Match Preview

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Ahead of loading up on a bus and departing to face Indy Eleven in its first of two road matches to conclude the 2024 season, Birmingham Legion FC held one final training session at its training facility. The message from head coach Tom Soehn was clear and, in part, the players responded with one of its more engaging practices of the year.

But considering what is at stake, there was no other option.

“We had a deep meeting and I thought the response was good (on Wednesday), but now we need the response to be good on Saturday” said Soehn. “We’re in a life-support scenario – we have to win. I think the guys understand what is at stake and now we have to show up.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (12W-14L-6D; 42PTS) at Indy Eleven (13W-10L-9D; 48PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 33
• Saturday, October 19 | 6:00 p.m. CT
• Michael A. Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, IN
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: CBS Sports Golazo Network (Free)

Two straight defeats at home and a stretch of three matches with just one point earned has seen Legion FC’s playoff hopes take a dip, as the squad currently sits in 10th place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference table –having been as high as fifth place within the past month. So while things seem to be trending in the wrong direction, three points in Indianapolis (plus some outside help) could shift things right back on track with Birmingham currently in a tie on points with seventh place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and eighth place Loudoun United FC, who also face off on Saturday.

“It’s very urgent,” defender and captain Phanuel Kavita bluntly stated. “No matter what, this group of guys always holds their heads high and continue to battle day in and day out at practice and I know in the long run that will help us out, especially in these next two games with how important they are.”

And what may be in Legion FC’s favor is that these next two matches see the squad traveling, which has proven to be a far more successful endeavor this season. Through 15 matches outside of Alabama, Birmingham has posted a 6W-5L-4D, grabbing 22 of its 42 points in the process.

It a statistical anomaly that Soehn still hasn’t been able to quite get his head wrapped around, but it’s something he hopes his players can rely on at least two more times.

“If you look at our season as whole, we’ve performed better on the road,” he explained. “Some of that I’ve been able to highlight and other times, I still question it as to why. Regardless, we have to focus on what is ahead with these two road games.”

The test standing in front of Legion FC will be a stout one with its opponents also entering the match with something on the line.

Currently, Indy Eleven is at 48 points and holding a one-point advantage over Rhode Island FC for fourth place in the East table and the final hosting spot for the first round of the playoffs. Legion FC and Indy have been neck-and-neck in the standings for most of the season, however while Birmingham has run into some roadblocks as of late, the Eleven have found a good run of form that has it currently unbeaten in its previous four matches and having suffered just one defeat over its last eight.

“They play very direct and they have runners up top that can cause problems,” Soehn said of the upcoming opponents. “We have to make sure that, one, we deny that early service and, two, we don’t give up bad giveaways to allow them to create that scenario. We have to make sure we shut that down.”

The two teams met at Protective Stadium back on June 9 it what was an evenly-matched game that would’ve played out to a scoreless draw if not for Indy’s Jack Blake providing the lone goal by converting a first-half penalty. Kavita knows that it won’t be easy, but he and his teammates looking to avenge that 1-0 loss is added motivation as Legion FC tries to push its way back into the postseason picture.

“They have speed and they have been doing very well defensively,” Kavita said. “If we can match that, player-for-player, I’ll take our guys over theirs.”

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Only three matches remain in the 2024 USL Championship regular season and Birmingham Legion FC are certainly up against as the postseason draws tantalizingly close with only so many open spots still up for grabs.

Coming off of a disappointing 3-2 loss last week against North Carolina FC, The Three Sparks pretty much can’t settle for anything less than nine points over this final stretch. It starts by rolling the dice on Sunday against Las Vegas Lights FC in the final match of the season at Protective Stadium,

“It’s just about a playoff mentality now,” said midfielder Enzo Martinez. “We’re in a spot that’s very dangerous, we’re right there but everything is super tight, so we just have to win. There’s no tomorrow, there’s no other chance, we have to win, especially at home.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (12W-13L-6D; 42PTS) vs Las Vegas Lights FC (12W-8L-11D; 47PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 32
• Sunday, October 13 | 5:00 p.m. CT
• Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+

In the immediate aftermath of its latest loss, Legion FC didn’t control its own postseason destiny for the first time all year, only to get back in the driver’s seat following a Loudoun United FC loss to Indy Eleven last Tuesday. As things stand heading into the weekend, Birmingham is grasping onto the final playoff spot, sitting in eighth place on 42 points in the Eastern Conference – a mere point ahead of Loudoun in ninth, three points ahead of 10th place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and five points clear of 11th Hartford Athletic, who has a game in hand.

