MATCH INFO:
Birmingham Legion FC vs Indy Eleven
Saturday, June 17
6:30pm Kickoff
Protective Stadium – Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham Legion FC (6th) host Indy Eleven (7th) for the first time this season at Protective Stadium on Saturday night. After its US Open Cup dream ended against Inter Miami in its last match, the Black & Gold will be looking to make things right in front of the home fans and improve its league form.
In league play, Birmingham are on five losses in a row, but the squad has promise after besting MLS side Charlotte FC and narrowly losing to Inter. Legion drew large crowds to its Open Cup matches. The club broke an attendance record against Charlotte with 12,722 and then shattered that record with 18,418 against Inter.
In its attack, Legion has Enzo Martinez, Prosper Kasim, Juan Agudelo, and Tyler Pasher all readily available, with Neco Brett working his way back from a hamstring injury. Martinez leads the squad in goals (five), while Prosper Kasim leads in assists (four). Agudelo and Kasim tie in chances created (17).
Defensively, Birmingham relies on its two main center backs Alex Crognale and Phanuel Kavita in the back, with Gabriel Alves and Collin Smith typically starting on the left and right backs respectively to help out defensively and move the ball up the wings. Goalkeepers Trevor Spangenberg and Matt VanOekel have been rotating inside the goal.
OPPONENT INFO
Indy Eleven: 4W – 5L – 4D / 14 Goals Scored – 15 Goals Allowed / 16 Points / 7th in USLC Eastern Conference
All-Time Head-to-Head:
Birmingham – 5 – 0 – 3 – Indy Eleven
Indy Eleven come to Birmingham looking to push ahead of its hosts on the table, with both sides even on 16 points but with Legion leading on goal differential. In its last outing, the Indianapolis side found a late draw against Hartford Athletic in a dramatic injury time goal courtesy of Gustavo Rissi, and impressively doing so down a man after Adrian Diz received a red card in the sixth minute. Diz, one of Indy’s starting center backs, will be unavailable against Birmingham.
Indy is pretty even across the board in terms of goal scorers, with Aodhan Quinn leading the squad with three goals and three other players having netted two. Indy has been doing well defensively lately, with only three goals conceded in its last five matches. Expect a competitive game on Saturday.
FiveThirtyEight Odds
Birmingham: 49%
Indy Eleven: 24%
Draw: 27%
For this match’s UAB Medicine injury report, forward Neco Brett is questionable due to a hamstring strain.
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.
