In the extra time of the first round of the 2018 USL Championship playoffs, James Chambers rocked Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ new stadium with a ferocious free kick that led Bethlehem Steel to their first playoff win. The 32-year old Irishman celebrated raucously with a bevy of young teammates, many still teenagers, before rallying the troops to hold on until they could win the match in a shootout.
It was a classic Chambers moment: Unadulterated joy and energy mixed with leadership and discipline.
James “Chambo” Chambers’ name sits atop nearly every statistical category in the Steel record books, but if you ask any coach or young player they will tell you the numbers are only a small part of what the gregarious but intense captain brings to the club.