Unfortunately, all three of those teams hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Birmingham, which means any slip up from here on out could drop the squad below the cutline.

“We know what we’re up against,” coach Tom Soehn explained. “So it’s about consistency and making sure we come out and battle, that’s everything.

“It’s been hard and I want to make sure that we’re ready for it and I thought (in training this week) we had really good signs.”

Legion FC hoping those good signs lead to one more home win in 2024. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster at Protective Stadium this season with the club sitting on a 6W-8L-2D record. Prior to the recent defeat to NCFC, the performances seemed to be looking up with wins over the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Miami FC – the first and only time this season that Birmingham notched consecutive victories at home.

Looking to recapture that Magic City magic, Martinez is urging himself and the rest of the squad to show out in front of the supporters.

“We owe them a lot,” the veteran said of the home fans. “This being the last game, we want them to be happy because they have supported us throughout the year through tough stretches and good stretches, so for us it’s about being able to give them something to cheer about.”

One thing that has had Legion FC cheering is the play of midfielder Rida Zouhir, who is on a run of two straight USL-C Team of the Week selections.

Not only did he notch his first goal of 2024 with a deafening rocket from long range against North Carolina FC, but in that stretch the C.F. Montreal-loanee has led Legion FC with five total chances created and is also doing the dirty work on the defensive end with six tackles and a pair of clearances.

“Before I got here, it was like six months of not having consistent play,” explained Zouhir, who joined Birmingham on August 7. “I’m now getting into my groove and feeling my sensations that I used to have and when I am at that top level, I feel very confident on the ball.”

Zouhir now looks to continue that confidence against a Las Vegas side that is brimming with its own confidence at the moment.

Having already locked up a playoff berth and currently in third place on 47 points in the Western Conference table, the Lights come to Protective Stadium in the midst of a seven-match unbeaten streak and are averaging 1.7 goals per match over the course of it. Whether it has been at home or on the road this season, the style of play hasn’t changed much for a club who leads the USL-C with an 85% passing accuracy and with 15,268 total passes.

So not only does Las Vegas control the ball for larges spells of its matches, but also controls it with a purpose, thanks in large part to having one of the better frontmen in the league in Khori Bennett who has scored seven of his team-high 13 goals in the last nine matches.

“I enjoy playing against good teams and when you play against Vegas, who we don’t see all year, so it’s kind of a new team,” Soehn said. “They knock it around well and are organized, so I feel like a lot of times those teams bring out the best in yourself and hopefully we see that on the weekend.”

Follow Along 
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC has every reason to feel good about its trip to Pittsburgh last weekend where it earned a valuable point on the road against a Riverhounds squad that had essentially been unbeatable when taking a lead into halftime. But while The Three Sparks were fighting for a hard-nosed draw, seemingly every other team in the USL Championship Eastern Conference walked away with a victory and three points.

So now, with four matches remaining in the 2024 regular season, Legion FC finds itself grasping onto a playoff spot as it sits in seventh place and five points clear of the elimination zone. However, the next three teams looking up at Birmingham in the table all have a game in hand. That includes Sunday’s opponent, North Carolina FC, giving Legion FC all of the incentive in the world to secure a victory in its second to last home match of the season.

“The biggest thing is that we control our own fate,” said midfielder and defender Jake Rufe. “It’s out responsibility which is just the way we want it, so we have to just keep our heads down, get our results and not worry about what everybody else is doing.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (12W-12L-6D; 42PTS) vs North Carolina FC (9W-11L-9D; 36PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 31
• Sunday, October 6 | 5:00 p.m. CT
• Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+

Following a really tough August that was dubiously capped off with three consecutive shut out losses, Birmingham refused to roll over, to its credit, and responded with a successful September that saw the side notch seven points and post a 1.5 goals per game across four matches – its highest scoring average compared to any month this season.

