MATCH INFO:
Birmingham Legion FC at Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, August 20th
7:30pm CT Kickoff
AutoZone Park – Memphis, TN
Watch – My68 & ESPN+
The Three Sparks hit the road on Saturday, August 20th to take on arch-rivals Memphis 901 FC in a crucial, top-four matchup amidst a very competitive race for a home playoff game in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.
The top four clubs in each conference receive home field advantage in the USL Championship playoffs. Legion currently sits in fourth place with 44 points in 25 matches played, one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (43 points) and five points ahead of sixth place Detroit City FC (39 points). With 25 matches played compared to 24 for both Pittsburgh and Detroit, this game is especially important for the Three Sparks.
Last time out, Birmingham lost at home against Detroit City FC 2-1 in a frustrating game that ended Legion’s four-match win streak. The visitors opened the scoring early in the second half, Birmingham’s Prosper Kasim equalized minutes later, and Detroit stole all three points from a set-piece goal in the 82nd minute. Memphis come into the rival match, on the other hand, after a solid, 2-0 win away at New Mexico United.
Kasim’s goal against DET gave him seven goals on the season, second only to Enzo Martinez’s nine. Those two attackers also are tied for the team lead for the Black & Gold in assists with five each, respectively. Martinez has been the club’s talisman in his first season in the 205, as his nine goals are good for a tie for 12th in the USL Championship, and his 52 chances created are fourth most in the league.
The Three Sparks’ defense has been spectacular this season. Goalkeeper Matt VanOekel leads the USLC in clean sheets with 11, and Birmingham have conceded the fourth least goals in the League at 22.
901 FC come into the match as one of the hotter teams in the league, having won four in a row. That dangerous attack is led by forward Phillip Goodrum, whose 14 goals are good for fourth most in the USLC and 50 shots are sixth most, and midfielder Aaron Molloy, whose 10 assists are first in the league and 50 chances created are fifth most.
Paired with that dangerous attack is the league’s third-stingiest defense, having allowed just 22 goals on the season, same as BHM. Memphis is strong at home, 9-3-0 on the season, but Legion FC did win the reverse fixture this season, 1-0 at Protective Stadium. When the two Southeastern sides met back in early June, Anderson Asiedu scored the dramatic, game-winning goal in the 90th minute. The intense rivalry between the two stems from a long-time rivalry between Birmingham and Memphis – a derby dubbed “The Battle of the Bones” in college football, where the winner would receive an iron-casted rack of ribs.
Asiedu is fired up about this matchup but knows it will take everything Legion FC has in it to get the win on the road.
“Yeah, we don’t have anything to lose right now,” said Asiedu after Wednesday night’s loss. “We’re going [to Memphis] for three points. Whatever the game gives us, we’re gonna take it. Mentally, physically, we are ready for three points … It’s not gonna be an easy game to win over there because it has been difficult for us to win at their place all these years I’ve been here. So, this one’s gonna take everybody’s effort. Everybody needs to work hard to get the three points. It’s everything we need.”
This week’s UAB Medicine Injury Report is, thankfully, pretty light, as the only player on the list is defender Freddy Kleemann who is out for the season due to a torn ACL.
Fans that are not making the trip up I-22 can tune in to watch the match on My68 or on ESPN+ and can follow @bhmlegion on twitter for live match updates.
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.
