BIRMINGHAM, AL (Aug. 22, 2020) – Birmingham Legion FC extended its lead atop Group G with a 2-2 draw vs. regional rival Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night at BBVA Field. A stoppage time goal, courtesy of Neco Brett from the penalty spot, pulled BHM level and up to 18 points on the season.
So far in 2020, Legion FC have managed to score inside half an hour in six of its nine matches, as Bruno Lapa opened the scoring for the home side with an early goal in the 12th minute, giving him five goals for the season to lead Legion FC. Brett drove into the left side of the box and cut the ball back to Lapa around the penalty spot where he brought it down and found the back of the net.
Memphis equalized in the 18th minute from a corner, as Rafa Mentzingen poked in a loose ball bouncing in the box. Just ten minutes later 901 FC got out on a breakaway, and despite it looking like the foul occurred outside of the box, the ref awarded Memphis a penalty, which Keanu Marsh-Brown put away to go up 2-1.
The visitors soon thereafter sat back in their deep 5-4-1 formation to try and preserve the lead and wait out the clock, leading to Legion FC holding 73.3% of possession in the match, outshooting Memphis seven to two in the second half, and playing through nine added minutes of extra time. In the 98th minute, Legion FC played a long ball into the box and defender Liam Doyle fouled Brett as he attempted to bring the ball down.
Brett, the Legion FC Man of the Match, then stepped up and buried the penalty to grab his side a point after a rough and tumble affair. Midfielder Bolu Akinyode, and others, expressed frustration in not earning all three points, but is proud of the way this team continues to fight to the final whistle.
“I think we’re a tight group that has a lot of resiliency,” said Akinyode. “Even if things aren’t going well for us, we find a way to dig out results. I think that’s the sign of a good team and we’re building something special, so we’ve got to just keep chipping at it. I would much rather us not get to that situation where we have to rescue the game but even on a day where we didn’t play particularly well, we found a way to get a point and not lose the game. That’s massive and it shows the character of this group.”
“[Memphis] came here and made it difficult for us,” said Assistant Coach Khano Smith. “Credit to our guys, they kept going, they kept believing, and they kept pushing. Sometimes it’s going to be difficult, teams are going to come and bunker in and we’ve just got to find a way to break that down earlier. I’m happy with the grit and the determination to keep going, and sometimes it's going to be like that. It’s not always going to be a game where we win by two or three goals, so credit to the guys for sticking it out and I’m happy that they did.
“The crowd was fantastic. I’m sure you felt it, they kept pushing us on. When we have that energy from the crowd as the home team it's obviously really appreciated. Obviously it’s tough times for everyone, and the fans come out abiding by the social distancing and mask rules, but we obviously appreciate what they are doing. We think we have a team this year that they can be proud of and their support means so much deep into the season.”
Box Score:
|
|
1st Half |
2nd Half |
|
BHM |
1 |
1 |
|
MEM |
2 |
0 |
Goals:
BHM – 12’ – #8 Bruno Lapa (assisted by #11 Neco Brett)
MEM – 18’ – #14 Rafa Mentzingen
MEM – 29’ – #9 Keanu Marsh-Brown (P)
BHM – 90+8’ – #11 Neco Brett (P)
Lineups:
BHM – #1 Matt VanOekel ©; #24 Jonny Dean, #21 Alex Crognale, #3 Bolu Akinyode, #5 Mikey Lopez (90’ – #16 Daigo Kobayashi); #6 Anderson Asiedu, #10 Prosper Kasim (78’ – #13 Jake Rufe), #12 Eli Crognale, #8 Bruno Lapa; #11 Neco Brett, #7 Brian Wright (71’ – #17 Jaden Servania)
MEM – #12 Jimmy Hague; #5 Triston Hodge, #4 Liam Doyle, #19 Rece Buckmaster, #2 Mark Segbers; #23 Paul Leston ©, #17 Michael Reed, #7 Raul Gonzalez (82’ – #6 Dan Metzger), #14 Rafa Mentzingen; #9 Keanu Marsh-Brown (66’ – #21 Duane Muckette, #26 Cal Jennings (59’ – #29 Brandon Allen)
The squad is back on the road next weekend to face the Charlotte Independence on Saturday, August 29 at 6:00PM CT. For live match updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, or tune in as the match will air live on My68 and ESPN+.
BHM is back at home next Wednesday, September 2 to face North Carolina FC. Get tickets at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/bhmlegion/tickets, by emailing tickets@https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/bhmlegion, or by calling the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-791-7145.