The addition of forward Darwin Matheus has certainly played a role in that uptick by being involved in Legion FC’s last two goals, first with his goal against Miami FC and then following that up with a deft touch to assist Stefano Pinho’s team-best eighth goal of the season in Pittsburgh. And while the new blood on the pitch helps, so too does a more purposeful approach, which the squad has taken to heart lately.

“We’re just more confident on the ball and taking more risks,” midfielder Kobe Hernandez-Foster explained. “Earlier on we were kind of just dumping the ball and letting the other teams have the possession, so I think us having more possession now has given us more chances to score goals.”

With the offense coming around at an opportune time of the campaign, it’s the other end of the pitch that has posed issues for Birmingham. In its last nine matches, Legion FC has allowed a total of 14 goals in that span and has given up at least two goals four times and a minimum of three goals twice.

Injuries on the backline have certainly not helped with usual starting XI mainstays A.J. Paterson and captain Phanuel Kavita both missing multiple games in September, taking away a necessary calmness on the ball that those two often bring when fit. Goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel is now set to miss some time as well.

Even so, things do seem to be stabilizing a little bit with the centerback pairing of Alex Crognale and Jake Rufe doing enough to help Legion FC allow just one goal in its last two outings. For Rufe, who has been deployed as a jack-of-all-trades player this season, working on the last line defense is the latest of many roles he has assumed for the club.

“It’s not bad when you’re surrounded by good players,” Rufe said of playing many different positions. “I’m always happy to come in and help wherever I can. I like playing in the midfield, I like playing defense, so it’s been fun.”

Rufe is expected to feature in the XI again this Sunday when Legion FC welcome a very peculiar North Carolina FC squad, whose results don’t necessarily match with its current 10th place standing in the East.

Of Birmingham’s final four regular season opponents, NCFC is the lowest ranked team in the table, however it has the best goal differential of the bunch by far at +7, compared to Las Vegas Lights FC’s +2, Indy Eleven’s 0 and Oakland Roots SC’s -15. The upcoming visitors have been incredibly feast-or-famine with its results as of late, most recently dropping a 1-0 match to El Paso Locomotive FC which doused a cold bucket of water on the 2-0 win over Indy a few days before.

So the question that Legion FC is waiting to be answered is which North Carolina FC will show up? At its best, the club has shown a ruthless trait when it gets in the attacking third with a 15% conversion rate to the tune of 42 goals this season, including a team-best nine from forward Evan Conway. In turn though, opposing teams have had similar success against NCFC with 36 goals on just 101 shots.

Regardless, Legion FC are fully aware of what’s at stake over this last month and know that dropping points at home is simply not an option if it wants to play in the postseason for a sixth straight season.

“We’ve watched a lot of video on them,” said Hernandez-Foster. “We just need to take our chances and play our game, especially at home, and get the win. Every game is important and we know that if we manage to win every game, we should be good for the playoffs.”

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The logjam that is the USL Championship Eastern Conference table has gotten even more tightknit in recent weeks. That though will soon change with just five matchdays remaining in the 2024 regular season and the schedule littered with key interconference matchups, including one this Saturday as fifth place Birmingham Legion FC heads up to Pennsylvania to take on 11th place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, with just five points separating the two sides.

“This is the most important time to get stuff right,” Legion FC coach Tom Soehn said. “I don’t think we’re consistent enough to call things right yet, we have to make sure we prove it against Pittsburgh.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (12W-12L-5D; 41PTS) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (8W-10L-11D; 36PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 30
• Saturday, September 28 | 6:00 p.m. CT
• Highmark Stadium | Pittsburgh, PA
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+

Having found success away from The Magic City for much of the season, things have kind of flipped on its head for Legion FC over the past month with its last two wins coming at Protective Stadium, including a recent thriller against Miami FC. However, the results away from home, in turn, have dried up a bit with Birmingham falling in its last two away matches to drop its road record to a still respectable 6W-5L-4D.

In those most recent two defeats at Rhode Island on August 31 and at Loudoun United FC on September 14, Legion FC averaged 50 final third entries and created just 10 total created chances. It’s a stark comparison to its previous two home victories against Miami and the Tampa Bay Rowdies where the side averaged 73 entries into the final third to go along with 26 chances created.

Conventional wisdom dictates that more attacking opportunities would come at home, but it is a paradigm shift to what Birmingham has produced this season, which is why Soehn and the coaching staff are looking for consistency as the postseason draws near.

