There will be a small reunion on Sunday afternoon at Goodman Stadium when Bethlehem Steel FC Coach Brendan Burke will go up against two of his former charges in the Richmond Kickers’ Jason Yeisley and Brian Ownby.

Both Kickers played for Burke for Reading United AC in the PDL prior to the start of their professional careers. On Sunday, they’ll likely be focal points for the Steel as they look to rebound in front of their home crowd.

“I know a lot of their players, and I know they’ve a very good coach who is successful every single year in the USL because they’re a structured group,” Burke said on Thursday in his weekly conference call. “Everyone knows where everyone’s supposed to be at all times, and our biggest challenge is building those positional relationships and awareness, making sure we cover each other far more effectively than we did last week.”

The spacing between the Steel’s three lines was a focus in practice for the Steel this week after the Red Bulls II cut through the side impressively on their way to a 4-0 victory last Sunday. Burke believed the early own goal was a factor in his side’s downfall, as the side became disconnected from front to back.

“You can see it live, but also going back on film I think we were a little hesitant because of the way we started the game to squeeze our back four up, and we left a lot of space in midfield and allowed them a really good rhythm throughout the first half,” Burke said. “As we were pressing to get goals back, I felt we left a lot of space for them to play, and they controlled the ball and played at a much higher tempo than we did.”

Getting to play in front of its home fans should offer a boost, with the club’s home opener having offered a vibrant atmosphere that Burke said helped push the side on as it looked to rally late. With the experience the Kickers bring, Burke is hopeful the Steel can feed off the energy from the stands early on.

“We want to use as much of that energy that the crowd creates as possible,” Burke said. “We’re starting to create an identity as a club, and for our part – and I know it’s a little bit cliché and I keep coming back to it – but it’s important we bring the right amount of energy ourselves to that environment. The rest will come.”