Week Ahead Preview
Yellow cards a factor for Legion; Huntsville face New England; UPSL Fall kicks off
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Birmingham will be headed into Saturday’s match against FC Tulsa without some key players. Tyler Pasher is recovering from a hamstring injury, and Phanuel Kavita and Ramiz Hamouda have been called up for international duty. In addition, Edwin Laszo wil be serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation. Laszo was a key player in Legion's earlier win over Tulsa, his former team. On the other side, Tulsa will also be without their captain, center back Ab Cissoko, also due to accumulation, and they had a couple of key players out for last week's game against Colorado Springs (Rogers and Webber). All in all, depending on who else might be back from nagging issues (Howell, Saucedo, McCartney, Turnbull), Legion may actually be short of having a full 18 players available.
(note: Legion did add another midfielder on Thursday. Peter-Lee Vassell has been on trial with the club for a couple of weeks. He has USL Championship and Jamaican national team experience, and was most recently with Montego Bay United, from the Jamaicai Premier League)
That's a long lead-in to say this is likely to be a tough game for Legion, and very difficult to predict. Tulsa is the top team in the West for a reason: they win a lot of games. Their 12 wins have them eight points above second place Sacramento, in the driver's seat for a number one seed for the playoffs. Their past three games have actually been subpar performances, resulting in a 1-1-1 run, where they've also only scored two goals in that brief stretch. Legion's hope will have to come from the attack that put three deliberate goals past Orange County last week. Hopefully, another week of practice with newcomers will only improve the chemistry. There should also be a very capable backline of Rufe, Patterson, and Suarez available. The questions will center around who might be on the bench for relief. Legion must find a way to win this one, and then look for it to be a spark for a run into the playoffs.
Huntsville City FC
Huntsville had a great run of six games unbeaten that vaulted them to second place in the East, but last week's loss to Atlanta United 2 was their second loss in a row, and has dropped them to third. The teams immediately below them have closed ranks, and the table is tight - sixth place Chattanooga is just two points behind HCFC. The regular season is winding down, and Huntsville will be fighting to protect playoff positioning.
Next up is fifth place New England Revolution 2, who trail Huntsville by one point in the standings. While HCFC thrives on controlling possession, NE is far less predictable. Huntsville will need to take control early and avoid letting the Revs frustrate them by trying to take them out of their game. The Boys in Blue need to get points on the road to avoid getting a sharp drop in the table. The game is Monday, September 8 at 6:00.
UPSL
The Premier season starts up this weekend for Lower Alabama teams, and the slate is thin. Two out of the four teams from the Spring are absent, as UMA and Fountain City have merged, and are taking a break for the Fall season.
Expansion and adjustments have seen Georgia split into two zones, and also means that FC Birmingham will still be competing in the Premier division (they had expected to be relegated) in Georgia Zone 2. They'll be on the road on Saturday, September 6 against Scenic City SC at 6:00. Scenic City will be playing their first game at thr Premier level after a very strong Spring season in Division 1. This will be a great early test for both teams.
Image credit: FC Columbus Elite
FC Columbus Elite will be in Georgia Zone 1, and will be visiting Georgia Athletic SC. Elite is building a solid program, playing their way up through Division 1 in 2024, and then becoming competitive through their first season at the Premier level this Spring. I'll be looking for some new additions to the roster, as UMA and Fountain City (who also merged) aren't playing this Fall, and there should be extra players available in Columbus. Elite won the last meeting between these teams, and will be looking for a strong start for Fall. The game is Sunday, September 7 at 2:00 ET.
Scoreboard watching
Image credit: Google
This exercise is showing a clear picture: time is running out for Legion's playoff hopes. When I started this segment a couple of weeks ago, the table was very compressed at the bottom, and a single win would make a big difference. The problem is that several other teams got those wins, while Birmingham has gotten draws and losses. I fear that this exercise will soon become irrelevant. This is a week that's heavy on games that are East vs West, and here's what would help Birmingham the most (in addition to an elusive Bham win).
Lexington vs North Carolina. NC needs to lose.
Detroit City vs Orange County. Detroit needs to lose.
Charleston vs Indy Eleven. Indy needs to lose.
Rhode Island vs Louisville. Rhode Island needs to lose.
Tampa Bay vs Sacramento. Tampa needs to lose.
Miami vs Hartford. Miami needs to lose.
El Paso vs Loudon United. Loudon needs to lose.
Oakland vs Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh needs to lose.
Detroit City vs New Mexico (Wed). Detroit needs to lose.