MATCH INFO:
Birmingham Legion FC at Sacramento Republic
Saturday, July 16
10:00pm CT Kickoff
Heart Health Park – Sacramento, CA
Watch – My68 & ESPN+
Birmingham Legion FC take to the road on Saturday for its 5th away match in a row – taking on Sacramento Republic FC at Heart Health Park for the first time in their history. Both sides look similar on paper; Birmingham and Sacramento each have 29 points, they are both 4-1-1 in their last six, and mirror each other’s goal differential at 4.
Birmingham is in its best offensive form of the season. After beating Charleston 3-0 at Patriots Point in its last outing, the Legion have netted seven goals in its last three matches with USL Team of the Week’s Enzo Martinez producing four goal involvements. Martinez leads the Three Sparks in goals (six), chances created (39), and assists (3=).
Paired with a hot Martinez, the Legion have proved it has a diverse set of goal scorers it can rely on. In its last three outings, Jonny Dean, Zach Herivaux, Bruno Lapa, and Ryan James have each netted goals for the good guys. Legion also have newcomer Mataeo Bunbury, who scored four goals in ten appearances for the MLS Next Pro league this year, that can provide energy up top.
Sacramento infamously have been strong at home this season and will not be easy to break down. Its unbeaten streak at home was extended to 12 after its last match resulted in a 3-3 draw against the Western Conference’s Oakland Roots (9th). Foster leads the Quails with four goals, while López and D. Martínez also stand out with three goals respectively.
On the defensive side of play, Birmingham and Sacramento share a similar amount of goals conceded, with Birmingham having conceded 17 and Sacramento having conceded 18. The Legion do lead in clean sheets, however, with seven to Sacramento’s five.
Birmingham and Sacramento share a lot of similarities. This match will be a good test against two evenly matched sides that are both looking to solidify themselves in the playoffs this year.
For this week’s UAB Medicine Injury Report, defender Jake Rufe is out due to a lower body injury and defender Freddy Kleemann is out due to a torn ACL.
Fans can tune in to My68 or ESPN+ to watch the match and can follow @bhmlegion on twitter for live match updates!
Legion FC’s next home game at Protective Stadium is on Saturday, July 23 versus Eastern Conference foe FC Tulsa at 6:30pm, and fans can grab your tickets today!
For team updates, news and more, follow @bhmlegion on social media, sign up for Legion FC’s Newsletter, or visit bhmlegion.com. The Legion FC app is also available for download via Apple or Android. For gameday reminders, sync the Legion FC 2022 schedule to your calendar HERE.
