Legion FC Caps Off July Road Trip at North Carolina FC

CARY, NC – Following a condensed stretch of three matches within a week, it has felt like an eternity since Birmingham Legion FC last took the field, despite a Friday match at North Carolina FC technically still be a short turnaround. Still, a near full week of training has been welcomed by a Three Sparks squad that needs to start racking up points to meet its postseason aspirations.

“It’s been so important,” Legion FC Mark Briggs said of his team finally getting a bit of a break between matches. “We’ve been able to get in rest and two full days of training, allowing for the players to better understand what they are preparing for. I’m really looking forward though to the next few weeks where we really begin to have a proper build up.”

Following a rare Friday trip to North Carolina, the Three Sparks’ schedule cadence becomes routine with nothing but Saturday matches for the next month. Briggs and company will especially enjoy that change of pace if they head into it with the momentum of a much-needed three points.

The last three outings have seen Birmingham play its opponent to draws in regulation, the most recent of which was a 1-1 draw at Rhode Island FC. It was a much that, once again, Briggs felt his side should have come away with the full three points after it outshot its RIFC and had the higher expected goals metric. In fact, over the last five matches, Legion FC has created more scoring chances while outshooting the opposition 53-43, but have posted just one victory in that span.

“We’re getting into dangerous spots, but we’re just not getting that final detail,” explained Briggs. “We have to focus on retaining the ball in those dangerous spots to cash in on those opportunities that we create. We’ve got to get better with the finishing element, there’s no running away from that.”

At Rhode Island, it was Ronaldo Damus who provided the lone finish, as he headed in his club-best seventh USL Championship goal of 2025 off of a perfect cross from Stephen Turnbull. It was the defender’s second assist of the season and a welcome sign for a player that, now healthy after missing time due to sickness, can provide quality on both ends of the pitch.

“It’s taken a little bit of time,” Turnbull said of getting back to playing shape. “Lost a lot of weight, lost a lot of fitness, had to get it back and now with games coming consistently, it’s a good opportunity for me to continue to build.”

Turnbull will likely be called on again on Friday against a North Carolina FC side that has shown the ability to attack the backline from all angles, no matter who is on the pitch.

The club currently sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and has reached that lofty spot thanks in large part to an 18% conversion rate, which ranks in the top third of the league despite no player having more than three goals. Midfielder Mikey Maldonado has shown to have no problem in sharing the wealth with a team-high six assists.

“They are a good team and have been since they’ve joined the Championship,” said Turnbull of NCFC. “It’s going to be tough, but honestly every game in this league is tough.”

North Carolina has experienced that firsthand, having dropped three of its last four matches. However, it’s one win was a giant one — a 2-1 result to saddle Louisville City FC with its first USL-C defeat of 2025. That June 20 victory was the last time NCFC played on its home turf at First Horizon Stadium, so Legion FC knows that it will have its hand full on Friday.

“They’re where they are in the table for a reason,” said Briggs. “They may see 10th place Birmingham coming in and know that means they’ve got to get a home win. I’m sure they’re going to be aggressive and get after us to put us on the back foot. We’ve got to be able to handle that.”

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