Chester, Pa. (July 10, 2019) – Bethlehem Steel FC scored a flurry of goals tonight in a heated rematch with club rivals New York Red Bulls II, but fell 4-3 in the end. Thanks to a goal in the first half from Faris and a brace from Issa Rayyan in the second half, the Steel seemed to have the upper hand entering the final 15 minutes of the game. However, Red Bulls II managed to mark three goals and snag three points.
Red Bulls II jumped out to an early lead in the first half after Tom Barlow scored off an assist from Marcus Epps who made his return trip to Talen Energy Stadium after his stint with the Union. The Steel were able to respond eight minutes later after Anthony Fontana chipped a ball forward to Faris, who brought it down with his chest, made a “skill of the week” contender turn and aimed far post, leveling the game at one a piece.
Philadelphia Union Academy goalkeeper Tomás Romero stood strong in goal in the first half as a lot of the attack was coming from the Red Bulls. His night was highlighted by a sprawling save made in the 33rd minute as a New York attacker tried to dribble the ball around him.
The second half was filled with offensive opportunities. It was started less than a minute out of the halftime break as Issa Rayyan scored his first goal of the game. It came off of a bullet pass from James Chambers who had just entered the match at halftime. Rayyan was able to take the ball down, take a few touches past the entire Red Bull defense and slot the ball into the bottom left corner for a goal. He got his brace in the 58th minute, after a multitude of Steel shots were saved and the ball deflected right to him at the top of the box for the easy corner shot.
The Red Bulls II attack proved to be just a little too much for the Steel as Barlow and midfielder Jordan Stroud added three goals in the final 15 minutes of the match to win. The Steel fought hard against one of the best teams in the league, but just couldn’t see the game out.
The Steel return to action on Saturday, July 20 against Louisville City FC at Louisville Slugger Field (7:00 p.m. ET | Louisville Slugger Field | Louisville, Ky. | ESPN+).
RECAP:
Bethlehem Steel FC 3 – New York Red Bulls II 4
Talen Energy Stadium (Chester, Pa.)
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
TODAY’S MATCH INFO:
Venue: Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.
Referee: Eric Tattersall
Assistant Referees: Ian McKay; Eric Wood
Fourth Official: Brandon Smith
Weather: 80 degrees and clear
Attendance: 256
GOALS/ASSISTS
NY - Tom Barlow (Marcus Epps) 15’
BST - Faris (Anthony Fontana) 23’
BST - Issa Rayyan (James Chambers) 46’
BST - Issa Rayyan (Unassisted) 58’
NY - Jared Stroud (Janos Loebe) 76’
NY - Tom Barlow (John Tolkin) 82’
NY - Jared Stroud (Tom Barlow) 88’
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
BST - Chavany Willis (caution) 43’
BST - Matt Real (caution) 54’
BST - Anthony Fontana (caution) 45+2’
NY - Jean-Christophe Koffi (caution) 61’
BST - Cole Turner (caution) 90’
LINEUP
Bethlehem Steel FC: Tomás Romero; Matt Real, Mark McKenzie ©, Jamoi Topey, Nathan Harriel; Cole Turner, Chavany Willis (James Chambers 45’); Anthony Fontana, Zach Zandi (Yomi Samuele Scintu 88’); Issa Rayyan (Axel Picazo 70’), Faris
Substitutes not used: Brady McSwain; Walter Cortés, Michee Ngalina, Ben Ofeimu
New York Red Bulls II: Evan Louro; Edgardo Rito (Rece Buckmaster 73’), Jordan Scarlett ©, Preston Kilwien (Allen Yanes 64’), Janos Loebe; Jean-Christophe Koffi, Christopher Lema (John Tolkin 64’), Jared Stroud; Marcus Epps, Tom Barlow, Sebastian Elney
Substitutes not used: Rashid Nuhu; Amarildo, Kyle Zajec
TEAM NOTES
Issa Rayyan marked his first career brace and becomes the 11th player in club history to record two goals in a single game.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Anthony Fontana provided his first assist of the season in the match and also led the Steel with a total of four chances created.
Faris notched his sixth goal of the season tonight and was a force to be reckoned with up-top having a game-high six fouls won.
Team captain James Chambers recorded his third assist of the year which brings him one shy of his single-season career high (4).
Philadelphia Union defender Matt Real stood strong on the backline, racking up a game-high eight defensive tackles.
Bethlehem Steel FC hits the road next to take on Louisville City FC on Saturday, July 20 at Louisville Slugger Field (7:00 p.m. ET | Louisville Slugger Field | Louisville, Ky. | ESPN+).
