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Match: Bethlehem Steel FC vs. Rochester Rhinos
Date: Sunday July 24th
Time: 4:00 PM EDT
Venue: Goodman Stadium (Bethlehem, PA)
Referees: REF: MATTHEW FRANZ, AR1: Mark Treilman, AR2: Dustin Killick, 4TH: Daniel Pannullo Jr
Television: Service Electric TV2 (Lehigh Valley)
Streaming:
All Time Record: 0-0-1
Bethlehem Steel FC try to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Harrisburg with a big test against the Rochester Rhinos. Last time out in Rochester, Bethlehem had the lead until a last minute stunner saw the Rhinos draw level.
What Rochester will look like:
Thirty points from eighteen games see Rochester snugly in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Christian Volesky is still the big offensive threat for Rochester, notching six goals, his two assists are also good for the best on the Rochester side, tied with three of his teammates for that honor. In net the Rhinos have used Adam Grinwis and Tomas Gomez just about equally this season, but I would expect Gomez given Grinwis played in the club’s last match against Toronto FC II. The Rhinos are on a six game unbeaten streak which will be a daunting task, but hopefully Steel FC can find a way to crush some dreams of their own.
What Bethlehem will look like:
Hopefully relatively rested. Taylor Washington alluded to a lot of ice baths and early nights after games like BSFC’s disappointing loss to Harrisburg. On the field, I would get used to the pairing of Nick Bibbs and Anderson Conceicao as Mickey Daly is gone for a month and Auston Trusty won’t be back until August himself. Samir Badr might get the start given that John McCarthy didn’t come back from first team duty and will be the back up to Andre Blake this weekend in Montreal. Other than that, Amoy Brown might get some big minutes and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Anthony Fontana gets to start at home for the first time. This should be a somewhat rotated squad, and they’ll look to bounce back in a major way.
What to expect:
Hopefully something more entertaining than the offering on Thursday night. Rochester and Bethlehem should play a tight game, but I see Steel FC coming out on top 1-0.