Philadelphia Union II

Since the formalized partnership between United Soccer League 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.[1] 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, officially announced on August 19, 2015.[2] 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 (formally Harrisburg City Islanders), originally established in 2010.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] On December 3, 2015, Burke made his first signing to the team in Derrick Jones, who was a player developing in the Union Academy.[6]

Bethlehem Steel FC Crest (2016–2019)

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.[4] The origin of the clubs' name is the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, 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.[14]

The colors of Bethlehem Steel FC are navy blue and gold, and red, 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" political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin that was featured in the 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette, and is also reminiscent of the Gadsden flag, 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.[15][16][17][18][19]

In 2016, the crest earned a third place recognition for "2016 Primary Logo of the Year."[20]

USL began regularly broadcasting all league matches on the USL YouTube channel. Home match broadcasting is provided live by Service Electric where Play-by-play announcing covered by Dave Leno with color commentary by former Philadelphia Union player, Matt Kassel.

The Bethlehem squad in a huddle

The Philadelphia Union II squad is composed of an unrestricted number of first-team players on loan to the reserve team, players signed by Union II, and Philadelphia Union Academy players. Academy players who appear in matches with Union II retain their college eligibility. Union Academy product Derrick Jones was the first player signed by Steel FC on December 3, 2015.[6]

Current roster

As of December 22, 2020[28]

No.	Position	Player	Nation
36	Forward	Saed Díaz	Panama
37	Midfielder	Selmir Miscic	United States
39	Midfielder	David Rabadán (on loan from Atlético Albacete)	Spain
40	Midfielder	Issa Rayyan	United States
41	Forward	Yomi Scintu	Germany
42	Defender	Jamoi Topey	Jamaica
43	Defender	Steve Kingue	Cameroon
44	Defender	Ben Ofeimu	United States
63	Forward	Shanyder Borgelin	Haiti

1. ^
   Signed to first team contract with Philadelphia Union.
2. ^
   Current Philadelphia Union Academy player.

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

Coaching staff

Position	Staff	Nation
Head Coach	Marlon LeBlanc	United States
Assistant Coach	Stephen Hogan	Ireland
Goalkeeping Coach	Gavin McInerney	Ireland
Athletic Trainer	Akira Umeki	Japan

Coaching and Technical Staff as of February 12, 2020[29]

Head coaches

This list includes all those who have managed the club since 2016, when the club joined United Soccer League 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 August 5, 2020. 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;

Name	Nat	From	To	M	W	D	L	Win %	Notes
Brendan Burke	USA	October 29, 2015	February 12, 2020	133	40	33	57	30.1%	First Head Coach
Sven Gartung	GER	February 12, 2020	August 5, 2020	5	0	1	4	00.0%
Marlon LeBlanc (interim)	USA	August 5, 2020	present	1	1	0	0	100.0%

• Philadelphia Union II
• USL