Photo: Rob Simmons

We could be watching the end of professional soccer in the Lehigh Valley, just as it has begun paying dividends at American soccer’s highest levels.

Bethlehem Steel FC will play this season at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa., more than 70 miles from its namesake city, after being forced to vacate Lehigh University’s Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem because it lacks floodlights, a new stadium requirement for USL.

The unsettled situation comes at a time when the Steel’s value to parent club Philadelphia Union on the field is higher than ever. Steel alumni Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie have locked down starting jobs with the Union and were called up to the senior U.S. national team in January, while another former Steel player, Cory Burke, scored double digit goals for the Union last season.

Parent club Philadelphia Union is exploring long-term alternatives for returning to the Lehigh Valley, but none has emerged yet.

It’s not overstating the issue to question whether the stadium situation will prove fatal to professional soccer in the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley fans aren’t going to Chester

If you think many Lehigh Valley fans will trek down to Chester for a USL club, think again.

In 2018, the Steel’s parent club, Philadelphia Union, set a record low mark for attendance for the second straight year while playing at Talen. While the Steel’s most loyal supporters may make the trip, let’s be realistic: If they’re not going for an MLS club, they’re not going for a USL club in the same stadium.

Outsiders must understand: The Lehigh Valley is not the same as the Pennsylvania suburbs of Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties, which all feed heavily into Philadelphia.

In contrast, the Lehigh Valley is largely self-contained, with three cities of its own centered on Allentown and Bethlehem, and is the the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania. There is plenty to do in the region without ever going to Philadelphia. (When I lived in Bethlehem, I went to Philly at most once a year.)

It’s an ideal minor league market, with a significant population of sports fans living more than an hour from the nearest major league stadium in any sport. There’s a reason minor league baseball, hockey and soccer clubs have set up shop there over the last decade. Last year, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball team averaged 8,511 fans per game, while the Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey team drew 7,875 fans.

The unique appeal of Bethlehem Steel FC lies in its heritage, proximity and the ease of attending a game for Lehigh Valley residents. Not only is it named after the famed 1920s company team, Goodman Stadium is located on Bethlehem’s south side, not far from the old Bethlehem Steel plant that defined the city’s identity for more than a century.

Attendance in Bethlehem: Not bad, could be better

Attendance at Steel games has been decent, coming in at 2,347 per game last year. That ranks just No. 25 of 33 USL clubs, but it’s also third among the nine clubs affiliated with MLS teams.

However, attendance dropped from 3,052 the year in 2017, the fourth largest decrease in the USL.

That likely owes itself in part to the stadium situation. Goodman is a decent place for a sporting event, but at 16,000 capacity, it’s too big for minor league soccer in the region. A smaller, more soccer-friendly alternative would help the fan experience.

Equally significant, Steel fans know the club is not going to contend for a USL title. The Union treat the team primarily as a finishing school and shop window for the parent club, which is to the detriment of the Steel’s viability among fans.

The club’s current model results in a lack of player continuity on the field, which hurts not only the quality of play but also likely the connection between fans and the players. Steel captain James Chambers has become a popular player not merely because of his solid play and character, but also because he’s literally the only Bethlehem player who the team keeps long enough for fans to develop any sort of connection to him.

Attendance in Chester – Likely to be anemic

The Steel’s attendance in Chester is likely to be anemic this year, when you consider the factors in play, particularly including this one:

No MLS clubs’ USL affiliates draw good attendance when playing in the same stadium as the parent club.

Five USL clubs played in the same stadiums as their MLS affiliates last year. All drew fewer fans per game than Bethlehem.

Portland Timbers 2: 2,015

LA Galaxy II: 1,048

Swope Park Rangers (Kansas City affiliate): 881

New York Red Bulls II: 812

Toronto FC II: 810

The 2018 figures are even more revealing once you realize that Swope Park and NYRB played each other in the 2016 title game and are routinely among the USL’s best teams.

To further underline the point, Seattle Sounders 2 averaged just 1,097 fans per game in 2017. Upon moving to nearby Tacoma, their attendance tripled to 3,370 fans per game. (In contrast, Real Monarchs saw their attendance drop from 2,577 to 1,731 upon moving out of Salt Lake to nearby Herriman, but let’s note that Tacoma has more in common demographically with the Lehigh Valley.)

Meanwhile, Atlanta United 2 drew 2,592 fans per game while playing in a minor league baseball stadium outside Atlanta, about the same as the Union.

