In its second game of the 2025 season, Louisville City FC struck first but couldn’t hold onto the lead in a 1-1 tie with Birmingham Legion FC on a windy Sunday afternoon at Protective Stadium in Alabama.
Manny Perez scored his first regular season goal for Louisville City — and his first for the club overall since the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs — in the 30th minute, but the boys in purple conceded in first half stoppage time. Both teams had chances to win it in the second half before the two sides came away splitting the spoils — and LouCity came away disappointed.
“There’s no two ways about it: For me the performance was nowhere near the standard,” said City coach Danny Cruz. “I didn’t think there was any urgency to go and want to win the game. I thought there was a lack of communication on the field. The intensity wasn’t at the level is needed to be.”
Cruz’s team numbered more shots, shots on target, and a held larger share of possession than Birmingham. But the manager lamented a lack of quality from his team.
Perez, despite being pleased with scoring, echoed his coach’s comments.
“We always talk about winning culture, winning mentality, and I think overall we’re not satisfied with the tie,” Perez said.
After Perez opened the scoring, Birmingham earned a free kick in the LouCity half. Legion FC’s Roman Torres whipped in a ball into a dangerous area, and Ronaldo Damus headed it past LouCity goalkeeper Damian Las. It marked the second-consecutive week Louisville conceded from a free kick after Charleston scored one in a 2-1, season-opening victory for LouCity.
“It was hard for me to commit to a decision due to the fact that the ball they played in was really good,” Las said.
The result left LouCity in third place in the Eastern Conference standings. The boys in purple are one of four teams in the Eastern Conference — and 10 teams across the USL Championship — still unbeaten.
“We have a sour taste in our mouth after today’s draw,” Las said. “So I think we’re just carrying that on (to next week).”
LouCity returns to Lynn Family Stadium for its home opener, on Saturday, hosting fellow unbeaten Loudoun United FC for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The festivities will include a $2 happy hour featuring beer, Pepsi products and bottled water, and the first 2,000 fans can pick up a commemorative 2025 home opener pennant upon entry, as well as complimentary schedule posters and magnets.
For tickets and more information, visit loucity.com/opener.
Game Summary: Birmingham Legion FC vs. Louisville City FC
Date: Sunday, March 16
Venue: Protective Stadium
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 63 degrees, clear skies, strong wind
Scoring
Birmingham Legion FC (1, 0, 1)
Louisville City FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Birmingham Legion FC:
45+2′ Ronaldo Damus (Roman Torres)
Louisville City FC:
30′ Manny Perez (Zach Duncan)
Lineups
Birmingham Legion FC: 1 – Matt Van Oekel, 2 – Stephen Turnbull, 4 – Ramiz Hamouda (33 – Moses Mensah, 67′), 5 – Ethan Kos, 13– Jake Rufe, 11 – Dawson McCartney, 25 – Roman Torres, 8 – Kobe Hernandez-Foster, 19 – Enzo Martinez (c), 9 – Ronaldo Damus, 10 – Preston Tabort Etaka (22 – Lucca Dourado, 90+1′)
Subs not used: 18 – Trevor Spangenberg, 32 – Temi Ereku, 43 – Santiago Suarez, 47 – Finn Calloway, 57 – Fernando Delgado
Head coach: Tom Soehn
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las, 2 – Aiden McFadden (13 – Amadou Dia, 70′), 32 – Kyle Adams (c), 5 – Arturo Ordóñez, 4 – Sean Totsch, 15 – Manny Perez, 17– Taylor Davila, 6 – Zach Duncan (8 – Carlos Moguel Jr., 60′), 7 – Ray Serrano (23 – Sam Gleadle, 79′), 16 – Adrien Perez (25 – Jansen Wilson, 60′), 9 – Phillip Goodrum
Subs not used: 12 – Danny Faundez, 24 – Josh Jones, 31 – Kevon Lambert
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Stats Summary: Birmingham Legion FC / Louisville City FC
Shots: 10 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Possession: 44.5% / 55.5%
Fouls: 14 / 23
Offside: 3 / 2
Corner Kicks: 7 / 9
Discipline Summary
Birmingham Legion FC:
10′ Enzo Martinez (yellow)
40′ Roman Torres (yellow)
53′ Ramiz Hamouda (yellow)
Louisville City FC:
40′ Adrien Perez (yellow)
47′ Zach Duncan (yellow)
80′ Danny Cruz (yellow)
Referee: Kyle Johnston