“I just think it’s the ebbs and flows of the game,” explained forward Tyler Pasher. “Sometimes you go without goals and sometimes you go with a bunch of goals. It’s dependent on what form you’re in but also on what defenses you are going up against. It’s just always unpredictable.”

In speaking to those ebbs and flows, Pasher’s return to the lineup as coincided with a reemergence of the club’s attacking prowess, with Legion FC having found the back of the net five times in its last three matches after being held scoreless in the three matches before that.

“We’re feeling better every week,” said midfielder Rida Zouhir, who is also providing a shot in the arm to squad since joining on loan in August. “We still have some stuff to work on, but it’s going well in training and we’re working on it. Guys are coming with good energy.

“The rankings are really tight. You could be seventh or third after just two games, but that’s the competition and we have to keep it up and make sure we bring three points.”

Zouhir and Birmingham are hoping to recapture some of that road magic this weekend as it looks to exact revenge from a month ago when Pittsburgh strolled out of Protective Stadium with a 3-0 win. That was a match where Birmingham did create the majority of the chances, but was unable to break down what may be the best defense in the USL-C.

Meanwhile a first-half brace in the span of five minutes from Riverhounds SC forward Edward Kizza put Legion FC in a hole that it was unable to dig itself out. Not letting that happen again was, of course, has been a big focus on the training ground in the lead up to this weekend’s contest.

“We took a lot of pride in possession (at training this week) and it was so much better,” said Soehn. “The other part was effort related in winning balls and pressuring when it turns over. In both cases the guys took special notice of it and did a really good job.”

Pittsburgh enters the match following a lengthy 14-day break since its 2-1 defeat to Tampa Bay, which ended the club’s 10-match unbeaten streak. Just like when Legion FC saw the Riverhounds back in August, the defense is still stout as ever with five in the back and goalkeeper Eric Dick making the necessary saves if the opposition is able to break it down.

Having allowed just three goals in the four matches since its win in Birmingham, Pittsburgh is now tied with Sacramento Republic FC for the least amount of goals allowed with 27 and is just one off the lead for most clean sheets posted at 13. That stinginess has nearly nullified a below average scoring output with 30 goals this season on a 13% conversion rate, which is why the side is still in shouting distance of the playoffs and presents a stiff challenge for Legion FC once again.

“Every team in the league is competitive so it’s going to be a hard game,” Pasher said. “We just have to go there and stick to our guns, stick to our plan and work as hard as we can to put together a good performance.”

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It was a little bit of good and a little bit of bad last week for Birmingham Legion FC, who snapped a three-match skid on September 11 with a solid 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, but then followed that up by letting a halftime lead slip away in a 4-2 defeat at Loudoun United FC three days later. With the duality of results, The Three Sparks experienced a rare holding pattern of sorts in a hectic postseason race.

Despite its most recent loss, results elsewhere in the USL Championship meant that Birmingham wasn’t penalized too much in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings. However, this Sunday’s home matchup pits Legion FC against the only team throughout the entire league that has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in Miami FC, so the objective is clear: it’s three points or bust.

“We control our own destiny right now,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn. “We need to take care of our business and that’s really all we can focus on.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (11W-12L-5D; 38PTS) vs Miami FC (3W-23L-2D; 11PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 29
• Sunday, September 22 | 4:00 p.m. CT
• Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+

Scheduled as the final kick-off for match week 29, the good news for Soehn and company is that there shouldn’t be much of a distraction in the way of scoreboard watching for the club, who currently sit in sixth place on 38 points with six matches in the 2024 regular season remaining.

A potential first round playoff match at Protective Stadium is still very much a possibility with Legion FC four points behind fourth place Detroit City FC. But a host of teams are also breathing down the side’s neck with both Rhode Island FC and Loudoun a mere point behind Birmingham to round out the top eight, while Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is below the cutline in ninth place at 35 points.

So as has often been the case for the past month, what the order of teams in the table looks like right now could be drastically different come Sunday’s final whistle.

“Everything is really close and everyone has a chance,” midfielder Enzo Martinez said. “The focus right now is to win as many games as we can so that we can host in the playoffs. It’s still there within our reach.”