BIRMINGHAM, AL (Aug. 22, 2020) – Birmingham Legion FC extended its lead atop Group G with a 2-2 draw vs. regional rival Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night at BBVA Field. A stoppage time goal, courtesy of Neco Brett from the penalty spot, pulled BHM level and up to 18 points on the season.
So far in 2020, Legion FC have managed to score inside half an hour in six of its nine matches, as Bruno Lapa opened the scoring for the home side with an early goal in the 12th minute, giving him five goals for the season to lead Legion FC. Brett drove into the left side of the box and cut the ball back to Lapa around the penalty spot where he brought it down and found the back of the net.
Memphis equalized in the 18th minute from a corner, as Rafa Mentzingen poked in a loose ball bouncing in the box. Just ten minutes later 901 FC got out on a breakaway, and despite it looking like the foul occurred outside of the box, the ref awarded Memphis a penalty, which Keanu Marsh-Brown put away to go up 2-1.
The visitors soon thereafter sat back in their deep 5-4-1 formation to try and preserve the lead and wait out the clock, leading to Legion FC holding 73.3% of possession in the match, outshooting Memphis seven to two in the second half, and playing through nine added minutes of extra time. In the 98th minute, Legion FC played a long ball into the box and defender Liam Doyle fouled Brett as he attempted to bring the ball down.
Brett, the Legion FC Man of the Match, then stepped up and buried the penalty to grab his side a point after a rough and tumble affair. Midfielder Bolu Akinyode, and others, expressed frustration in not earning all three points, but is proud of the way this team continues to fight to the final whistle.
“I think we’re a tight group that has a lot of resiliency,” said Akinyode. “Even if things aren’t going well for us, we find a way to dig out results. I think that’s the sign of a good team and we’re building something special, so we’ve got to just keep chipping at it. I would much rather us not get to that situation where we have to rescue the game but even on a day where we didn’t play particularly well, we found a way to get a point and not lose the game. That’s massive and it shows the character of this group.”
“[Memphis] came here and made it difficult for us,” said Assistant Coach Khano Smith. “Credit to our guys, they kept going, they kept believing, and they kept pushing. Sometimes it’s going to be difficult, teams are going to come and bunker in and we’ve just got to find a way to break that down earlier. I’m happy with the grit and the determination to keep going, and sometimes it’s going to be like that. It’s not always going to be a game where we win by two or three goals, so credit to the guys for sticking it out and I’m happy that they did.
“The crowd was fantastic. I’m sure you felt it, they kept pushing us on. When we have that energy from the crowd as the home team it’s obviously really appreciated. Obviously it’s tough times for everyone, and the fans come out abiding by the social distancing and mask rules, but we obviously appreciate what they are doing. We think we have a team this year that they can be proud of and their support means so much deep into the season.”
Box Score:
|
|
1st Half |
2nd Half |
|
BHM |
1 |
1 |
|
MEM |
2 |
0 |
Goals:
BHM – 12’ – #8 Bruno Lapa (assisted by #11 Neco Brett)
MEM – 18’ – #14 Rafa Mentzingen
MEM – 29’ – #9 Keanu Marsh-Brown (P)
BHM – 90+8’ – #11 Neco Brett (P)
Lineups:
BHM – #1 Matt VanOekel ©; #24 Jonny Dean, #21 Alex Crognale, #3 Bolu Akinyode, #5 Mikey Lopez (90’ – #16 Daigo Kobayashi); #6 Anderson Asiedu, #10 Prosper Kasim (78’ – #13 Jake Rufe), #12 Eli Crognale, #8 Bruno Lapa; #11 Neco Brett, #7 Brian Wright (71’ – #17 Jaden Servania)
MEM – #12 Jimmy Hague; #5 Triston Hodge, #4 Liam Doyle, #19 Rece Buckmaster, #2 Mark Segbers; #23 Paul Leston ©, #17 Michael Reed, #7 Raul Gonzalez (82’ – #6 Dan Metzger), #14 Rafa Mentzingen; #9 Keanu Marsh-Brown (66’ – #21 Duane Muckette, #26 Cal Jennings (59’ – #29 Brandon Allen)
The squad is back on the road next weekend to face the Charlotte Independence on Saturday, August 29 at 6:00PM CT. For live match updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, or tune in as the match will air live on My68 and ESPN+.
BHM is back at home next Wednesday, September 2 to face North Carolina FC. Get tickets at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/bhmlegion/tickets, by emailing tickets@https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/bhmlegion, or by calling the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-791-7145.
