WEEK AHEAD PREVIEW
Saturday Sept 21 thru Friday Sept 27
Image credit: USL Championship Youtube
Birmingham Legion
Sunday Sept 22 vs Miami FC 4:00
Legion comes into this game after a total meltdown against Loudon last week. Miami comes to town, and… nobody should be excited about that. Miami has been a bad team this season by almost any measure. Legion has had a tough time winning at home, and there's that nagging feeling that comes from an ex-Bham player being on the other team (Murana, who was shuffled away mid-season). The bottom line is that Bham should win this game easily. But in the first meeting, Legion only beat them 1-0. If they aren't laser-focused, they could be facing an embarrassing upset before having to go on the road to Pittsburgh next week.
Huntsville City
Sunday Sept 22 vs FC Cincinnati 2 at 6:00
Huntsville has earned three wins and a draw over their last seven games. The story here is very (very) straightforward. Cincinnati is the top team in the East in NextPro, having 14 wins, compared to HV's 7 wins. Notably, Cincy (41) and HV (38) have scored a very similar number of goals. That Cincinnati total is the lowest GF (by quite a bit) among the top eight teams in the East. They make hay but not letting others teams score. Huntsville's defense was a struggle throughout the season, but has gotten much better after the coaching change. In their previous meeting this season, Cincy won 2-1. A Huntsville win would be an upset for sure, but Cincy could easily be looking ahead to the next game where they face top 5 NYCFC 2.
UPSL
FC Birmingham Sat Sept 21 vs Dalton United 7:00
FCB hosts the top team in the division, who is fresh off of last week's 4-0 win over Fountain City. In three games this season, Dalton has scored 11, and conceded 1. FCB has been solid so far, but this is going to be a huge test. A win for Birmingham would be an upset.
FCB2 Sat Sept 21 vs Limeno II at 3:00
FCB2 is coming into this second game after a losing effort, but good showing last weekend against Columbus Knight Eagles. Limeno lost 0-2 last week, so both teams will be looking for something to build on.
The Adjacency
Fountain City is finding that a promotion really does mean a move to a higher level. They're middle of the table with one win and two losses. They host Potros FC Sat Sept 21 at 6:00. Potros is 1-1-1 so far, and this should be a close game. I look for Fountain to get the win with home field advantage.
FC Columbus Elite vs Columbus Knight Eagles Sat Sept 21 at 1:00. This is the first meeting for these two Adjacency rivals. Elite had a big win on the road last week, and Eagles won in their first game at this level. Both teams bring experience to the game, and this should be a hard-fought close contest. I would think that Elite may carry the day with the confidence from the big performance last week.