
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – For a second consecutive match, Birmingham Legion FC showed that it can never be counted out of a match. Unfortunately, a furious second half comeback was not enough as its account in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup came to a close on Wednesday night with a 6-4 defeat in extra time to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
After scoring four unanswered goals to tie the game in regulation, it was pair of extra time goals from Tampa Bay forward Manuel Arteaga that proved to be the difference, ending Legion FC’s fourth U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 32.
“We just didn’t execute our gameplan that we talked about leading up to the match,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn. “We came back from four goals down, but some of the goals that we let in before and after that, we just can’t let happen and we have to be better in those areas.”
The loss snaps a three-match winning streak and five-match unbeaten streak against the Rowdies, dating back to 2022. Birmingham will now look to exact a bit of revenge when it returns to Al Lang Stadium on Saturday to again face Tampa Bay in USL Championship action.
“We got to sit back and watch the film and figure out all we did wrong,” Soehn said. “Hopefully when we see them again we will be a lot more organized and have better execution.”
Trailing 4-0 with less than 10 minutes of regulation, the Three Sparks quickly flipped the match on its head a with four goals from the 82nd minute on – including a stoppage time brace from Tyler Pasher – to somehow send game into extra time.
The Birmingham comeback began on an Enzo Martinez’ goal in the 82nd minute that, at the moment, appeared to be nothing more than a consolation prize. However, substitute Kobe Hernandez-Foster’s followed with a beautiful left-footed curler in the 89th minute to cut the deficit in half. From there, Pasher took matters into his own hands, first in the third minute of stoppage time when he slotted home a left-footed strike off a nice find from Hernandez-Foster.
Then, in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time, the Canadian midfielder again found himself in a dangerous position and was able to draw contact in the box from Rowdies defender Eddie Munjoma for a penalty. Pasher then completed the comeback by perfectly placing the ensuing spot-kick into the upper right corner, somehow sending the match into extra time in front of a stunned Al Lang Stadium crowd.
“We reorganized a little bit after falling behind,” explained Soehn. “But after that, we switched off on the first goal in extra time and then our tired legs and throwing numbers forward led to the second.”
The scoring onslaught began innocently enough in the 25th minute, as Tampa Bay made the most of its first shot on target as Damian Rivera found some space behind the backline. Legion FC defender Phanuel Kavita tried to recover but the Rowdies forward cut the ball back onto his right foot and slotted a shot passed Fernando Delgado for the match’s first goal.
Things went from bad to worse for Birmingham just eight minutes later with Rivera getting yet another goal after a turnover in dangerous territory set up an open-net finish to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 advantage.
Jennings would then notch his second goal of the evening just before the stroke of halftime on a free header off a cross from Tampa Bay midfielder Blake Bodily. He would later complete his hat trick in the 79th minute, in what turned out to be more of a footnote as Legion FC began its own string of four unanswered with Martinez finding the net just three minutes later.
Match Details
BOX SCORE | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF | EXTRA TIME | FINAL |
BHM | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
TB | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
LINEUPS
BHM: Delgado – GK, Mensah, Paterson (Crognale 80′), Kavita – C (Rufe 71′), McCartney (Hamouda 99′), Kasim, Pasher, Nwegbo (Murana 23′), Martinez, Tabort Etaka (Perez 45′), Pinho (Hernandez-Foster 45′)
TB: Farr – GK, Guillen – C, Dennis (Crisostomo 62′), Doherty, Munjoma, Hilton, Jennings (Ortiz 80′), Bodily (Lasso 71′), Perez (DeZart 90′), Rivera (Arteaga 62′), Niyongabire (Moon 71′)
GOALS
BHM: Martinez 82′, Hernandez-Foster 89′, Pasher 90+3′ 90+6′
TB: Rivera 25′, Jennings 34′ 45+6′ 79′, Arteaga 102′ 109′
DISCIPLINE
BHM: Mensah (Yellow) 42′, Paterson (Yellow) 50′, Crognale (Yellow) 91′, Rufe 120′
TB: Dennis (Yellow) 23′, Munjoma (Yellow) 82′, Arteaga (Yellow) 90+3′ (Red) 120+3′
NEXT UP
Birmingham Legion FC returns to USL Championship action this Saturday where it will face the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium for the second time in four days. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The club will then return to Protective Stadium next Wednesday, May 15 to face Eastern Conference-leading Charleston Battery.