Pushing for the playoffs is nothing new to a veteran like Martinez who has made the USL-C postseason in each of the last four seasons, including the past three with Legion FC. It’s also old hat for Soehn, who has been in battles like these for nearly four decades as both a player and coach.

The biggest thing, in his mind, to achieve success this time of year is making sure the group of players are fighting together as one.

“We’ve been talking a lot about being a better team and being better to each other,” Soehn explained. “I think that showed against Tampa and we came out with a really good energy against Loudoun, but I think we lost our legs towards the end, but everybody is in it together and that’s what we need to be in this stretch.”

It also helps that the Legion FC coach has been able to dress out a full matchday roster as of late, thanks to some key players regaining fitness. There was a stretch throughout July where, due to an extreme rash of injuries, Birmingham was only able to dress out four or five field players on its bench, making things difficult in the latter stages of matches.

That appears to no longer be the case now with the welcomed returns of forwards Tyler Pasher and Diba Nwegbo, who were immediately inserted back into the starting XI last week.

“It’s been a process,” said Nwegbo, who notched his first goal of the season last weekend against Loudoun in his second match back from an injury that cost him nine matches. “Part of you just wants to get back out there and be a part of it, so it was a tough journey back, but I’m just happy to be back out there.

“Me coming back now, hopefully I can add some more goals and assists up until the end of the season to help us get a home playoff spot.”

Nwegbo and the rest of the Legion FC attack should have a plethora of opportunities to find the back of the net this weekend against a Miami FC side that has really let things get away from it this season. Having earned just 11 points this season, the club has allowed 66 goals to the tune of a -41 goal differential – both of which are at the bottom of the USL-C.

Against Miami FC this season, opposing teams have averaged a league-best 6.4 shots on target per match, which has kept whoever has been in goal between Daniel Gagliardi and Khadim Ndiaye busy. The high volume of shots faced has seen both goalkeepers eclipse the 40-save plateau.

However, Birmingham isn’t assuming three points by any means. After all, it took a bit of a lucky break back in April for it to secure a 1-0 victory down on South Beach. With that in mind, Soehn is urging his squad to make sure that it does not overlook Sunday’s matchup because a slip-up could send its playoff aspirations into peril.

“They’re a team that’s out of the playoffs and has nothing to lose now,” he said of Miami FC. “They are all probably fighting for their jobs and sometimes that’s a dangerous animal, so we have to be at our best to make sure that we take care of business.”

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.

LEESBURG, Va. – As the final whistle sounded on Wednesday night at Protective Stadium, it was quickly followed by a loud scream of elation from Enzo Martinez. It was as if more than a month of struggles were washed away in that singular moment following a 2-0 Birmingham Legion FC win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The win not only brought an end to the club’s three-match losing streak, but also a goalless one across that stretch as well. So now, with a renewed sense of optimism, Birmingham faces a quick turnaround as it heads out on the road to face Loudoun United FC on Saturday, in a match where three points will go a long way for both sides’ postseason positioning in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings.

“It’s vitally important,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn. “We’re in a playoff push right now and these last few games left mean the world, so we have to keep this up this weekend.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (11W-11L-5D; 35PTS) at Loudoun United FC (9W-10L-7D; 34PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 28
• Saturday, September 14 | 6:00 p.m. CT
• Segra Field | Leesburg, VA
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: CBS Sports Live

Winning on a given night has not necessarily been an issue for Birmingham this season. After all, it’s 11 victories in USL-C play is fourth amongst its opponents in the east. It is stringing wins together that has given the side some difficulties with Legion FC posting a 1W-7L-1D record in matches immediately following a victory. That only win came on June 26 in a 2-1 triumph at Detroit City FC after beating San Antonio FC 3-1 at home.

But with so few matches left in the 2024 season and nothing close to being decided in the table, now would be as good a time as ever to flip that trend on its head.

“Everyone deserves to take the night and enjoy the result,” defender Derek Dodson said following Birmingham’s most recent win over Tampa Bay. “But we have a quick turnaround so it’s about recovering, it’s about some guys getting some play under their legs by getting a good training issue in and then it’s about shifting our focuses to Loudoun because they are right on our tails.”

Birmingham currently sits in fifth place on 38 points in the East table and just a single point behind fourth place – the final first round host spot. So while that may seem like a fairly comfortable place to be in, its opponent this weekend is on the outside looking in at 9th place, but just four points behind Legion FC and with a game in hand.

