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Birmingham Legion FC

Match Preview: Legion FC v. NY Red Bulls II

April 5, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


MATCH INFO:

Birmingham Legion FC vs. New York Red Bulls II

Saturday, April 6 - 7PM Kickoff - BBVA Compass Field

Stream - My68, ESPN+

Weather - Cloudy, High of 78/Low of 64, 20% precipitation

Legion FC returns to the friendly confines of BBVA Compass Field in match week four to face New York Red Bulls II. Fresh off a big, confidence-boosting win at two-time defending champs Louisville City FC, the team looks to score the first goal in front of home fans and get the first points at home in this inaugural season.

Led by recent goal scorers Prosper Kasim, Chandler Hoffman, and USL Championship Player of the Week runner-up Brian Wright, the Legion FC attack will look to build off the impressive three goal performance at LouCity. After serving up 21 and then 24 crosses from open play in the first two games, Legion FC played more direct on Sunday, sending in just nine open-play crosses. New York likes to press their opposition high up the field, so that approach may open them up to direct balls over the top for speedy players like Kasim, Wright and newcomer Eddie Opoku.

The backline goes in to match four unchanged for the first time this season, with rookie Mathieu Laurent looking to continue cementing his place following an impressive showing in his first professional appearance last weekend. Following a minor knock in Louisville, defender Kyle Culbertson is fit and ready to go, and defender Eric Avila brings an added confidence to the group after also making USL Championship Team of the week.

As much as things change at the New York Red Bulls II each offseason, so much stays the same. That's in part why the side, led by Head Coach John Wolyniec, has reached the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Cup Playoffs each of the past three seasons. Last year's late-season run, which included ending FC Cincinnati's hopes of a championship before it depart-ed to Major League Soccer, illustrated this point once again as the side peaked at the right time before fall-ing to eventual USL Cup champions Louisville City FC.

One of the best attacking teams in the league in 2018, as it racked up 71 goals in the regular season, the Red Bulls II put things into place defensively late in the season and finished the campaign on a six-game un-defeated streak. Building on that defensive structure in 2019 could see the side get back into the top four this season, with returning defenders Jordan Scarlett and Allan Yanes and new Red Bulls signings Sean Nealis and Kyle Duncan potentially mitigating the departure of Hassan Ndam in the MLS expansion draft.

The Red Bulls II attack figures to be as potent as be-fore, even with the departure of Andrew Tinari to the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Amando Moreno to the Chi-cago Fire. The duo of Jared Stroud and Tom Barlow are both back to lead the side up front, and they could be joined by Brian White on loan. As much as New York's lineup may differ from its final game of 2018, it would be foolish to believe there will be a drop in perfor-mance around the corner. (via USL Championship)

New York come to Birmingham sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference standings on seven points after defeating Swope Park Rangers and Memphis 901 and drawing with Nashville SC. They have scored seven goals this season and given up just four in their three games, all of which have been at home.

Everyone on the Legion FC roster is available for selection for match four, except for defender Marcel Appiah, who is out for the third game in a row with a calf strain.

Tickets for match four of Legion FC's inaugural season are available now at bhmlegion.com/tickets or by contacting the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-600-4635 or acochran@bhmlegion.com. Gates to BBVA Compass Field will open two hours prior to kickoff, and the Auburn Men's Basketball Final Four game against the University of Virginia will be shown in the Legion FC Plaza starting at 5. Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for more info and live game updates.

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