BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It may not have been exactly how coach Tom Soehn and Birmingham Legion FC mapped it out when they woke up in the morning, but at the end of the season and in the middle of a fervent postseason chase, all that matters at this stage is three points in the end. That’s exactly what Legion FC achieved on Sunday afternoon in a 1-0 victory over Miami FC, with the difference coming from a stoppage-time golazo from forward Darwin Matheus on his club debut.
“It was one of those must-win games for us because we’re taking every game on as if it’s a playoff game,” said Legion FC assistant coach Eric Avila. “Darwin is a special player that we got and for him to come in and help the team, it just brings a lot of confidence for him and the team moving forward.”
Subbing on in the 62nd minute of a scoreless match to mark his first appearance with the club after signing on earlier in the month, the Venezuelan attacker felt the nerves gradually subside and found himself growing into the game as the second half went on.
That all culminated in the fourth minute of stoppage time when he saved an overshot cross from going out of bounds on the right side of the pitch. His third touch on the ball set himself up to unleash a left-footed strike towards the near post, catching Miami goalkeeper Khadim Ndiaye out of position as the ball blasted into the net to finally put Birmingham in front.
“It’s such a great satisfaction of scoring a goal on my debut,” Matheus said of his goal through an interpreter. “For any player, this generates a lot of confidence and I’m happy I helped us get the three points tonight.”
The matchwinner marks Matheus’ first professional goal since December 1 of last year when he scored the opener in a 2-0 win for Croatian club NK Istra 1961.
After seeing the ball go in, the 23-year-old Matheus casually and stoically turned and looked out at the Protective Stadium crowd that he just sent into a frenzy, before getting mobbed by his Legion FC teammates.
“We’ve actually seen him do that a couple of times this week at training, but not from that distance,” said Birmingham defender Jake Rufe. “That was fun watching him score and then look at the crowd, who I think are happy with our new signing, and I’m happy for him too.”
There was just as much celebration as there was a sense of relief for Birmingham who had the ball for much of the evening, but found it difficult to breakthrough against Miami FC’s low block. Legion FC finished the match with 40 more entries in the final third (84-44) and 13 more touches in the opposing team’s box (20-7). However, despite taking 20 shots to Miami FC’s 11, Birmingham had just one more on target (3-2), but Matheus made the most of it.
“We knew coming in that we have to try different ways to break them down,” Avila said. “It took a little bit longer than expected, but at the end of the day, it just takes one chance.”
Legion FC nearly thwarted its opponent’s defensive gameplan almost immediately after the opening whistle with Enzo Martinez forcing a turnover off of a high press in the fourth minute and playing in Tyler Pasher, but the curling shot just went wide of the post. Then five minutes later, Martinez found himself involved again when he received a cross from Dawson McCartney at the top of the six-yard box. Wearing the captain’s armband with Phanuel Kavita out, the veteran midfielder beat his lone defender by moving the ball to his left foot but his point-blank shot ricocheted off the outside of the post.
Birmingham continued its probing in the second half with McCartney narrowly pushing a shot wide in the 53rd minute and Moses Mensah doing the same in the 77th.
“It was a little frustrating, but it was better than them spending most of the time in our half,” explained Rufe who went the full 90 minutes at centerback. “We came out with a little different energy in the second half and were looking to break their lines down by moving the ball a bit quicker. A little bit of patience and creativity goes a long way, so we’re pleased that we were able to get three points.”
On the other side, Matt Van Oekel didn’t see too much action on his end with a pair of routine saves, but the veteran was vocal as always, helping Rufe and the Birmingham backline stymie any potential Miami counterattack to solidify his fifth, and the club’s seventh, clean sheet of the season.
With Sunday’s victory along with the other results around the league, Birmingham moves back up to fifth place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings on 41 points, four behind fourth place Detroit City FC and one ahead of Rhode Island FC and Indy Eleven at sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Match Details
| BOX SCORE | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF | FINAL |
| MIA (3W – 24L – 2D; 11 PTS) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BHM (12W – 12L – 5D; 41 PTS) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
LINEUPS
MIA: Ndiaye – GK, Barbir, Knutson, Cardona – C, Mitrano, Palacios, Genzano (Ayimbila 62′), DeZart (De Paula 66′), Molina, Lawrence (Joseph 62′), Gavilanes
BHM: Van Oekel – GK, Mensah (Pinho 79′), Rufe, Crognale, Dodson, Hernandez-Foster, Martinez – C, Zouhir (Perez 84′), McCartney, Pasher (Hamouda 84′), Nwegbo (Matheus 62′)
GOALS
MIA:
BHM: Matheus 90+4′
DISCIPLINE
MIA:
BHM: Zouhir (Yellow) 39′; Martinez (Yellow) 90′
NEXT UP
With just five matches left in the 2024 regular season, Legion FC heads back out on the road next weekend for a Saturday showdown at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on September 28. The Three Sparks will then be back in action at Protective Stadium on October 6 when it hosts North Carolina FC. KIck-off for that match is set for 4 p.m. CT and tickets can be purchased HERE.
