WEEKEND UPDATES

Weekend results through Sunday, May 26

Birmingham Legion

Last week, Legion played Charleston, the top team in the East (a 0-1 loss). The follow-up was a game on the road against Sacramento, who was the top team in the West coming into the game. Legion came out with aggressive play, and put a lot of pressure on the Republic. Neither side had a shot on target in the first half, and Sacramento came into the second half pushing forward. It made for a very back-and-forth game. Legion had the best chance of the night, working the ball into the box where Jake Rufe thought he was going to push it across the line. The Sacramento goalie had other ideas, and dove onto the ball just before it could cross. There was some very chippy play late, causing a red card to the Republic. Too little, too late, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Huntsville City

It's still relatively early in the season, but HV is on a bad path, with no answers. They've added some players on the roster, including a big defensive signing on Friday, but they are not yet in synch. They had hopes that they could show some improvement against Orlando City B, a fellowlower-table team. But the game wasn't close. HV loses 0-5.

USL2

Dothan United had their highly-anticipated home opener against Tennessee SC. With a big crowd on hand, they came out hot and built a 4-1 lead. Around the 60th minute, one of the Dragons dragged his feet while being subbed off, and things got chippy. The Dothan player ended up getting two yellow cards for the episode and being sent off before he was officially subbed, putting his team down to ten men. Luckily, this is a team with a lot of talent and speed, that also stays organized. No more harm was done, and the Dragons got a big 4-1 win in front of crowd of just under 5000 fans. They're shaping up to be the real deal.

GCPL

Alabama FC South vs Union 10

The initial meeting for these in-state teams. ALFCS came into the match after easily handling AFC Mobile 3-0 last week. They jumped out over Union 10, and were up 3-0 at halftime. Union came back strong and pushed back, but came up short. ALFCS wins 3-2

AFC Mobile

There's no way to sugar coat it. AFC has been looking forward to this first home game after last year's hiatus. They've had a very difficult time on defense, and this game was a big step backwards. They were down just 0-2 at halftime against Sowegans, but the wheels came off in the second half and AFC lost 1-9. They need to find a way to salvage what they can, and build something for next season.

Image credit: FC Birmingham Facebook page

UPSL

FC Birmingham was on the road against North Georgia United. NGA has had a porous defense this season, and FCB was able to take advantage with a 3-2 win. FCB still has a losing record, but is moving closer to playoff contention.

Other news and tidbits

Fountain City

Fountain City was on the road against Georgia Revolution Academy, looking to maintain first place in their division. With this being the first season for the club, it was hard to know what to expect. They have been dominant andremain undefeated, winning Saturday 4-0. Tristan Shytle scored twice, bringing his season total to 15.

Columbus United

This was the third straight away game to start their first season. The opponent this week was a tough Tallahassee side, and they came away with another draw, 1-1. It's hard to be disappointed with the three straight draws against very strong competition. Columbus has shown good balance so far.

One other note. Former Bham Legion player Marlon Santos has been on fire for the past five weeks for Memphis 901. During that time, he's scored five goals, had five assists, and the club has jumped from the lower part of the table in the USLC West, up to third place.