MATCH INFO:
Indy Eleven vs Birmingham Legion FC
Saturday, September 10
6:00pm CT Kickoff
Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Watch – My68 & ESPN+
Birmingham Legion FC hits the road on Saturday, August 10 for the second match in a row to take on Indy Eleven as the Three Sparks continue to battle for a home playoff game in its point-locked race with fourth place Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Saturday’s match will be the first time these two sides meet this season, with their second tie being the last game of the regular season on October 12 at Protective Stadium. In the head-to-head against each other, the Magic City team has four wins over Indy’s two. Birmingham has won the last three matchups.
Legion come into the game fresh off a 1-1 draw against Miami FC with three wins, one loss, and one draw in its last five matches. Its attack this season has been deadly with Bruno Lapa (five goals), Juan Agudelo (seven goals), Prosper Kasim (seven goals), and Enzo Martinez (11 goals and 59 chances created) being its strike-force in the final third.
Agudelo, for his recent hot form of four goals and two assists in the month, has been nominated for the USL Championship’s August Player of the Month. Legion fans can vote for Agudelo to win the award here.
The Magic City’s attack will certainly pose a threat to Indy’s backline, and fans can expect many shots from Legion FC with Birmingham being tied in the USL Championship for most shots taken this season at 445. Along with the most shots across the Championship, the Three Sparks have scored the seventh most goals across the league with 45 on the season – a figure tied with LA Galaxy II and Western Conference leaders San Antonio FC.
Indy Eleven have recently found great form. On August 27, the Indianapolis side earned an impressive win over league-wide point leaders San Antonio FC, and just four days later found a win over Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City FC. They then went and tied against Detroit City FC to, all in all, make a compelling case that Saturday night’s match will be a worthy challenge for Legion FC. Stéfano Pinho is the main attacking threat that the Three Sparks need to keep an eye on – the Brazilian leads his squad with nine goals and found the net twice in the Blues’ victory against Louisville.
Although its recent form has been great, the Indianapolis side will have to work hard for goals against an iron-made Black & Gold defense that accounts for the fourth fewest goals conceded across the League (26). Indy has not been the most prolific team this season in the final third, having scored just 28 times in 27 matches to make them second across the Championship in the least goals scored.
For this week’s UAB Medicine Injury Report, defender Freddy Kleemann is again the only person on the list, as he is still out due to a torn ACL.
Fans can tune in to My68 or ESPN+ to watch the match and can follow @bhmlegion on twitter for live match updates.
The Three Sparks return to Protective Stadium on Wednesday, September 14, at 7:00PM for the only home game of the month to take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in a pivotal contest in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and fans can grab tickets today!
For team updates, news and more, follow @bhmlegion on social media, sign up for Legion FC’s Newsletter, or visit bhmlegion.com. The Legion FC app is also available for download via Apple or Android. For gameday reminders, sync the Legion FC 2022 schedule to your calendar HERE.
