Legion FC to Cap Off First Road Trip in Pittsburgh

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Armed with a the recent valuable point on the road last weekend in Detroit, Birmingham Legion FC now shifts its focus to its final match of its three-match road stretch as hammer meets steel in a Saturday matchup at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Still searching for its first win of the new season, the Black and Gold heads to a venue where wins have been tough to come by for the club in past years, having dropped four and drawn once in five matches at Highmark Stadium.

“We’re in for a challenge against a team that is always organized and tough to break down,” Legion FC coach Tom Soehn said of Pittsburgh. “It’s an opponent that we are very familiar with and we know that we have to keep our shape and be sound int he back in order to have success on the weekend.”

Legion FC enters the weekend with some familiar momentum on its as it appears to be showing its mettle in road matches once again after fighting back twice to hand Detroit its first dropped points of 2025. Flexing those muscles away from The Magic City was a calling card for the squad in 2024 and, after a hiccup in Little Rock to begin the road trip, the players believe they are getting back to their road warrior ways.

“We have a good mix of veterans and young talent who have played in tough environments before,” said defender Ramiz Hamouda. “Even if we fall behind on the road like we did in Detroit, we know that we’re capable of fighting back so there is no need to panic.”

One thing that is seemingly different about Birmingham now compared to a season ago is its scoring prowess, having already found the back of the net four times with at least one goal in each of its first three matches. Hamouda played a key part in one of those goals last weekend by winning the ball deep in the attacking third on a counter press, eventually setting up forward Ronald Damus for a second goal of 2025.

However, Legion FC does still find itself with a negative goal differential with six allowed goals – the second most among USL Championship Eastern Conference teams – despite goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel tied for the league lead with 10 total saves. It’s something that the backline knows that it needs to clean up and believes that will be the case as the chemistry continues to build throughout the campaign.

“We recognize that we have to be better,” said defender Tiago Suarez, who has played the full 90 in both of Birmingham’s recent road matches. “We did a lot of team building in the preseason, but with so many new faces, we’re still learning each other’s tendencies, but it’s becoming more familiar with each game.”

The Riverhounds present an interesting opponent profile for Suarez and the rest of Legion FC in that it, thus far, hasn’t created many scoring opportunities, but doesn’t allow many either.

Through three matches, Pittsburgh has allowed three goals, but has also only faced six shots on target. Meanwhile on the end, it ranks near the bottom amongst the league with just a pair of goals, 21 total shots and a 12-percent conversion rate.

However, some of those numbers can be due to spending its first two matches of the season out on the road. The Riverhounds treated its fans to the first victory of the season victory over the weekend for its home opener when captain Danny Griffin broke a scoreless stalemate against Hartford Athletic with a 75th minute goal. Now in the crosshairs, Legion FC will look hand Pittsburgh its first defeat at Highmark Stadium this season.

“We know it’s a tough environment to play in,” explained Hamouda. “But we believe in ourselves and know that if we execute the things we’ve been working on in practice this week, that we can put ourselves in the best spot to come away with a win.”

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