Former teammates Preston Tabort Etaka and Neco Brett combined against their former club in the 1-0 win
Birmingham, Ala. (September 10, 2023) — Birmingham Legion FC took all three points in a much-needed victory on Sunday. Dominating play throughout the entire fixture, the hosts finally got its goal in the 73rd minute of the 1-0 victory.
“I mean, obviously, the three points are so important at this stage because it kind of reels everybody back in,” said Head Coach Tommy Soehn. “But still, the performance of the day we had so many opportunities to put this game away and we didn’t, and we kept them around. I think the win breeds confidence, but we still have to go about it better.”
The first half of play saw the Black & Gold dominate on the attack, leading the game in shots 11-3 before halftime. Legion’s expected goal ratio by the end of the first half was 1.31 compared to New Mexico’s 0.15.
The second half was a similar story on the attack, with Legion having ten shots over the visitor’s five. Although it kept knocking, however, the hosts could not find its breakthrough. Not until the 79th minute, when substitute Preston Tabort Etaka ran down the right channel and gave a pin-point pass to Neco Brett hovering at the back post. Legion’s talisman hammered it in for his 11th goal of the season. Both Etaka and Brett formerly played for New Mexico in 2022.
“He’s like one of my good friends, you know what I mean?” said Brett on Etaka. “We played on the same team last year. Before the game, I was just telling him to make sure you’re prepared when you get on the field. Just do what you do best. He’s very good 1v1, know what I mean? So I just make sure whenever he gets the ball I position myself properly in the box. Whenever the ball comes to me, I can just easily tap it in. And that’s what happened.”
“He [Preston] gets down on the flanks and he’s willing to serve a ball,” Soehn said on Etaka’s performance. “When you have a guy like Neco Brett, he survives on service and his ability to get around the corners and serve that ball. I mean, he [Preston] set up Neco for one and he set up Matthew for another. It was a game that asked for speed and he [Preston] did a good job of opening up the game.”
Brett, no. 11, now leads the team in goals with 11 to his name in 2023. He is also Legion’s all-time top goalscorer with 38.
“It means a lot,” Brett said on being Legion’s top goalscorer. “It’s a pleasure. I just want to say a big thank you to my teammates because, without them, I don’t think you could score those goals. So it’s just all about putting myself in the right place, but also appreciating what my teammate does.”
The defense did its job spectacularly today as well, with Matt VanOekel and co. keeping New Mexico’s mouth shut the entire game. Coming off of a couple games with detrimental defensive mistakes, tonight’s clean sheet was a lifeline for the team’s confidence going forward.
“It’s really important,” Soehn said on what the clean sheet means. “This is a stretch where you really have to breed confidence and you need one to get a second one right. So, it was important. We got three points. I think we can go about it in a better fashion, but you have to get this one to get the next one.”
The overall fluidity of the team was a highlight as well. The back line and midfield connected well to push the ball up the field, with Matthew Corcoran acting as a pivot for centerbacks to push up.
“It’s all about the work on the training ground and the tactics that the coach put in place for us,” said Brett on the quality of play against New Mexico. “We were just following it and making sure that we are sharp and making sure we’re doing what’s right.”
Match Details
Box Score:
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | |
| Birmingham | 0 | 1 |
| New Mexico | 0 | 0 |
Goals:
BHM – 78′ – #11 Neco Brett (assisted by #28 Preston Tabort Etaka)
Starting XI:
BHM – 4-2-3-1 – #1 Matt VanOekel; #3 Phanuel Kavita, #4 Collin Smith, #21 Alex Crognale, #33 Moses Mensah (79′ – #16 Gabriel Alves); #5 Mikey Lopez (87′ – #13 Jake Rufe), #17 Matthew Corcoran; Enzo Martinez, #9 Juan Agudelo (63′ – #28 Preston Tabort Etaka), #10 Prosper Kasim; #11 Neco Brett (79′ – #7 Diba Nwegbo)
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