Do or Die Time
And, the amateurs all play at home
Photo credit: Birmingham Legion
Birmingham Legion at Indy Eleven Sat Oct 19 at 6:00
The picture I chose this week was of the team huddle before the Las Vegas game. But I thought it spoke to the playoff situation: Legion practically needs divine intervention to make the playoffs. They are in 10th place by virtue of tiebreakers - the bottom of a pod of four teams that are all on 42 points. Hartford has a game in hand, and is on 40 points. In short, Legion probably must win the two games remaining to have a shot at getting into the playoffs. No biggie. They just start that exercise on the road against fourth place Indy Eleven. The only good news there is that Indy has been inconsistent in the balk half of the season. A draw or a loss will be the end of Birmingham's season.
FC Birmingham vs GA Revolution Sat Oct 19 at 7:00
The Revolution are a top team in the division. They make a living with a tight defense, and also score goals at a decent rate. FCB has given up a lot of goals, but have scored enough to keep them in the middle of the table. I would expect the Revs to remain undefeated.
FCB2 vs Atlanta Ignite Sat Oct 19 at 3:00
Ignite comes in as the fourth place team in the division, but with a huge GD. FCB2 will have their work cut out for them here. If the defense can play tough at home, they may steal a draw.
The Adjacency
Fountain City hosts Albion Atlanta Sat Oct 19 at 6:00. The two teams sit next to each other just below the middle of the table. One of the biggest differences for Fountain in the Fall season is that opponents have kept Shytle bottled up. After tying for the Golden Boot in Spring, he has just two goals this season. This is a game where he can break through.
FC Columbus Elite plays at home vs ATL City FC 2 Sat Oct 19 at 5:00. ATL is the bottom team in the table. Elite is likely to run up the score here, as this should be a comfortable win.
Columbus Knight Eagles play Sun Oct 20 vs Limeno. CKE has worked their way up to third in the table, and this is a huge test. Limeno has been dominant so far this fall, and is undefeated. Will the Eagles build on their current good run of form? This will be a big match for the division standings.