Week Ahead Preview
Legion has a tough task; Huntsville looks to continue momentum
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Legion has had a tough year, but they're not alone. We're deep into the season, and the table is a mess. In the East (12 teams), sixth place through twelfth place are separated by just four points. Every result, especially against an opponent from the same division, has huge implications. Wednesday night saw two games played that had a big impact on Legion's place in the standings. Rhode Island beat Detroit City 1-0, and Hartford beat Miami 2-0. Those two results shuffled Birmingham from eighth place to tenth… and sets up a big showdown Saturday night in Birmingham.
Hartford comes into town, and their current form is about as good as anyone in the league. They dominated Miami on Wednesday night 2-0, and manhandled New Mexico last week, winning 4-0. That has them scoring 6 goals, and putting up two clean sheets in their most recent games. Hartford has been faced with several injuries throughout the season, but finally have most of the team back healthy. For context, they have the 6 goals from the two recent games, and 15 goals over the fifteen games prior. One of those early goals came from a 1-0 win over Birmingham back on April 19. Legion has been vastly improved as well, with one win and four draws in their past seven games in all competitions. They'll need to pull it together and cash in on chances created, which has been a struggle. Hartford will pounce on any error that's made and be quick to punish Birmingham. The playoffs are within reach for both of these teams, and I expect this to be very physical. The referee will have a busy night at the office. Birmingham and Hartford square off on Saturday, August 9 at 7:00.
Players to watch: Mamadou Dieng for Hartford, Sebastian Tregarthen for Birmingham
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: MLS. Jesus Ibarra had the NextPro goal of the year in 2024, and has just signed with Carolina Core
Huntsville brings in Carolina Core this week on Sunday, August 10 at 6:00. The Boys in Blue have been red hot, winning both of their two most recent games 4-0. Huntsville has paired an explosive offense with a smothering defense, and they're doing that with a system built around possession. That's not the “trendy” thing for most clubs today, but the system is working very well for them.
The Core are one of two independent teams in NextPro (the other is Chattanooga FC), and this is their second year competing. Carolina has been a bit up and down this season, but come into Huntsville in good form. Their two most recent games were wins over first place Philadelphia and fifth place New England. They're a very middle-of-the-road team for goals scored, goals allowed, and points. The biggest danger for Huntsville here is not to get overconfident. Carolina has also just signed veteran Jesus Ibarra, most recently at Chattanooga, adding a great piece to a team that's already dangerous.
Scoreboard Watching
The playoff race in the USL Championship is getting intense. Birmingham Legion is trying to get above the playoff line, and stay there. For Legion fans, that means it's time to keep an eye on games that can help:
Sat Aug 9 Rhode Island vs Loudon. Best result: Loudon win (sorry Matthew C)
Sat Aug 9 Pittsburgh vs Orange County. Best result: Pittsburgh loss
Sat Aug 9 Detroit City vs Indy Eleven. Best result: draw
Sat Aug 9 Miami vs El Paso. Best result: Miami loss
Sat Aug 9 North Carolina vs Tampa Bay. Best result: Tampa loss
Sat Aug 9 Louisville City vs Charleston. Nothing good comes from this, other than a game that will surely be excellent to watch.
If every single thing were to go Legion's way (including a Bham win over Hartford), then Legion will hop up to a tie with Detroit at 6/7 in the East. Legion and Detroit played to a 2-2 draw in the only match they'll have this season, and I haven't dug deep into other layers of tiebreakers.