BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC put together one of its most complete performances of the season Saturday night, defeating FC Tulsa 3-1 at Protective Stadium behind a brace from Peter-Lee Vassell and a stoppage-time finish from Romario Williams.
After controlling the pace from the opening whistle, the Black and Gold were finally rewarded in the 28th minute. Sebastian Tregarthen threaded a pass into Peter-Lee Vassell, who calmly slotted home the opener to give Birmingham a deserved 1-0 lead.
Tulsa answered just five minutes later when Logan Dorsey capitalized on one of the visitors’ few opportunities to level the match at 1-1. Despite the equalizer, Legion never let its heads drop, continuing to dictate possession and create dangerous chances throughout the remainder of the half. Head Coach Jay Heaps praised his team’s resilience after surrendering the first-half equalizer.
“Tonight, there was no heads down. We kept going and kept going and kept going, and that’s what we need to do.”
That persistence finally paid off late in the second half.
In the 84th minute, Sebastián Saucedo found Vassell inside the box, and the midfielder buried his second goal of the night to restore Birmingham’s lead. With Tulsa pushing numbers forward in search of another equalizer, Legion struck one final time in stoppage time as Serge Ngoma slipped Romario Williams through on goal. The veteran striker calmly finished in the 93rd minute, sealing a convincing 3-1 victory and sending the home crowd into celebration.
The result reflected Birmingham’s dominance from start to finish. Samuel Shashoua orchestrated the attack with a match-high 10 chances created and 90 completed passes, while Vassell led the way with 11 shots and his first two league goals of the season.
Following the match, Vassell emphasized that Saturday’s performance is only the beginning.
“We have to keep on building on this and move forward.”
Williams echoed that sentiment after scoring the insurance goal in stoppage time.
“At the end of the day, our job is to put the ball in the back of the net. We’re starting to trend in the right direction, and we need to keep our foot on the gas pedal.”
Legion plays again July 24 in Shelby County at Dunnavant Valley Fields for an intimate fan experience matchup versus New Mexico United.
Match Notes
- Peter-Lee Vassell scored his first two USL Championship goals of the season with a brace.
- Romario Williams scored his second goal of the season in second-half stoppage time.
- Sebastian Tregarthen, Sebastián Saucedo and Serge Ngoma each recorded an assist.
- Samuel Shashoua finished with a match-high 10 chances created and completed 90 passes.
- Birmingham outshot FC Tulsa 32-9 and limited the visitors to just one shot on target.
