USL Birmingham Legion FC

Match Preview: Legion FC vs. Louisville City FC

Published on May 28, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


Birmingham Legion FC jump back into U.S. Open Cup play with a third match already this inaugural season against Louisville City FC. LouCity won rather decisively in Birmingham on May 11, 3-0, but BHM had better luck early in the season, winning its first match ever at Louisville, 3-2, on March 31.

Head Coach Tom Soehn said, "the last game we played they really took it to us, so hopefully that sits with us, we take that to heart, and come out and make sure we impact the game in the right way."

In the U.S. Open Cup Second Round on Wednesday, May 15, Legion FC defeated National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side West Chester United SC 4-1, and Louisville beat USL League Two team Reading United AC 3-0 to advance to this round of games.

Louisville City FC has enjoyed a successful start to the 2019 USL Championship campaign and currently sit 8th in the Eastern Conference Standings. Luke Spencer spearheads the attack and is joint top goal scorer (with Lucky Mkosana and Magnus Rasmussen) for LouCity with four goals.

Louisville City like to control the game and control possession, and have three players, Speedy Williams, Paco Craig, and Oscar Jimenez all in the top ten in the league in passes. Jimenez also leads the league in cross from open play by a wide margin, having served in 112 balls while the second player on the list is only at 85.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 105 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

The Third Round will pit the 22 Second Round winners against one another in regionally determined action, with the opportunity on the line to face a Division I club in the Fourth Round on June 12 when Major League Soccer teams enter the competition.

Home teams for each round of the tournament are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements. Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup from the First Round through the Final will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.

Despite it being the club's first time competing in the Cup, Legion FC can rely on Head Coach Tommy Soehn's experience in the tournament, as he has won it both as a player, in 1997, 1998 and 2000, and as a coach, in 2008.

"I think the whole process of that tournament, when amateur teams come and compete, there's just not too many tournaments like that in the world when an amateur team can go up against a pro team, and then the lower leagues go up against the higher teams," said Soehn. "It's a pretty unique feel, and... I've won it quite a few times and been lucky to do it with different teams, so it's pretty special to me."

Forward, #9 Chandler Hoffman on what's so unique about the U.S. Open Cup tournament in the landscape of American sports:

"It's really special because you have every level of team...and then as you progress you play MLS teams, and it's a huge opportunity for us as players and for the club to make a mark on the national stage."

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

The boys return to BBVA Compass Field to face the league-leaders, Tampa Bay Rowdies, on Saturday, June 1 at 7:00PM. 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

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 28, 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.

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