Regarding Eggs

Open Cup

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There are plenty of sayings in sports that involve eggs. Not many of them are meant to be positive. “You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet” could be considered optimistic. But it could also be a way of acknowledging that things aren't going well - “we're rebuilding”. Legion fans have been holding out this hope since there was a purge of some established players at the end of last season, followed up with some very encouraging signings in the off-season. Preseason matches looked like we had the eggs, but weren't quite sure how to make an omelet. A draw against Louisville City on Sunday brought back some hints of guarded optimism.

And then Legion traveled to Little Rock to face a USL2 club in the Open Cup. Sure, there are players banged up and not available. And it was a short turn after having a tough match on Sunday. But Birmingham laid an egg, and is out of the Open Cup in the first round.

It was easy to see it coming. Little Rock is known for having a very stingy defense, and Legion was (understandably) playing the game with the upcoming road game against Detriot City weighing on their minds. Birmingham started the players that have gotten very little, or even no, playing time. An academy player started at forward, along with Lucca Dourado, who has shown some flashes after an impressive college career. 19 year-old Tiago Suarez also started at center back, and 18 year-old Fernando Delgado started at keeper. All of those guys are talented players, and Legion should have been able to handle Little Rock. Adding to the frustration was the fact that the US Open stream was badly scrambled (more eggs!) for the first 30 minutes. Legion did draw a penalty in the box late in the first half, but Dourado's effort was weak and was easily saved. Halftime score was 0-0.

Early in the second half Little Rock fired a shot from outside the box after a mad scramble related to a corner kick. The shot went through heavy traffic and found it's way to the back of the net for a Rangers lead. At around 65 minutes, Legion made some wholesale changes, bringing in the first-teamers to try to salvage a win. Bham had over 70% through the game, but came up with a goose egg. Final score 0-1.

They will have a short turnaround before playing Detroit City on Saturday at 3:00. A win there will still make it look like an omelet is coming.