Bottom line: Most USL teams affiliated with MLS draw more fans when playing in typical minor league markets. When they play in the parent club’s stadium, attendance is usually abysmal.

Alternatives

There are a few possible long-term stadium alternatives in the Lehigh Valley, with varying prospects for success.

A new South Bethlehem stadium. The ideal situation would probably be a new minor league park in South Bethlehem near the SteelStacks arts complex and Sands Casino. However, a new stadium costs money, and there could be environmental remediation costs in play on the site of the old steel plant. While the city government can offer tax incentives, don’t expect taxpayers to foot the bill for a stadium. A partnership with Sands that includes naming rights could draw external investment, though not likely the full construction costs. Few would bet on the Union building a minor league stadium right now, given their ownership’s well-documented frugal nature.

The ideal situation would probably be a new minor league park in South Bethlehem near the SteelStacks arts complex and Sands Casino. However, a new stadium costs money, and there could be environmental remediation costs in play on the site of the old steel plant. While the city government can offer tax incentives, don’t expect taxpayers to foot the bill for a stadium. A partnership with Sands that includes naming rights could draw external investment, though not likely the full construction costs. Few would bet on the Union building a minor league stadium right now, given their ownership’s well-documented frugal nature. Coca-Cola Park, Allentown. Several USL clubs play in minor league baseball stadiums. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have a viable baseball stadium and are among the most valuable minor league teams in North America. However, anyone who’s seen a match played on NYCFC’s barely regulation field knows the negative impact a baseball stadium’s contours can have on soccer, so the structural dimensions of the field are a key variable to address.

Several USL clubs play in minor league baseball stadiums. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have a viable baseball stadium and are among the most valuable minor league teams in North America. However, anyone who’s seen a match played on NYCFC’s barely regulation field knows the negative impact a baseball stadium’s contours can have on soccer, so the structural dimensions of the field are a key variable to address. Fisher Stadium, Easton. Lafayette College in Easton is home to the 13,132-seat Fisher Stadium, which has field lighting. Its turf playing surface isn’t optimal, but its biggest drawback may be location. Easton is at the Lehigh Valley’s eastern edge and away from the population center of Allentown and Bethlehem, which share a border at the valley’s center.

Lafayette College in Easton is home to the 13,132-seat Fisher Stadium, which has field lighting. Its turf playing surface isn’t optimal, but its biggest drawback may be location. Easton is at the Lehigh Valley’s eastern edge and away from the population center of Allentown and Bethlehem, which share a border at the valley’s center. Other local universities. The original Bethlehem Steel FC played at Steel Field on Bethlehem’s north side, which is still used by Moravian College. Unfortunately, capacity on the turf field is less than half the 5,000-seat minimum capacity for USL stadiums under the league’s new standards. Muhlenberg College’s Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown has lighting but only seats 3,000 fans, while nearby Cedar Crest College and DeSales University have nothing close. After that, you’re looking at high school football stadiums, which are unlikely to meet USL standards.

The original Bethlehem Steel FC played at Steel Field on Bethlehem’s north side, which is still used by Moravian College. Unfortunately, capacity on the turf field is less than half the 5,000-seat minimum capacity for USL stadiums under the league’s new standards. Muhlenberg College’s Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown has lighting but only seats 3,000 fans, while nearby Cedar Crest College and DeSales University have nothing close. After that, you’re looking at high school football stadiums, which are unlikely to meet USL standards. The Union pay for lights at Goodman Stadium. The Union could partner with Lehigh and pay for floodlights at the stadium. However, given the fact that Goodman isn’t an ideal long-term option due being too large for minor league soccer, the Union are likely looking at other opportunities before dumping money into this one.

Getting value

Any pro soccer team must be financially viable to continue existence. This is particularly the case for the Union, who are firmly nestled in MLS’s financial third tier. It doesn’t matter how many players the Steel send to MLS and the U.S. national team. If the team doesn’t draw enough paying fans, it will go the way of the USL affiliates of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact: It will fold.

The Steel may not have had the most impressive attendance in USL in the Lehigh Valley, but it’s a viable club that plays a hugely important role for the Union. Loans to externally controlled USL clubs are an optional replacement for MLS-contracted players, but the Union lack the control over that as well as the option to blood their academy players in USL play.

At this point, they need a competitive USL club within reasonable proximity to compete in modern MLS. The Lehigh Valley is the ideal market. The Union got these things right. Now, they just have to adapt to a changing USL.