Detroit’s goal by Maxi Rodriguez sealed the win for the defensive Michigan side
Detroit, Michigan – Birmingham Legion FC dropped a frustrating three points on Saturday afternoon, losing 1-0 to Detroit City FC. Saturday’s loss makes it five league losses in the month of May for the Black & Gold. The squad, who played seven matches in May, will now get some much needed rest before its big match against Inter Miami on June 7.
Birmingham’s best chance in the first half came in the 22nd minute. Midfielder Mikey Lopez sent a ball through the lines to Tyler Pasher in behind, and Pasher laid it off for Enzo Martinez right in front of goal. Martinez struck it well but his shot was cleared on the goal line off the head of a Detroit defender.
Just a few minutes later Detroit capitalized on its only real chance of the first half. In a skillful solo effort Maxi Rodriguez scored to put Detroit up 1-0.
“[Detroit] is a team that doesn’t score much, but they don’t give up a lot,” said Head Coach Tommy Soehn on Detroit’s style of play. “Because they’re content with sitting and parking. So when you have an opportunity like that, you got to finish it. That’s how you open things up. Obviously, we didn’t so and then we concede probably the only chance they got in the first half. Now you’re chasing it a little bit.”
For the remainder of the game, chances were hard to come by for both sides. Legion FC led in expected goals (1.38 to 0.71) and possession (67.5% to 32.5%), but City sat back and concentrated on defense. The Michigan side rode its one goal advantage for the remainder of the game.
“There are no easy games in our league,” said Soehn. “Obviously, we’re putting a lot into the Open Cup and I realize we’re going to suffer in places, but I don’t feel like today that was an excuse at all. I thought we had fresh enough legs that we should have been able to get a result on the road in an environment where I know they’re going to pack it in, but unfortunately not our day. And now we have to turn the page and make sure we’re ready for Inter Miami.”
Box Score:
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | |
| Detroit | 1 | 0 |
| Birmingham | 0 | 0 |
Goals:
DET – 29’ – #21 Maxi Rodriguez
Starting XI:
BHM – 4-4-3 – #1 Matt VanOekel; #3 Phanuel Kavita, #33 Moses Mensah (57′ #16 Gabriel Alves), #2 Ben Reveno, #4 Collin Smith (63′ #23 Grayson Dupont); #6 Anderson Asiedu (63′ #17 Matthew Corcoran), #5 Mikey Lopez, #10 Prosper Kasim (81′ #7 Diba Nwegbo); #15 Tyler Pasher, #19 Enzo Martinez, #9 Juan Agudelo
The squad will return home for a US Open Cup Quarterfinal contest on Wednesday, June 7 at 7:00pm CT versus David Beckham’s Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami, at Protective Stadium! Ticket information will be announced early next week via Legion FC social media channels and the club website.
For all club news and updates fans are encouraged to follow @bhmlegion on social media and keep an eye on bhmlegion.com and the Legion FC app. Download the Legion FC app today on Apple or Android, and sync our 2023 schedule to your calendar HERE.