That means, pending other results around the league on Saturday, The Three Sparks could be sitting pretty in fourth with a win, or dropped down to the eighth and final playoff spot with Loudoun breathing down its neck.

“We can’t let up,” said midfielder Kobe Hernandez-Foster, who scored his second goal of the season his last time out. “I think it helps to get back out on the field after winning this last game, because we want to continue to prove ourselves, grab more points and move up in the table.”

While Birmingham just put an end to a three-match skid, Loudoun currently finds itself in one at the moment where, also like Legion FC, it has failed to score in that stretch. In fact, its last victory was also of the 2-0 variety against Tampa Bay.

Goalkeeper Hugo Faroux has done his best to make up for the lack of scoring with 73 saves this season to the tune of eight clean sheets, which ranks seventh in USL-C. He was in goal when these two teams first met back on April 7 at Protective Stadium and Birmingham was able to slot three goals past him to solidify a win in its home opener.

However, with how long ago that match was and now with what’s at stake for this next one, Legion FC expects a much tougher task to clear this time around.

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – August was a month that Birmingham Legion FC would soon like to forget. Last month, saw The Three Sparks notch just one victory in five matches, while dropping its last three where it was outscored 6-0 in that dubious stretch. The recent struggles have thrown the club’s playoff hopes right into the middle of a thunder dome battle with seventh through tenth place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference table all within at least two points of each other.

Eight matches still remain in the 2024 regular season, so Legion FC’s script is still largely to be written, but the staff is preaching urgency in hopes of turning things of around in this final stretch, beginning with Wednesday’s home matchup against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“Now, it’s kind of do or die time,” said Birmingham coach Tom Soehn. “It’s time for us to come together as a group and support each other while battling for spots. That’s just what this time of year is.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (10W-11L-5D; 35PTS) vs Tampa Bay Rowdies (12W-7L-7D; 43PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 27
• Wednesday, September 11 | 7:00 p.m. CT
• Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
• Watch: CBS Sports Network (National)
• Stream: CBS Sports Live

Having last been on the pitch on August 31 in a 2-0 defeat at Rhode Island FC, the schedule has afforded Legion FC some valuable time off to rest, recharge and regroup. With no match this past weekend, the club was able to participate as spectators as the rest of the league descended further into chaos.

As things stand now, Birmingham currently holds the eighth and final playoff-eligible spot in the East and just one point ahead of ninth-place Loudoun United – who the club meets later this weekend. Even so, things seem to still be in Legion FC’s favor with seventh-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC tied on points despite having played two more matches and Rhode Island FC two points ahead with one more match played.

Essentially, Legion FC still controls its own destiny as it looks to return to the postseason for a sixth consecutive season. It just comes down to the squad handling its own affairs by getting back into the win column.

“The results (last weekend) kind of helped us,” said midfielder Enzo Martinez. “Right now, every spot from fourth to tenth is close. To add to that, we’ve had some time to work on things and work on ourselves definitely helps. We have to focus on ourselves and execute our gameplan to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities that have been given to us.”

The next opportunity is quite the familiar foe in Tampa Bay, a side that Legion FC has already seen twice in 2024.

The two teams treated fans in Florida to arguably the match of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 8 with Legion FC scoring four goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to erase a 4-0 deficit, only for the Rowdies to grab two extra time goals and advance out of the Round of 32. A rematch occurred just three days later in what was a wildly different contest with Martinez providing the only goal in a 1-0 Birmingham victory.

“They’re a team where you know what to expect from them,” said Martinez, who also scored against Tampa Bay in the Open Cup loss. “We know that we have to be ready to work really hard to make a good game of it.”

Despite the familiarity from the meetings this season, more than three months have passed since the last time Birmingham and Tampa Bay have faced, so Soehn and his staff are ready for some new wrinkles from their opponent.

“Having played them in the past factors in, but personnel changes and tactics change over time so every time you see a team it’s a bit new,” explained Soehn. “One thing we know with Tampa is that we always have tight games. They are a group that’s really organized and they like to attack with numbers which leaves them open on counter attacks so we have to be able to take advantage of that.”

If there was ever an ideal time to catch the Rowdies, now would be it.

