Week Ahead Preview
Legion will battle the Rowdies; Huntsville has a crucial match; UPSL is heating up
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Legion wil be at home this week against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday, September 17 at 11:30 AM. That start time is not a typo. The game is focused on getting school kids involved, and this is an opportunity for kids to come to the game on field trips, with discounted admission and a lunch provided, and educational activities throughout the stadium.
On the field, Birmingham will be looking for their first league win since July 11. The first match against the Rowdies was a 2-2 draw away, and was a game Birmingham should have won. Both teams are having seasons that they'd like to forget, but are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs. The stakes will add to what is already a heated rivalry, and I don't see how this game won't get chippy. Kavita and Hamouda should be back from International duties, but Jake Rufe staked his claim to a starting job with a Team of the Week performance against Tulsa. The biggest question will surround Shashoua, who was injured in last week's game, but has been practicing this week. Expect a street fight.
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: Nashville SC
Huntsville will be at home against New York Red Bulls 2, Saturday, September 13 at 7:00. Huntsville will be looking to change their fortunes from the current three game losing streak. They'll have to do that against the first place team in the East, and without Jordan Knight. Knight is a genuine success story, and an example for what NextPro is intended to be. He came to HCFC midway through last season from Crew 2 as a player with potential that couldn't quite find his way in Columbus. Since then, he's made 25 appearances for Huntsville, with 6 goals and an assist as a back/winger. Yesterday, he was moved up to a first team contract with Nashville; the contract runs through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028.
This will be the second game this season against Red Bulls, and Huntsville won the first 2-1. New York has gotten to the top of the table by being the top-scoring team in the league (61 goals), while also giving up 50. They gave up 9 of those to Chicago; the game was 0-1 when one of the New York players was red carded in the 14th minute, and then 10 goals were scored after (they lost 2-9). They bounce between close contests, and track meets. Huntsville will need to find a way to slow everything down.
UPSL
Division 1 teams begin play this week, with UMA 2 and Columbus Knight Eagles competing in Lower Alabama coverage. The Fall season is typically tighter than Spring, and represents quite a decline this year. Across both divisions, I had 7 teams to follow through Spring, but will only see 4 in the Fall.
FC Birmingham vs Potros; Sunday, September 14 at 3:30. FCB turned in a good performance week 1, and will be looking to build on that against Potros, who is always a top performer.
FC Columbus Elite vs Georgia Revolution; Saturday, September 13 at 5:00. Colgaelite stumbled out of the gate with a loss last week, and things don't get easier this week. The Revs are going to be tough, and points here for Elite would be an upset.
Middle Georgia United vs Columbus Knight Eagles; Sarurday, September 13 at 4:00. CKE is building a strong program, and also has a highly competitive team in the local league in Columbus. This should be a good early match-up to give an indication for where each of these teams might be headed for the Fall.
UMA FC 2 vs Angelus; Sunday, September 14 at 5:00. Angelus is a new team out of Macon that's got a mix of former semi-pro players, and reportedly some that have had professional experience. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding UMA 2, since the club merged with Fountain City, but doesn't have a team in Premier for the Fall. That could easily indicate that there could be some higher experience and quality on the field for UMA, making this a very intriguing game.