Turnbull Turns the Tables Late as Legion FC Grabs a Point
USL Birmingham Legion FC

Turnbull Turns the Tables Late as Legion FC Grabs a Point

Published on October 2, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


Birmingham Legion FC defender Stephen Turnbull
Birmingham Legion FC defender Stephen Turnbull
(Birmingham Legion FC)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For more than 90 minutes, it appeared that the North Carolina FC dam was going to hold, despite an onslaught of attacking attempts from Birmingham Legion FC. But, even in a season that has not gone the way the squad envisioned, the Three Sparks refused to give up until the bitter end.

And that admirable tenacity and that was rewarded in stoppage time with Stephen Turnbull provided the equalizer in a 1-1 draw Wednesday night at Protective Stadium.

"I was happy to get the goal, but wish it would've come 10 or 15 minutes earlier," the veteran defender said. "It could've given us a chance to maybe grab another. I'm an attacking minded player, so at that moment of the game, I was just getting forward and going for it to help the team in any way that I could."

In the sixth of an allotted 10 minutes of second half stoppage time, Turnbull -- who started the match as a center back -- found himself deep in the other half with Legion FC pushing numbers forward and chasing a goal. He was in the right place at the right time as a deflected shot from Enzo Martinez at the top of the box found its way on the wings to Erik Centeno, who quickly played his first touch back in the center where Turnbull finished it off.

"I feel great for Stephen," said Legion FC coach Mark Briggs. "These last two matches since we started him at center back, he's played really well both times. To get a goal there at the end is a just reward for him."

Turnbull's first goal in a Legion FC shirt salvaged a point at home to help Birmingham finish with four total in the season series against its USL Championship Eastern Conference rival.

Still, the home side felt it deserved more after controlling the flow of the match from opening whistle, particularly in the second half when the ball hardly ever seemed to leave Legion FC's attacking half.

"We've come so close in so many games all year," commented Turnbull. "It just hasn't been quite enough to get us to where we ultimately want to be. We work hard every day and to not have some of these results go our way, it can be tough."

Birmingham held 57% of the possession and its 585 attempted passes was its highest output this season. That led to 13 total shots to NCFC's 6, while also posting a 3-2 advantage in attempts on target. Legion FC finished 22 touches in the opposing box, while North Carolina could only muster three on the evening.

In fact, the away side's opening goal was a bit fortuitous with Legion FC goalkeeper Fernando Delgado's attempt to parry away a cross landed right at the feet of Jahlane Forbes who one-timed a shot to take 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute.

"The way our guys kept fighting and kept going until the end of the game was great to see," Briggs said of his team continuing to push despite going down a goal. "In the first half, we didn't give ourselves the opportunity with our sequences of possession in the attacking part of the field. At halftime, we adjusted a little bit and started playing to the extra man in the middle of the field which allowed us to create more opportunities."

The end result marks Birmingham's 12th draw of the season, which continues to be tied with Phoenix Rising FC for most in the USL-C. Wednesday's match was also the cleanest the club has played from a refereeing standpoint with Legion FC finishing without a yellow card awarded for the time across all competitions in 2025.

Rookie forward Sebastian Tregarthen entered the match for captain Tyler Pasher in the 72nd minute, but had to substituted out just nine minutes later after suffering an upper body injury. Defender Jake Rufe came on in his place.

USL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 27

1ST HALF

2ND HALF

FINAL

NORTH CAROLINA FC (12W-9L-5D | 41 PTS) 1 0 1

BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC (4W-11L-12D | 24 PTS) 0 1 1

LINEUPS

NC: Semmle - GK, Hodge, Sundstrom, Washington (Donovan 65'), Forbes (Servania 76'), Al-Qaq, Roberts, Somersall, Perez - C, Dollabella, da Costa (Maldonado 89')

BHM: Delgado - GK, Daley (Tregarthen 72'; Rufe 81'), Turnbull, Kavita, Paterson, McCartney (Centeno 81'), McIllhatton (Laszo 72'), Vassell, Martinez, Pasher - C (Tabort Etaka 72'), Damus

GOALS

NC: Forbes 32'

BHM: Turnbull 90+6'

DISCIPLINE

NC: Dollabella (Yellow) 90+11'

BHM:

NEXT UP

Sitting on 24 points this season, Birmingham concludes a three-match-in-eight-day stretch on Saturday when it travels to face Loudoun United FC for the clubs' first meeting since the season opener back in March.

"We'll assess everyone and see how they respond after tonight," Briggs said of the quick turnaround. "We'll try to get them as fresh as we can to go into a difficult place this weekend against a very good team."

Kickoff from Leesburg, Virginia is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT. Legion FC then gets a bit of a break after that, not playing again until it welcomes Miami FC for its home final on Sunday, October 19. Tickets for that Fan Appreciation Night match are available, with the first 1,000 fans through the gates to receive a replica kit, courtesy of Pegasus Luxury Transport.

Check out the Birmingham Legion FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Birmingham Legion FC defender Stephen Turnbull
Birmingham Legion FC defender Stephen Turnbull
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 2, 2025


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