Weekend Results

Legion get another draw; Huntsville gets a big win; UMA's playoff run ends

Birmingham Legion FC

Image credit: Birmingham Legion

Birmingham was on the road Saturday to face Rhode Island, who some people have called “Legion North”. Last year's Rhode Island team had several former Legion players, and head coach Khano Smith was an assistant here as well. The two remaining players with ties to Legion (Heriveaux, and JJ Williams) were both unavailable due to injury, but Birmingham has former Rhode Island player Stephen Turnbull, who started the match. Turnbull would prove to be instrumental, as he made a dangerous run into the area and served up a beautiful cross to Ronaldo Damus to take the lead in the 27th minute. Rhode Island managed to get an equalizer from Fuson just before the half, and the score was 1-1 at halftime.

The second half continued with a high level of intensity for both teams. In total, there were 30 fouls called, and seven yellow cards. Legion had some great opportunities to score, but couldn't get the ball across the line. The final score was a 1-1 draw - the third draw in a row for Birmingham.

Some other thoughts and observations:

Despite the ugly 2-4 loss to Louisville, the Birmingham defense has tightened up. In the other 11 games since Briggs took over, Birmingham has allowed 10 goals. They look to be adapting well to the new formation that sees three center backs in play. One challenge to come may be that Phanuel Kavita left the RI game early with what looked like a hamstring injury. The club still has four other solid CB's on the roster.

The offense is ridiculously close to breaking out. The chances are being created in bunches, and the game of inches is likely to turn Birmingham's way sooner than later. The work is consistently being done to score 3-4 goal per game.

Delgado got the start in goal, which was a small surprise, but not a shock. Van Oekel had a terffic game against Charleston, but also got a little banged up. Trevor Spangenberg has been the third keeper on the roster, but he's been unavailable for a few weeks with a back issue. Look for Birmingham to possibly pick up a keeper on a short-term contract.

Huntsville City FC

HCFC was on the road against first-place New York Red Bulls 2. I had predicted that this would be a high-scoring game, but it was not. New York took an early lead in the 26th minute, and held on 1-0 at the half. Huntsville was content to let NY have the bulk of possession, and look for opportunities on the counter. The Boys in Blue got an equalizer in the 72nd minute, and then pulled ahead just 11 minutes later. They get a huge 2-1 win on the road.

UPSL

Image credit: Potros FC

UMA FC were road warriors through the playoffs, they finally got knocked out by Potros on Saturday night. It was a hard-fought loss for UMA, falling 0-1. Going back into the regular season, it was their fourth road game in a row. Potros claims the conference championship for the Spring, and moves on to face Asheville FC in the national round of 32.