Bethlehem Steel to play 2019 games in Chester

Chester is getting another professional soccer team for the 2019 season.

Philadelphia Union chief business officer Tim McDermott confirmed on Monday that the Bethlehem Steel will be playing home games at Talen Energy Stadium for the 2019 season due to a change in USL stadium standards that make Goodman Stadium at Lehigh University no longer a viable option.

“Upon hearing the decision that we could not return to Goodman, we visited and analyzed multiple other potential venues with the aim of keeping Steel FC in the Lehigh Valley, but there was no solution that met all the league requirements that could be ready in time for the 2019 season, including field size, capacity, and lighting, among others,” McDermott wrote in a statement.

Steel FC season ticket members from 2018 will be given tickets to games at Talen Energy Stadium at no charge and USL tickets will be included for all Union season ticket members in 2019.

The team name and logo will stay the same.

McDermott also said that the team is working with the league to play up to two games in Bethlehem next season at a site to be determined.

“We hope we can return to the Lehigh Valley as soon as possible with an approved stadium solution,” McDermott stated.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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