Week Ahead Preview

Week of Sat Mar 8 thru Fri Mar 14

Last weekend gave a small taste of Spring getting started, but things start rolling this weekend with USL and MLS NextPro kicking off their seasons. Let's get this party started!

Image credit: ESPN

Birmingham Legion FC

Legion vs Loudon United Sat Mar 8 at 7:00

2024 was a season that Legion would like to forget. There were a ton of injuries, there were seven(!) different goalies rostered throughout the season, and Legion missed the playoffs for the first time in club history. The off-season saw some key departures, and some big signings.

Notably, Ronaldo Damus and Danny Trejo were signed in an effort to revamp the attacking third. Center back Alex Crognale left to go to San Antonio, and most pundits see this as a gaping hole. I don't see it the same way. There was some obvious friction on the field between Crognale and team captain Phanuel Kavita (the other starting CB), and he had a tendency to get too far forward for my tastes. Legion have added some young newcomers to the defensive stable, as well as seeing 16 year-old Ramiz Hamouda make some leaps forward. Ramiz has seen significant minutes at CB during preseason, in addition to some time as CDM. Additionally, he spent a month training with Werder Bremen this off-season, and showed his quality in matches with the U17 USYNT. Stephen Turnbull also comes in to fill some big shoes left from the loan ending for Derek Dodson.

The lingering questions for Legion will come from the midfield, where Matthew Corcoran has moved on to Nashville SC. Preseason has seen a lot of different looks here, and it appears that Dawson McCartney will get some time as an attacking midfielder, in addition to loanee Roman Torres. The pieces are there, and Legion needs them to gel. Kobe Foster-Hernandez should be the key to making it all work.

For the match against Loudon United, Enzo Martinez is expected to be out (serious damper on the midfield), serving his suspension for a red card against Oakland in the last game of 2024. Loudon made very few changes from last year's team, and are a team that has given Legion trouble at times. They split the series last year, with the road team winning each game. Birmingham will be looking to get on the board early (a severe weakness last year), and be strong defensively. There's not much time to get things worked out, as Louisville City comes to town in week 2. Bham simply cannot afford to start the season 0-2 at home.

Huntsville City FC

Huntsville at Chicago Fire II Sun Mar 9 at 3:00

Huntsville City is looking to see if they can turn things around in their third season. Fan support was excellent over the first two seasons, but results fell short on the field. A late season coaching change made for some noticeable improvements near the end of the season. The roster is almost entirely new, so there's not much to go on as a comparison to last season. I did see them play a preseason match against Legion, where they looked somewhat vulnerable in defense, but showed off a couple of attackers.

FC Birmingham

FCB vs Kalonji Pro-Profile Sat Mar 8 at 6:00

FCB played N Georgia tough last week, losing 2-4. It won't get easier this week, as KPP was the top team for the Fall season, and they're coming off of a 7-1 victory last week. This is a game where FCB will look to keep it close and try to steal a point at home.

FCB2 starts their Spring season in two weeks.

The Adjacency

Fountain City sees their first action of Spring, hosting North Georgia United Sat Mar 8 at 6:00. This will be an early test to see if Fountain can improve from their mid-table finish in Fall. As a refresher, Fountain was a new club last year, going undefeated in the Spring Div 1 season. After gaining promotion to Premier, they showed some flashes, but couldn't quite keep up.

FC Columbus Elite welcomes UMA FC to town for an early match, Sat Mar 8 at 2:00. This is effectively the opener of a double-header, as Fountain City plays their match at the same stadium a few hours later. Elite comes in off of a harsh defeat, and this is UMA's first match of the season. UMA was a lower table team in Premier in the Fall, giving up a ton of goals. Elite will be looking for a result here at home, as this is a game they should be expected to win.

We're still two weeks away from Columbus Knight Eagles starting their second season in Div 1.