The Pittsburgh Riverhounds continue their three-match road trip when they take on Bethlehem Steel FC for the first of two meetings this season. The Hounds are 1-1-1 all-time against the Steel, who are in their second season of USL play.
The match takes place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, at Goodman Stadium.
Bethlehem enters Saturday’s match fifth in the USL Eastern Conference with an 8-6-2 record. Five of the Steel’s eight wins in 2017 have come in their last seven matches. After only picking up nine points in its first nine matches, Bethlehem has collected 17 points in its seven matches since.
The Steel do the bulk of their work defensively. Bethlehem has six clean sheets and has given up multiple goals in just three games. The last time a Steel opponent scored two or more goals was May 20, when Cincinnati FC defeated Bethlehem 2-0. Consequentially, that was the Steel’s last regulation loss to date.
In his second season with Bethlehem, forward Seku Conneh has been stellar. Conneh’s seven goals are eighth most in the USL and sixth best in the Eastern Conference. His 35 shots are also sixth best in the East. A year after only scoring two goals in 18 games, Conneh has far surpassed last season’s production through 15 games thanks to more playing time. Last season, Conneh only started in eight games. This year, he’s started in all but two games, the season opener, and most recently Bethlehem’s 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls II on July 9 due to injury. If healthy, Conneh is definitely worth keeping an eye on this Saturday.
Strengths
- Streaking – Bethlehem is undefeated in its last seven matches dating back to May 28. The Steel have shut out three opponents and held the other four to a single goal. Bethlehem has a plus-8 goal differential during its unbeaten streak.
- Defense – The Steel won’t light up the scoreboard with offense, but they have a knack for stellar defensive work. Their next clean sheet would tie them with five other teams for the most in the Eastern Conference with seven.
- Aerial Duels – Though Bethlehem ranks 14th out of 15 Eastern Conference teams with a 47.8 percent success rate in overall duels, it is second best in the East in aerial duels won. The Steel’s 53.8 percent success rate is behind only Cincinnati. Among players with at least 20 aerial duels won, defender Auston Trusty leads Bethlehem with a 58.3 percent success rate
Weaknesses
- Scoring – While Bethlehem has racked up the wins lately, it hasn’t come from an offensive onslaught. The Steel scored multiple goals in only four of their past seven matches and only seven times for the season.
- Discipline – Bethlehem’s 241 fouls conceded are fourth most in the Eastern Conference. The Steel have four different players with four yellow cards apiece and two players with a red card in 2017.
- Passing in opponent’s half – The Steel’s 65.5 percent passing in enemy territory is tied for third worst in the Eastern Conference. Bethlehem’s overall passing of success rate of 75.4 percent is eighth in the East.
