Game Preview: Loudoun United v. Birmingham Legion
A difficult assignment in NOVA
Wednesday’s draw with North Carolina FC was the 12th straight game without a win. That is now the longest such streak in team history, although it does include a Jägermeister Cup game, so only equals the longest streak in league play. Will they be able to end that streak this weekend.
Anything less than a win will eliminate the Legion from the playoffs and they would be the first team eliminated. The™ Miami FC can also be eliminated this week but they do not kick off until about the time the Legion game ends (they are hosting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds).
So beating Loudoun United (Saturday, 4:00pm, ESPN+) is an absolute must. That takes us back all the way to the first game of the season. If you recall, Jake Rufe scored in the 2nd minute and things briefly looked like it was going to be a good year. Loudoun needed just 3 minutes to answer and then the wheels fell off and the Legion lost 1-3.
Loudoun have been having a great year in comparison. They are currently 4th and need just 4 points from 4 games to guarantee a playoff spot. That would be the first in team history. They can get there this weekend in a couple of ways: a win and a Rhode Island FC loss or draw, or a draw and a Rhode Island loss. Rhody is playing the Las Vegas Lights, so who knows how that will end up.
Loudoun is a very dangerous squad, although their leading scorer Abdellatif Aboukoura stands way above anyone else on the roster with 12 goals. That’s tied for 5th best in the league as a whole. Aboukoura grew up in the DC United youth system (DCU still owns a minority share in Loudoun).
The team as a whole is high-scoring. Their 43 goals are 4th best in the Championship. They also take the 5th most shots so their conversion rate is not that great. However, that means they play a very different style than North Carolina, whose low shooting approach the Legion was able to capitalize on. Defending against Loudoun will be a very different matter.
Mark Briggs didn’t have a great deal to say about Loudoun this week other than that they are “a very good team.” Because of that the Legion needed some rest after Wednesday evening and get as healthy as possible. That especially means Sebastian Tregarthen who suffered a very nasty arm injury. I would expect him to be unavailable and possibly done for the year.
The other Sebastian (Saucedo) could be on the roster. Last I spoke with him he was expecting to be fit for the final 3 games of the season. If so, his rocket foot will be a useful option off the bench at least.
As for what Briggs wants out of his team as the season draws to a close, he said, “I want to see good performances. I just want to see what we saw tonight [Wednesday], a team that fights to the end, a team that continues to try and pass the ball and create attacking opportunities. And a team that’s difficult to play against and difficult to get opportunities against. I think that for me in the last three games would be it. And then hopefully get a couple of results. But performances going into, obviously, a big offseason.”
Prediction: If the Legion can play anywhere near as well as they played against North Carolina—a marginally better team—then they should be able to come home with at least a point. Better than that seems unlikely.
(Excerpted from the Football Forge)
