USL Birmingham Legion FC

Match Preview: Legion FC vs. Louisville City FC - Saturday, May 11

May 10, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


MATCH INFO:

Birmingham Legion FC at Louisville City FC

Saturday, May 11 - 7:00PM CT Kickoff - BBVA Compass Field, Birmingham, AL

Watch - My68, ESPN+

Birmingham Legion FC face off against two-time defending UCL Cup champions, Louisville City FC on Saturday, May 11 and 7:00PM at BBVA Compass Field. The game will be Legion FC's first rematch in the inaugural season, after the squad travelled to Louisville on March 31 and won 3-2, due to goals from forwards Prosper Kasim, Chandler Hoffman and Brian Wright, for the first win in club history.

Finishing up a tough week last week, Head Coach Tommy Soehn made a couple more lineup changes at Memphis, bringing defenders Eric Avila and Kyle Fisher back into the starting lineup, as well as giving forward Eddie Opoku his first start of the season. Continued lineup tweaks from the man in charge can be expected as the middle of the season approaches, with forward JJ Willliams being one of those additions this week.

Williams will return on loan from his MLS club, Columbus Crew SC, and be available to play his first home game for Legion FC, in his home state of Alabama. In his only other appearance for Birmingham this season, Williams made an instant impact, scoring two goals, including the match winner, in a 3-2 road victory over top-of-the-table Saint Louis FC on April 13.

Louisville City FC are also looking to fight through a few key injuries and rebound following a 3-2 loss at Swope Park Rangers on Monday. The LouCity squad is led by captain and defender Shaun Francis, leading goal scorer and midfielder Magnus Rasmussen, who scored in the previous meeting versus Legion FC, and defender Paco Craig, who made the USL Championship Team of the Season in 2018.

"We know the type of team that Louisville City is, and we know the quality that they have," said midfielder and recent USL Championship Team of Week member, Daniel Johnson. "They're coming off of a really tough game against Swope Park where they dropped points as well, so they're going to be hungry. They're going to come in and look to do what we did to them when we went to their place, and I think we're ready. We have an idea about their system and their style, and I think we should be looking to take three [points]."

Due to a red card for a late challenge last game versus Swope Park, Louisville will be without midfielder and regular starter Naill McCabe. Midfielder and usual captain Paolo DelPiccolo, forward Brian Ownby, and starting goalkeeper Tim Dobrowski are all out due to injury. Luke Spencer and George Davis are also questionable for Saturday's match with hamstring strains.

Regardless of lineup fluctuation from Louisville, Soehn knows they will come to play, saying "One thing you know is they're a quality team, and they like to play. I think it matches up well with us because we try to play, so I think you can expect a quality game. You know there are going to be chances because both teams try to open up and then attack, so I expect it to be entertaining. Obviously, we want to limit their opportunities, and having said that, create our own, but it'll be a good, contested match. They're a really good team."

Goalkeeper Matt VanOekel is out with an ankle sprain, defenders Fisher and Marcel Appiah are out with a hamstring strain and calf strain, and loanee Wright is back with New England Revolution in MLS. Everyone else on the Legion FC roster is ready to go.

Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for more info and live updates and watch the match locally on My68 and nationally on ESPN+.

The boys then return to BBVA Compass Field for the club's first U.S. Open Cup match against West Chester United SC on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00PM. Any ticket purchases made for the Louisville City match will also come with a complimentary ticket for Wednesday. Tickets are available at bhmlegion.com/tickets or by calling the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-600-4635.

Check out the Birmingham Legion FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 10, 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.

OurSports Central