
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Birmingham Legion FC heads right back to the Protective Stadium pitch after just a three-day layoff for a big USL Championship Eastern Conference showdown with Rhode Island FC on Wednesday. It’s the middle game of a grueling eight-day stretch that will later see The Three Sparks, still on the mend from a slew of injuries, travel out west to New Mexico United on Saturday.
“It’s a short rest but we trust our staff with our recovery program to get our legs ready,” said defender Moses Mensah. “It’s about getting the right rotations and we believe in everyone, whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, to just fight for the team and bring their A game by helping each other.”
MATCH INFO
- Birmingham Legion FC (8W-7L-3D) vs Rhode Island FC (4W-4L-10D)
- USL Championship | Matchday 19
- Wednesday, July 17 – 7:00 p.m. CT
- Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Ala.
- Watch: CBS Sports Network
But while it is such a short period between matches, Legion FC still found some things to work on and implement in the limited time – namely, figure out how to take its second half performance against Colorado Springs and extend it to the full 90 minutes. Head coach Tom Soehn felt that his squad played too direct in the first half of last Saturday’s match which was the root cause of the turnover and subsequent Switchbacks FC goal that put Birmingham in a 1-0 hole within the first 11 minutes.
“First half was not good enough and there has got to be a reality check and have a look at the things that we need to improve upon,” said Soehn. “It was just much better (in the second half) and so much in line with the team that we were when we were at our best.”
And Birmingham at its best is a team that controls possession, something it didn’t do in the first half against Colorado Springs, but made up for it in spades in the second half, culminating in Stefano Pinho’s winner in the 85th minute.
Over the course of Legion FC’s last five matches, it had the upper-hand in the possession in each of its three wins, but failed to do so in the two defeats.
“We got to be moving the ball,” Soehn said of his club that currently ranks third in the USL Championship with an 82% pass accuracy rate. “Playing in (our opponent’s) end and then when the ball turns over, be in a position to win it back and that was all better (in the second half against Colorado Springs).”
After snapping a streak of 180 minutes with just one goal by notching a pair on Saturday, there should be scoring opportunities for Legion FC on Wednesday with Rhode Island FC having allowed 28 goals this season on 80 shots faced. However, the USL Championship debutants have discovered a recent run of form and are in the midst of a five-match unbeaten streak that began with a huge 5-2 upset over league leaders Louisville City FC and was most recently extended over the weekend with a 3-2 road victory over Miami FC.
“They are a counter attack team that has some weapons up top and they’ve been getting results lately,” Soehn said of Rhode Island FC, who enters the match one spot out of playoff positioning in the East at 9th place with 22 points.
“There’s never any easy games in our league, so we have to match their mentality, because you have a lot of guys coming in who used to play in Birmingham, so we know they are going to have a little extra venom and we’re going to have to match that.”
Led by coach Khano Smith, who served as an assistant under Soehn in Birmingham from 2019 through 2023 and featuring former Legion FC forward JJ Williams and Birmingham-native Clay Holstad in the midfield, Rhode Island FC’s calling card in its first season has been its physicality.
Through 18 matches this season, the squad has conceded 265 total fouls with 54 yellow cards and three red cards, all of which rank near the top amongst the other USL Championship teams. So while Legion FC has its sights set on a fourth victory at home and its second in-a-row, its knows that it will certainly have to earn it.
“It’s all about teamwork,” said forward Prosper Kasim. “We’ve watched the video and we know their strengths and we know their weaknesses, so we’ll just keep playing until we find the right time to punish them. They are starting to find their rhythm and are starting to win some games.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but I think we’re going to come out with a win.”
Follow Along
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Presented by Coca-Cola, Legion FC will be debuting a new Sprite Chill-themed kit, marking the first time that Sprite has ever sponsored a soccer kit. The match will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network and Legion FC is urging the Birmingham community to Pack Protective with a special offer of $25 VIP Club Seats (55% discount). Fans that are interested can contact the Legion FC ticket department HERE. General admission tickets can be purchased HERE.