Oakland, CA. – Birmingham Legion FC was moments away from securing all three points on Wednesday night before Oakland Roots SC found a stoppage-time equalizer in a 1-1 draw at the Oakland Coliseum.
After a scoreless first half, Legion broke through just two minutes after the restart. Romario Williams worked the ball into the attacking third and found Peter-Lee Vassell, who calmly finished in the 47th minute to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead.
The goal marked Vassell’s first USL Championship goal of the season and put the Black and Gold in position for an important road result.
Oakland controlled much of the possession throughout the evening, holding 66.7 percent of the ball and forcing Birmingham to defend for long stretches. Despite the pressure, Legion remained organized defensively and limited the Roots to few clear-cut chances.
Goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat came up with several key moments, finishing the night with two saves as Birmingham protected its lead deep into stoppage time.
The Roots finally found their breakthrough in the 93rd minute when Jesús de Vicente delivered a ball into the box that was finished by Peter Wilson, leveling the match at 1-1 just before the final whistle.
Despite the late disappointment, Birmingham earned a valuable road point while showing resilience against one of the Western Conference’s toughest home sides. “Excellent team effort today.” Jay Heaps says “Proud of how we responded after Saturday’s game and handled the challenging travel with such a quick turnaround.”
Legion finished with eight shots and two shots on target, while Vassell’s second-half strike accounted for the difference until the closing moments.
Birmingham Legion FC returns home Saturday night as the Black and Gold continue USL Championship play at Protective Stadium for a Father’s Day and Paw Patrol themed tonight.
