MATCH INFO:
Orange County SC vs Birmingham Legion FC
Saturday, April 22
9:00pm CT Kickoff
Championship Soccer Stadium – Irvine, CA
Watch – My68 & ESPN+
The Black & Gold take to the road again this week to face Orange County SC (9th) of the USL Championship Western Conference for the first time in club history. Playing at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, the boys will kick off at 9PM CT. Birmingham fans can tune in locally on My68, and the match will also be streamed on ESPN+. Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for live match updates!
The Birmingham squad bring a touch of the South to the Los Angeles metro area, and will be looking to make their mark after a disappointing result at Loudoun United last week. In its last outing, the Three Sparks conceded three unanswered goals — its most conceded in a match this season. The Black & Gold will look to bounce back against Orange County and get back into form. Legion FC sits in 3rd place in the USLC Eastern Conference standings, just two points behind second place Louisville City and four points behind first place Charleston.
In terms of its offensive strengths, Birmingham has one of the most talented, on-paper rosters in the Championship — Neco Brett (all-time leading Legion goalscorer, 5th all-time in USL), Enzo Martinez (2022 All-League First Team, 2022 Legion FC Team MVP), Juan Agudelo (former MLS, USMNT talent), and Tyler Pasher (2020 USL All- League Teamer, MLS in 2021/22). They have been struggling to score goals in Legion’s last two fixtures, however, with only one goal to show, and hope to improve its goal-scoring form against a good defense in Orange County.
Opponent Info:
Orange County SC: 1W – 2L – 3D / 6 Goals Scored – 8 Goals Allowed / 6 Points / 9th in USLC Western Conference
Head to Head:
Birmingham – 0 – 0 – 0 – Orange County
FiveThirtyEight Prediction
Orange County: 50%
Birmingham: 24%
Draw: 26%
Orange County SC, the 2021 USL Championship Cup winner, is fresh off of a win against Indy Eleven, its first win of the season. The LA side also has been struggling with goal creation, having created only five goals in its last five matches, with its last goal being a penalty kick. Only once this season in USLC matches has OCSC scored more than once. Its defense has been solid, however, with only a one goal deficit in its last five fixtures.
Orange County’s talisman is forward Milan Iloski, the 2022 USLC Golden Boot winner, with 22 goals last year. He currently leads the team in goals again this season, with three, and is tied for first in assists, with one. If Legion FC can shut down the Californian, that will go a long way towards securing a result.
For this week’s UAB Medicine Injury Report, midfielder Mikey Lopez is unavailable for selection.
Birmingham’s next game is on Wednesday, April 26th in the US Open Cup Third Round versus NISA club Chattanooga FC. The match will kick off at 7:00pm CT in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama Soccer Stadium. Season ticket holders can sign up to claim tickets HERE, and single game tickets can be purchased HERE.
The Three Sparks return to Birmingham and Protective Stadium on Sunday, April 30th to face the Hartford Athletic, and fans can grab tickets today at bhmlegion.com/tickets!
For all club news and updates fans are encouraged to follow @bhmlegion on social media and keep an eye on bhmlegion.com and the Legion FC app. Download the Legion FC app today on Apple or Android, and sync our 2023 schedule to your calendar HERE.
