Sports stats



USL Birmingham Legion FC

Legion FC Defeats Charlotte for Third Win in a Row

July 27, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


BIRMINGHAM, AL - Birmingham Legion FC defeated the Charlotte Independence 1-0 to finish out the month of July undefeated, with three wins in a row and zero goals allowed.

Local kid JJ Williams proved to be the difference maker on the night, bagging the lone goal of the match in the 28th minute. After a bit of a scramble at the top of the box, Legion FC's #11 latched onto the ball and had a go, and his shot looped over the outstretched arms of the CLT 'keeper and in the back of the net.

When asked about how well the team has performed this month, his first extended period of time with the club since he has been on loan from the MLS's Columbus Crew, Williams said, "It's very exciting, especially considering that I'm going to be spending some more time here."

"It's one of those things where in Columbus we were in a rough patch and then here we were in a rough patch, so if I can make a difference for whatever team I'm on and actually start to build some chemistry like I talked about [Wednesday at practice] and I'm really happy to finally be getting results. As we're doing it, we're playing good football, and it's not just we're getting lucky or scoring a goal and sitting back. We're playing good football the entire time. Charlotte last time battered us, so for us to have the performance that we did tonight it's really good to see."

Head Coach Tommy Soehn has kept the squad focused all month long on the bigger picture - the goal to get all nine possible points in the month of July. He was pleased with how the group has come together following a rough first half of the season, as he said, "It's so rewarding when you set a goal and then you achieve that goal. I think when you look deeper into it, the fact that we haven't conceded any goals through that stretch says a lot about where the group is at. Even tonight there were some tough moments and the resiliency of our defenders, and I'm not just talking about our defenders but everybody defending, means the world. That's how you win games."

"The growth of the team through this month of July has been massive. So now we hit the road and we have to learn how to do that on the road. We hit that second test of what we want to become. We have to be successful in this stretch to, at least, to talk about the playoffs. So, it was a big result tonight."

Legion FC outproduced Charlotte in several statistical categories, like shots (9-8), but more importantly shots on goal (6-2). The possession arrow pointed slightly towards the visitors, as they held 54.1%, but passing accuracy was even on both sides, as both teams completed 79%. The telling statistic in favor of the home side is duels won, of 50/50 balls won, where Legion FC led 71 to 37 in the match.

Box Score:

1st Half 2nd Half

BHM 1 0

CLT 0 0

Goals:

BHM - 28' - #11 JJ Williams

BHM heads to Canada next week as the squad hits the road again to play at Ottawa on Friday, August 2 at 6:00PM CT. Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for live game updates, and watch live on ESPN+.

The next Legion FC home game takes place on Saturday, August 17 at BBVA Field versus fellow USL Championship expansion side Memphis 901 FC at 7:00PM. Tickets are available at bhmlegion.com/tickets or by calling the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-600-4635.

---

Legion FC Quote Sheet - BHMvCLT - July 27, 2019

#11 JJ WilliamsJJ, the team came back from the break and the goal was 9 points in July. Even after the last two wins, celebrations were subdued; you all were talking about the next game, next game, next game. Now you did it! That's three games, nine points. How does that feel to kind of get this second half of the season started on a good note?"It's very exciting, especially considering that I'm going to be spending some more time here [on loan from the Columbus Crew]. It's one of those things where in Columbus we were in a rough patch and then here we were in a rough patch, so if I can show and make a difference for whatever team I'm on and actually start to build some chemistry like I talked about Wednesday at practice and I'm really happy to finally be getting results. As we're doing it, we're playing good football, and it's not just we're getting lucky or scoring a goal and sitting back. We're playing good football the entire time. Charlotte last time battered us, so for us to have the performance that we did tonight it's really good to see."

The best football played of the night was your probably your game winner. Can you tell us a little bit about that?"Yeah it was just one of those things where we had an overload on that right side, especially in the first half it was very apparent. The play was going, and I was getting tackled so I don't even know what happened; but then I popped up and the ball was rolling back to me and it really doesn't matter to me shooting left or right, and I got some space for my left foot and hit it. I'm thankful for the deflection, but a goal is a goal. They all count the same."

You talked about Charlotte battering us and the last time we faced they put in four. You could say it was a fluke, you could say it was lucky, you could say whatever you want, those four goals count the same just as our one. What do you think you've seen improved in this backline that has now put up three shutouts in a row?"Unbelievable, it's unbelievable. The backline, and we've had some guys changing in-and-out at the fullback position on the right side, but the other three guys and Mikey who filled in have been amazing. Femi has been amazing as well. But the other three guys, and our goalkeeper as well, have just been phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. Some of the plays they made were crucial, and if they don't make those plays, we lose this game. Even though it might not be on every stat sheet, those things are really good to see."

Legion FC Head Coach Tom SoehnTommy y'all have talked a lot since the break about the goal being three wins in July. You weren't super excited after North Carolina and after Atlanta, now you did it. That's three games, nine points. How does that feel leading the team into the second half of the season?"Yeah, you know it's so rewarding when you set a goal and then you achieve that goal. I think when you look deeper into it, the fact that we haven't conceded any goals through that stretch says a lot about where the group is at. Even tonight there were some tough moments and the resiliency of our defenders, and I'm not just talking about our defenders but everybody defending, means the world. That's how you win games. The growth of the team through this month of July has been massive. So now we hit the road and we have to learn how to do that on the road. We hit that second test of what we want to become. We have to be successful in this stretch to, at least, to talk about the playoffs. So, it was a big result tonight."

You kind of touched on it a little bit about the guys coming together, but after some goals leaked in at the beginning of the year, that's three clean sheets in a row against three quality teams. Would you say that is the group coming together and being more consistent, or is it induvial play stepping up? What do you think has been key to this?"It's the full package. We focused on defending so much more during the break and through this stretch. That's over a month of us really focusing and making sure that we close the door on some things. To be fair, it's easy to talk about working on them but we've executed. I'm really proud of the guys. It's definitely a really big step in the right direction and now we play two teams that are top of the table, so the test will be there for us to see if we can continue that on the road."

A part of the success, it looks like, has come from you nailing down over this break how y'all want to play. Formation is a part of that, do you think this kind of 4-4-2 Diamond let you press more or is it the way you like to get the ball to the sides? What's been working so well with this 4-4-2 Diamond?"Well I think we're able to channel it to the side and recover in good spots, and that leads to our attacks. Ultimately, we had consistency regarding a team we could work on together instead of guys coming in-and-out. We've had a consistent group of guys, and I think that's reflective of our performances as well. They're starting to understand each other a little bit more. We can work through some of those difficult moments together. So, that's been a key element because we have all the guys here now and we can work on something consistently. Whatever the formation is I think you get better naturally, right now this one is working for us so we're going to continue to improve it."

Check out the Birmingham Legion FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 27, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Birmingham Legion FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central