Even though it is still sitting in a comfortable spot in third place, Tampa Bay has produced a win just once in its previous six outings and has dropped three of its last four. The latest defeat coming over the weekend where fell 4-2 on the road to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

However, the Rowdies still boast one of the more fearsome attacking duos of any team in the USL-C with forwards Manuel Arteaga and Cal Jennings having combined for 27 goals this season. It was those two who did the majority of the damage in the Open Cup meeting with Jennings providing a hat trick while Arteaga clinched the victory with a brace in extra time.

Those two headlining the front three, along with goalkeeper Jordan Farr and his 10 clean sheets this season have down a lot to position the Rowdies with the third best goal differential in the league this season, making for a tough test that is paramount for Legion FC to pass.

“It’s time to come together,” Martinez said. “We need to work hard and battle to compete for every ball in every moment of the game.”

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SMITHFIELD, RI – It is tough sledding for Birmingham Legion FC at the moment. The Three Sparks return to action this Saturday and are desperate to get back in the win column, something the club has not been able to do in over 20 days and just once this month as it closes a four-match August slate with a trip to Rhode Island FC for a match that carries large postseason implications.

“It’s ultra important (to get back on track) because the last stretch of the season is always the biggest one,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn as his club looks to snap a skid of two consecutive defeats where it has been outscored 4-0 in that stretch.

“We’ve let ourselves down here a few games in a row and there is two different ways you can go from there. You can implode or you can work harder and make sure you can get it right.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (10W-10L-5D; 35PTS) at Rhode Island FC (7W-5L-13D; 34PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 26
• Saturday, August 31 | 6:30 p.m. CT
• Beirne Stadium | Smithfield, RI
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+

Having recently picked up just four points over as many matches, the margin for error has become razor thin for Birmingham.

While the club still sits just two points out of an all-important top four spot in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings, its struggles have also now made the table even more congested, particularly at the bottom of the playoff cut line. Legion FC currently holds a slim four-point advantage over ninth-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC after a tough 3-0 defeat when the two met at Protective Stadium last weekend. Rhode Island FC is also nipping at the heels of Birmingham, sitting just one point behind, which brings some added stakes to Saturday’s contest.

“There’s nine games left and there are a lot of teams fighting for those playoff spots,,” said Birmingham defender Alex Crognale. “Every game is huge, but no bigger than Rhode Island this weekend.”

At such an important juncture of the season, coupled with the less-than-ideal results as of late, Legion FC opted for morning and afternoon training sessions on select days this week for the first time this season.

Soehn is hoping that the extra work helps his players rediscover a sense of team unity and accountability. Having nearly four decades of professional experience in the game, the Birmingham coach has seen many instances of teams losing that chemistry when a string of results goes south and he wants to ensure that doesn’t happen here with Legion FC.

“This week we’ve put in a lot of time and had some double sessions to make sure that we understand what our roles are,” explained Soehn. “Now we have to execute that on the field. The response is always positive after you have tough meetings because everyone comes out and rolls up their sleeves a little more, but all of that doesn’t matter unless we do it on the weekend.”

Just like with Soehn’s wealth of knowledge, it also helps that the Birmingham roster is littered with experience across the board. So while there is clearly disappointment with how things have gone on the pitch as of late, there still isn’t any panic.

“We have a good veteran core of guys who have been here and been through good times and tough times,” Crognale said. “It’s about keeping a level head and making sure we come ready to work every day and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.

“We also have a bunch of talented young guys and we have to also make sure that they are in the right mindset every day.”

Crognale and Legion FC understand the challenge that is facing them, beginning with a second meeting with Rhode Island FC this season. The USLC debutants are currently on pace to clinch a playoff spot, but have not been able to take full advantage of Birmingham’s August swoon with a loss and two draws in three of its four matches this month.

The last time these two teams faced was on July 17 at Protective Stadium where things seemed doomed from the start for Legion FC as Rhode Island’s Noah Fuson found the back of the net within the first minute of the match. A left-footed curler from Prosper Kasim to equalize things was not enough as a brace from second-half substitute Zachary Herivaux was the difference in a 3-1 win for the away side.

Now, it’s up to Birmingham to make turnabout fair play by putting its stellar road performances this season to the test against a Rhode Island FC side that boasts one of the better conversion rates in the league at 17% and is not short on attacking talent with Fuson, Frank Nodarse and Albert Dikwa leading the charge.

