Bethlehem Steel FC roster moves announced

Bethlehem Steel FC supporters can officially say goodbye to two fan favorites and a host of other players from the 2018 squad.

Santi Moar and Chris Nanco are both out of contract and will be departing the club, according to a news released issued on Monday morning. Joining them as former Steel FC players are Brandon Aubrey, AJ Paterson, Mike Catalano, Omar Holness and Aidan Apodaca, whose options were declined and Prosper Chiluya and Antonio Lokwa who are returning to the European clubs they were loaned from for the season.

This leaves three players currently on the roster in teenagers Michee Ngalina, Faris and Selmir Miscic. The team announced that there are discussions to bring back veterans Matt Mahoney and James Chambers along with Lancaster native Drew Skundrich.

If all six players return — and none end up signing first team deals — the Union will need to sign six players to USL deals to meet the league’s roster minimum of 12.

Moar was one of the offensive leaders for the Steel over the past two seasons — registering 12 goals and 16 assists in 65 appearances — and while he received extended looks in preseason and in training sessions with the first team the 25-year-old drafted by the Union in 2017 was never able to make that final push into the first team.

Nanco was a reliable attacking piece for head coach Brendan Burke over the past two seasons after being drafted out of Syracuse in 2017. He had nine goals and seven assists in 60 appearances.

Catalano and Apodaca were both drafted by the Union in 2018 while Paterson was drafted in 2018 by NYCFC and Holness and Aubrey were signed in the off-season after being released by Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC.