Weekend Results
Legion lose to Roots; Dothan comes up short against Asheville
Birmingham Legion FC
Birmingham hosted Oakland Roots on Saturday, and were coming in with positive vibes after a last-second win against Sacramento Republic on Wednesday. Legion trotted out a slightly different lineup to start the game, which saw Tyler Pasher on the bench (a mistake, in my opinion). The match took a sour turn almost immediately, as Edwin Laszo was given a yellow card within the first minute; it was certainly a foul, but the card seemed harsh. Throughout the first half, Legion had some quality chances, but couldn't quite find the back of the net. The score was 0-0 going into halftime.
The second half was a contrast to the first. Oakland pushed forward, and in the 55th minute Laszo committed a foul in the box. Kai Greene calmly slotted the PK home to gjve Oakland a 1-0 lead. The rest of the game was an exercise in frustration. Birmingham had some opportunities, but the Roots held them off to get the 1-0 win. I wouldn't have said that Legion played horribly, but Mark Briggs felt otherwise, and he eviscerated the team in the post-game press conference. At the halfway point for the season, Legion sit in tenth place in the table. They're just four points from being in sixth place, with a lot to still play for.
I understand the frustration for the coach, but my constructive criticism of him is that he needs to settle on a best starting lineup and get the chemistry sorted out. That should be job one, instead of juggling the lineup for every game.
Huntsville City FC
HCFC hosted Crown Legacy on Friday night, looking to climb back up the table. The first meeting between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw, with Huntsville winning the shootout. Crown Legacy would score first in this one, followed soon after by two quick goals by Huntsville. HCFC led 2-1 at the half. The second half saw the scoring go back and forth, until Crown got an equalizer in the 85th minute. Regular time ended at 3-3, but this time Crown Legacy would take the extra point from the shootout. Alan Carleton had a brace for Huntsville.
USL2
Feature match
Image credit: Dothan United
Dothan United fought hard against Asheville City until the last tick of the clock, but couldn't find their way to a goal. Asheville City scored in the 18th minute from a penalty kick for the only goal of the match. The Dothan pressure gave them some chances, and also kept Asheville from getting a second goal, but they went home empty-handed. After seven matches played, Asheville has conceded just one goal (against Columbus United), and has a firm grip on first place.
Other matches this week:
Tennessee SC 1-3 Columbus United. Columbus gets a huge win on the road, and moves into a three-way tie with Birmingham and Tennessee with 14 points.
Montgomery United 2-2 Apotheos FC
The League for Clubs
Feature match
Image credit: The League for Clubs
Union 10 were on the road against Sowegans with a chance to move into first place in the West division of the Gulf Coast Conference. Union came away with a big 3-1 win, passed Gaffa in the table, and has two games in hand. They look solid for a playoff spot.
In other action:
AFC Mobile 0-4 Tallahassee SC
UPSL
In the first round of the Premier division playoffs for the Georgia conference, UMA FC was on the road against Dalton United. The game went into overtime, and still ended knotted up at 6-6. UMA won the shootout to advance, where they'll face Kalonji Pro-Profile in the second round.
Women's matches
Feature match:
Legion WFC were on the road Friday night against Greenville Liberty. Despite a gritty performance, the Three Sparks couldn't get one by the Liberty keeper. Greenville won 2-0.
This week's matches:
Union 10 1-0 TLH Reckoning
FC Birmingham 1-11 865 Alliance