“We’ve been really good on the road this year so we have to dip into that mentality this weekend,” said Soehn. “Obviously, we didn’t have a good performance against (Rhode Island FC) at home, so we have to make sure we take care of business there. Everybody knows what’s at stake.”

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following a 1-0 defeat at home to Detroit City FC last week, Birmingham Legion FC coach Tom Soehn did not sugarcoat things, saying immediately afterwards that it was his club’s worst outing of the season and that a tough video session and week of practice would follow.

As Legion FC now tries to turn the page and get back in the win column this Saturday when it hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Soehn liked the response that he saw in training the last few days, but he is now challenging his players to keep those same motivations when the lights are on and the home crowd is watching.

“You can see that they’ve been feistier, but all of that should’ve been there last Friday,” said Soehn. “As a staff, we’re still looking for answers, but we can’t turn the page backwards, we can look forward and don’t do that again, by rectifying the mistakes we made. It’s time to get going and make sure we’re ready for Pittsburgh.”

MATCH INFO

• Birmingham Legion FC (10W-9L-5D; 35PTS) vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (6W-9L-10D; 28PTS)
• USL Championship | Matchday 25
• Saturday, August 24 | 6:30 p.m. CT
• Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
• Watch: WABM My68 (Birmingham)
• Stream: ESPN+
• Tickets

Due to a retroactive change in the stats, Stefano Pinho’s header in the 53rd minute against Detroit is no longer attributed as a shot on target, reducing Birmingham’s total shots in the match to a season-low four, with none now on target – the first time that has happened to Legion FC in a match this season.

The homes woes have, unfortunately, become a defining trait for the club this season with its 2024 record at Protective Stadium falling to 4W-6L-2D after last week’s contest. Those valuable dropped points have put Birmingham in a precarious spot in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings as it sits in sixth place, but only six points clear of the playoff qualification line.

“It’s just not good enough,” said forward Dawson McCartney. “I think we’re right on the cusp of breaking through, but we just need to defend our home field better and I think it starts with every single person making sure that whoever comes on this field is scare to play here.

“We have to do a better job of doing that.”

Rida Zouhir is new to the fold, having completed his loan to Birmingham earlier in the week before going 85 minutes in his debut against Detroit. But despite a less-than-ideal first match, the 20-year-old midfielder sees a lot of promise within the team and is excited to take on the challenge of turning things around with five home matches remaining.

“I really believe in this group,” Zouhir said. “It wasn’t a great game last week, but it happens in football and I really think next game is going to be a totally different game in terms of intensity, engagement and sharpness.

“We’ve totally raised the level in training and it’s a very competitive environment right now. They are great guys and we’re just working as much as we can so that, for the next game, we can give our fans the football they deserve.”

Should Legion FC secure its first home victory in three tries on Saturday, it will certainly be an earned result as Pittsburgh comes to The Magic City in its best form of the 2024 campaign after a rough start, but also has previous experience in getting a result at Protective Stadium. Its last outing in Birmingham was a 1-1 draw to begin the 2023 season, which came just five months after the two met in the opening round of the playoffs, where Pittsburgh advanced by winning a penalty kick marathon, 10-9.

Saturday’s meeting will mark the first of two in roughly a month with Legion FC traveling to Highmark Stadium on September 28.

“They’re going to be organized in the defense,” Soehn explained. “They look to play direct, so we have to be ready for everything that they will throw at us.”

The defense has been the calling card for the Riverhounds this season, who currently sit in 10th place in the East but are currently on a seven-match unbeaten streak, with three clean sheets posted in its last four outings. Its 24 goals allowed this season is second in the USLC, behind only the 20 conceded by Sacramento Republic FC.

Scoring however has been a struggle for the squad with just 23 goals on the season which ranks in the bottom four of the league. However, the Legion FC players know they can’t rest on their laurels, especially after getting shutout in its last time out.

“They’re a team that always puts a good squad out there, they had a tough start to the season, but have shown they are a solid team with the way they’ve bounced back,” McCartney said of Pittsburgh. “We need to make it happen and we’re eager to get back out there. Coming off a loss, you can’t wait to step back out there and prove yourself again.”

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For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Legion FC Match Center.