Week Ahead Preview
Big Jagermeister game for Legion; Dothan making a run in USL2 playoffs
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: USL League One
Birmingham will be hosting Forward Madison in Jagermeister Cup action on Saturday, July 26 at 7:00. With a win, Legion should be able to punch their ticket into the knockout round. A draw will make things unnecessarily interesting. Forward has had a tough season in league play, but have shown recent improvements. Forward Madison has two players on loan from Legion that will be coming home for the game: Lucca Dourado and Temi Ereku. Dourado has started to heat up, and he added another goal mid-week against Tormenta. That gives him 3 goals and 2 assists in nine games with Madison. Unfortunately, he took a couple of knocks to the head in that game, and came out to be checked for a concussion. Hopefully he'll be available to make the trip down. Forward Madison head coach Matt Glaser also has strong ties to Mark Briggs from his days as a player, as well as his time as an assistant. Birmingham has important questions coming in, as far as personnel available. Trejo, Kavita, and Mensah might all be unavailable. There's a lot at stake, and Birmingham needs to pull together to get a result.
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: Huntsville City
Huntsville City will be at home this week for Space Night, facing Orlando City B on Friday, July 25 at 7:00. A new kit will be on the field, inspired by the orange safety suits worn by NASA astronauts. Huntsville and Orlando sit together in the standings, so this is a big game for both - truly a six point swing game. Orlando is a tough opponent for HCFC in this circumstance, as Orlando has won the past four meetings in a row. They have contrasting styles, and Huntsville is in danger of having high possession numbers, and giving up goals on the counter. The boys in blue will need to get a lead, and then limit Orlando's chances to run it back.
Dothan United
Image credit: USL League Two
Laurie Goddard was recognized by the league for his performances in last week's playoff games. Laurie scored all three of Dothan's goals. It should also be noted that the Dragons had clean sheets in both games last weekend.
Dothan United is in their second season, and they're making noise with a strong playoff run. They're on the road to Vermont this week as part of the playoff pod that will have the Southern and Eastern Conference championships. I've been checking the weather forecasts, and it's going to be a factor. Both Friday and Sunday now show high chances of thunderstorms, so if you're tuning into streams, be prepared for delays. Vermont Green will be hosting, so I recommend checking their social media channels for updates. Speaking of which, they posted a note saying that the games for this weekend sold out online in under thirty seconds (!). The crowds should be very enthusiastic.
Dothan's game on Friday is against Ft Lauderdale United, at 3:00 central time. FtLU is in their first season, and come into the Southern Conference championship game by way of a 2-1 upset over Sarasota Paradise. The Floridians have not lit up the scoreboard, but play soild defense. The Dragons come in from an arguably much tougher conference, where they were much more prolific scoring, and defensively conceded only 6 goals during the regular season. Both teams are here for good reason, and this will be a tough game. The winner will move on to face the Eastern Conference champ (Vermont Green or Lionsbridge) on Sunday. Vamos Dragons!