (born April 12, 1989) is an American soccer former player and current assistant coach for Philadelphia Union in MLS. Youth and college Richter played soccer at William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania where he was a ...
, Bolu Akinyode), Philadelphia Union draft picks ( Josh Yaro, Fabian Herbers), and key international players ( James Chambers,
Cory Burke Cory Lamar Crossgill Burke (born 28 December 1991) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a forward for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer and the Jamaica national team. Club career Rivoli United Born in Kingston, Jam ...
). This team would be largely supported by Union players on short-term loans in addition to academy players from YSC Academy. The team's first season saw glimpses of positives but ultimately struggled down the stretch of the season, going winless in their last 12 matches. On January 5, 2017, the
United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
granted USL provisional Division II status; making the 2017 season the first time the Steel FC would compete as a Division II team. Steel built on their inaugural season continuing to integrate more amateur players fro
YSC Academy
and other young players. The emergence of
Seku Conneh Seku Conneh (born 10 November 1995) is a Liberian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Career Youth Born in Voinjama, Liberia, and raised in the Netherlands, Conneh began his youth development across several development academies a ...
and
Cory Burke Cory Lamar Crossgill Burke (born 28 December 1991) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a forward for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer and the Jamaica national team. Club career Rivoli United Born in Kingston, Jam ...
as reliable scoring threats helped Steel FC double their previous season's win total, finished 8th in the Eastern Conference and earned their first playoff appearance. In
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
, Steel FC took another step forward with their best season to date, setting a record earning 50 points and 14 wins. Steel FC finished 6th in the Eastern Conference and won their first playoff match against in-state rivals
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...
. Advancing to the Conference Semi-finals, Steel FC ultimately lost to eventual 2018 USL Champions,
Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...
.


Relocation and rebranding (2019–present)

At the conclusion of the 2018 season, Bethlehem Steel announced that it would play the 2019 season at
Talen Energy Stadium Subaru Park (formerly known as PPL Park and Talen Energy Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium located in Chester, Pennsylvania, located next to the Commodore Barry Bridge on the waterfront along the Delaware River. The venue is home to the Phila ...
in
Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
; home of Steel's MLS parent club, Philadelphia Union. The relocation was prompted due to
Goodman Stadium Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Lower Saucon Township. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987. The former Taylor Stad ...
not having stadium lighting, limiting the scheduling possibilities and being in non-compliance with USL requirements. The team front office pledged to continue seeking out potential venue solutions that meet the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
requirements for the 2020 season. On December 12, 2019, the Philadelphia Union announced that the Bethlehem Steel would change their name to Philadelphia Union II for the 2020 USL Championship season. On October 16, 2020, the Philadelphia Union announced that Union II would be withdrawn from the USL Championship and did not play competitively in 2021.


MLS Next Pro

The club announced on December 6, 2021, that it was joining the 21-team
MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS clubs ...
for the inaugural 2022 season.


Colors and badge

On October 27, 2015, Bethlehem Steel FC's name, crest, and colors were officially announced during a ceremony held at the ArtsQuest at SteelStacks. "Steel FC" alludes to the historical Bethlehem Steel F.C., which played from 1907 to 1930. The origin of the clubs' name is the
Bethlehem Steel Corporation The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succ ...
, which was once America's second-largest steel producer and largest shipbuilder and was important to the economy of the area. The name was chosen following a fan poll held between September 8, 2015 and September 28, 2015; the other three options were Lehigh Valley Steel SC, Lehigh Valley Blast, and Steel FC. The colors of Bethlehem Steel FC are
navy blue Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color ...
and
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, and
red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
, combining the primary colors of both the original Bethlehem Steel F.C. and the Philadelphia Union. The team's crest is elongated, representing the foundation of a new player development program and extension of the Union brand. Its gold rivets symbolize the relationship between the Bethelehem and Philadelphia clubs. The Union's rattlesnake alludes to the "
Join, or Die ''Join, or Die.'' is a political cartoon showing the disunity in the American colonies. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the original publication by '' The Pennsylvania Gazette'' on May 9, 1754, is the earliest known pictorial representation of ...
" political cartoon by
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
that was featured in the 1754 ''
Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...
'', and is also reminiscent of the
Gadsden flag The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: " TREAD ON ME". Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe. The f ...
, another Revolutionary icon. The red beam in the middle of the crest is a tribute to the original logo of Bethlehem Steel F.C. Before sponsoring a team in the USL, the Philadelphia Union commemorated the original Bethlehem Steel F.C. once before. In February 2013, the club unveiled a third kit with Steel F.C.'s colors, featuring a black jersey with white trim, a sublimated Union logo, and a Steel F.C. jock tag. In 2016, the crest earned a third place recognition for "2016 Primary Logo of the Year."


Sponsorship


Facilities


Stadium

Philadelphia Union II plays home matches at Subaru Park in Chester, also home to the Philadelphia Union. Previously, they played matches at
Goodman Stadium Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Lower Saucon Township. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987. The former Taylor Stad ...
in Bethlehem for three seasons.


Training facility

Philadelphia Union II practices at the training fields next to Subaru Park in
Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
.


Club culture


Supporters

After announcing the creation of Bethlehem Steel FC, a supporters collaboration was soon formed. Largely organized through
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
, the official supporters group emerged as the East End Army. The East End Army support the team from the lower bowl section of
Goodman Stadium Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Lower Saucon Township. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987. The former Taylor Stad ...
, dubbed "the Forge." The official pub partner for Philadelphia Union II i
Golazo House
located in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...
.


Rivalries

Philadelphia Union II is one of three USL teams in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, the others being
Penn FC Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...
and the
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...
. Since the 2015 season, Penn FC (formerly Harrisburg City Islanders) and Riverhounds compete for the Keystone Derby Cup, which currently excludes Bethlehem Steel FC.


Players and staff

: ''For details on former players, see All-time Bethlehem Steel FC roster.


Current roster


Coaching staff

Coaching and Technical Staff as of April 21, 2022


Head coaches

This list includes all those who have managed the club since 2016, when the club joined
United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
for the first time, whether coaching on a full-time or interim basis. Games played include all League, Playoff, and the win percentage is calculated from the total of games. * ''Figures correct as of March 13, 2022. Includes all competitive USL and playoff matches. Playoff matches decided by penalties officially recorded as draws.'' M = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost;


Records


Year-by-year


References


External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = background:#041C2C; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border, a, #DFD1A7, 2px , list1 = {{USL Championship {{Philadelphia Sports {{Pennsylvania Sports Soccer clubs in Pennsylvania Former USL Championship teams Philadelphia Union Reserve soccer teams in the United States Association football clubs established in 2015 2015 establishments in Pennsylvania MLS Next Pro teams