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USL Birmingham Legion FC

Match Preview: BHMvNSH - Wednesday, May 22

May 21, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


MATCH INFO:

Birmingham Legion FC at Nashville SC

Wednesday, May 22 - 7:00PM CT Kickoff - BBVA Compass Field, Birmingham, AL

Watch - ESPNews

Birmingham Legion FC face off against Nashville SC on Wednesday, May 22 in the USL Championship Game of the Week at 7:00PM at BBVA Compass Field. The home side will look to avenge a preseason defeat versus NSH in the two team's only previous meeting.

Nashville SC has enjoyed a successful start to the 2019 campaign, currently sitting 4th in the Eastern Conference Standings, but they are second in the East with 19 goals scored and sixth in goals allowed at 10. Daniel Rios leads the attack for NSH and has already scored seven goals this season. Mainstays Matt LaGrassa and captain Michael Reed hold it down in the midfield and Ken Tribbett and Liam Doyle anchor a stout defense.

While the defense is no surprise to anyone who watched last season's league-leading defensive unit, the attack has improved, even with new signing, and last season's USL Championship Golden Boot Winner, Cameron Lancaster missing for part of the season due to injury. Another newcomer to keep an eye on will be midfielder Derrick Jones, a former U.S. U-20 standout who just signed with NSH from MLS's Philadelphia Union.

When asked about Nashville, Head Coach Tommy Soehn said, "they're physical, organized, and get back behind the ball. They defend hard and haven't given up much. It's going to be hard to break them down, and we're going to have to be patient. We'll have to be direct sometimes, and we're going to have to compete - we'll have to roll up our sleeves and know that it's going to be a dog fight."

"We're right at that playoff line, so you have to try and get over that and show some consistency. I look at this stretch of games that we've had and we're playing all the top teams in the league. So it's going to be tough, there's no easy answer, but it'd be great to get a win at home, and against a team like that, who already has MLS plans. It'll be difficult but we're excited for the opportunity to knock somebody off like that."

One player being relied upon to break down Nashville's stout defense will be loanee, and Alabama-native, JJ Williams, who will have the opportunity to play for a second time in front of his home fans this season. It's an opportunity he relishes, as he said, "it's amazing to be back. There's no place like home, for sure. I'm just happy to that I'm able to come back here and give something back."

When asked how the team can continue to improve, the forward said, "Coming off a pretty good performance last weekend at North Carolina, we just need to keep building off of that. This is a great opportunity for us, especially since this is a team ahead of us in the standings to gain some points back, gain some ground. These are the matchups that we look for - you make sure everybody's up, make sure everybody's going and try to get a big win at home and do something for the city."

Goalkeeper Matt VanOekel is day-to-day with an ankle sprain, defenders Kyle Fisher and Marcel Appiah are out with a hamstring strain and calf strain, as per the VivaHealth injury report. Loanees Brian Wright and Zach Herivaux are also back with New England Revolution in MLS.

Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for more info and live updates and watch the match on ESPNews.

The boys have a weekend to rest up for a trip back to Louisville and another contest against two-time defending USL Cup Champions, Louisville City FC, this time in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:00PM CT. The match will air live on ESPN+.

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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.

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