MATCH INFO:
Birmingham Legion FC vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Wednesday, September 14
7:00pm CT Kickoff – 6:00pm CT Gates
Protective Stadium – Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham Legion FC (5th place, 51 points) returns to Protective Stadium on Wednesday, September 14 after two matches on the road to battle the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (4th place, 52 points) in a massive match in the race for a top four seed and a home game in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs.
Many view this match against Pittsburgh as a particular must-win for the Three Sparks, but the reality of the situation, one that Head Coach Tommy Soehn hammers into his squad, is that every match is a must-win.
“They’re all must-win games this late in the season,” said Legion Head Coach Tommy Soehn. “There’s no easy games. We have a tough schedule left and then Pittsburgh’s gonna be tough, and there’s a lot more to go after that.”
The Three Sparks acquired one point across their away games versus Miami FC and Indy Eleven, with the Legion losing to Indy 4-3 in a dramatic, seven goal game. Its offense was on fire in Indianapolis despite the loss – particularly Marlon Santos, who put up two goals (six goals on the season) and won Birmingham a penalty that Enzo Martinez (leading the team with 12 goals) scored in the 35th minute of the match.
A blow to Birmingham’s offense against Pittsburgh, Santos will be required to sit out due to a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Pittsburgh comes to Protective Stadium this time around with two wins, three draws, and one loss in its last six. Legion FC, on the other hand, comes in at three wins, one draw, and two losses in that same frame. The last time the Iron City and the Steel City met was back in May, when Pittsburgh won 1-0 after scoring in the 4th minute of the match in Pennsylvania.
The Riverhounds are a long-time nemesis to the Three Sparks, with Pittsburgh winning all four matches the two teams have played since Legion FC’s inaugural 2019 season. Last season the two clubs were set to face off in the playoffs, but BHM advanced after the game was cancelled due to a COVID outbreak in the Pittsburgh squad.
Russel Cicerone and Albert Dikwa are the goal-scoring stars for the black and yellow this season, with Cicerone scoring 11 goals and Dikwa scoring nine to make the pair account for nearly half of all 44 goals scored by Pittsburgh in 2022. Neither of them scored in Pittsburgh’s match against Louisville City FC that ended a scoreless draw last Saturday, but its defense delivered its usual consistency. The Riverhounds ties the Legion in clean sheets at 11 (tied for fourth most in the Championship) and have the seventh least goals conceded in the Championship. Birmingham has the sixth least.
With only one point separating the two, four goals separating Legion’s attack (48) to Pittsburgh’s (44), both tying each other in clean sheets (11), and only two goals separating each other in goals conceded (30 to 32), Wednesday’s match will arguably be the most competitive match across the League in the entire month of September.
For this week’s UAB Medicine Injury Report, defender Freddy Kleemann is again the only person on the list, as he is still out due to a torn ACL.
Wednesday’s match will be the only home game in September. Fans can get tickets here and come see one of the most intense matches of the season.
For team updates, news and more, follow @bhmlegion on social media, sign up for Legion FC’s Newsletter, or visit bhmlegion.com. The Legion FC app is also available for download via Apple or Android. For gameday reminders, sync the Legion FC 2022 schedule to your calendar HERE.
