BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The road to the playoffs got a bit tougher for Birmingham Legion FC as it closed out its 2024 slate at Protective Stadium with a 3-0 defeat to Las Vegas Lights FC on Sunday night. A goal from the visitors in the 18th minute had The Three Sparks chasing a result from the early going, and while it did have ample chances to equalize, the goal never came, allowing for Las Vegas to settle the match with a pair of goals in the final eight minutes of play.
With the loss, Legion FC is now winless in its last three outings and finds itself in ninth place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference table. Staying on 42 points, the squad is tied in that category with three other teams, but does not have the tiebreaker over seventh place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and eighth place North Carolina FC. Birmingham does hold the advantage over 10th place Loudoun United FC.
In a match not too dissimilar from last week against North Carolina, the home side matched its opponents blow-for-blow in everything but the scoresheet. Legion FC finished with 14 total shots to 15 from the Lights, but had the advantage in final third entries (55-50), as well touches in the opposing box (29-27). However, goals were once again hard to come by, despite testing Las Vegas-loanee George Marks in the goalkeeper’s debut appearance for the club.
After the away side opened the scoring with a goal from Joe Gyau in the 18th minute, Birmingham nearly responded right back two minutes later when Marks spilled a long-range effort from midfielder Rida Zouhir. Derek Dodson was first to the free ball and laced a right-footed stinger that Marks got in the way of, before punching it away to keep the score at 1-0 all the way into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Birmingham again threatened to draw even in the 48th minute with Dodson forcing a turnover at midfield and quickly played Diba Nwegbo through the middle of the pitch and in on goal. With Las Vegas defender Shawn Smart racing behind him, the Legion FC forward tried to cut the ball back towards his preferred left foot, but the touch got too far away and Marks was quick to pounce on the ball.
As Legion FC continued to probe and throw more numbers into the attack, the best opportunity for the equalizing goal occurred in the 72nd minute when an errant pass from Marks went straight to Preston Tabort Etaka before it reached the halfway line. With some space in front of him and the goalkeeper off of his line, Tabort Etaka took one touch before unleashing a shot from 40-yard’s out that was destined for the back of the net if not for a scrambling Marks diving backwards to get a fingertip on the ball to push it to the crossbar, before his defense cleared it out of play.
The crossbar would come into play again just three minutes later on a Birmingham corner. Kobe Hernandez-Foster’s in-swinging ball from the right side allowed for defender Alex Crognale to get a head on it by the back post, but it was just a little high as the ball once again deflected off the goal and was put out of harm’s way.
With even more numbers pushed up the field, Las Vegas was able to find its openings on the counter that led to a pair of goals to lock up the victory. The first coming in the 87th minute from Coleman Gannon, who also provided the assist to Gyau’s first half goal. And then in the third minute of stoppage time, Christian Pinzon left no doubt with a right-footed strike that beat Legion FC goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg to the far post to cap off the scoring.
Match Details
| BOX SCORE | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF | FINAL |
| LV (13W – 8L – 11D; 50 PTS) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| BHM (12W – 14L – 6D; 42 PTS) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
LINEUPS
LV: Marks – GK, Doody, Jabang, Hafferty, Smart, Gannon, Adams – C (Nigro 86′), Ngando (Pinzon 79′), Gyau (Gartig 69′), Bennett (Asante 79′), Covil (Noel 69′)
BHM: Spangenberg – GK, Mensah (Matheus 83′), Kavita – C, Crognale, Dodson, Perez (Pasher 45′), Hernandez-Foster, Zouhir, Nwegbo (Pinho 79′), Martinez, Rufe (Tabort Etaka 58′)
GOALS
LV: Gyau 18′; Gannon 87′; Pinzon 90+3′
BHM:
DISCIPLINE
LV: Bennett (Yellow) 73′
BHM: Hernandez-Foster (Yellow) 5′; Rufe (Yellow) 45′; Tabort Etaka (Yellow) 64′
NEXT UP
Still in the playoff hunt but no longer controlling its own destiny, Birmingham Legion FC will finish the 2024 USL-C season with a pair of road matches in which it will need to get results and some help along the way. The Three Sparks head up north to face Indy Eleven on Saturday, October 19 and then conclude the season with a trip to the Bay Area on Saturday, October 26 to take on Oakland Roots SC.
