Legion II win at the death
Birmingham Legion II waited until stoppage time to score a dramatic winner in a heated encounter with Montgomery United at Protective Stadium
Despite dominating the game, Birmingham Legion II did not lead against Montgomery United until the final few minutes of the encounter.
After bossing possession for the entire first half, the Birmingham boys went behind against the run of play in the 54th minute. They restored parity 10 minutes later but did not find the winner until a Jack Heaps header in the first minute of stoppage time.
“Overall, I think there was one team that was trying to play and trying to problem solve,” Carlo Schiavoni, Legion II head coach, said. “I’m proud that our guys kept playing and finally got what I think they deserved.”
Legion II dominated the opening proceedings, though neither side created any clear cut chances in the first half-hour.
Birmingham’s best opportunities all came around the 10th minute mark. Ty Sanchez got the first when cutting in from the left, but a deflection on his shot took all the power out of it.
Down the opposite wing, Mark Shoebridge sent in an inviting cross for Matthew van Horn to battle for. The striker got to it ahead of the onrushing goalkeeper, but his touch could only take it wide. A few minutes later, he saw a shot inside the box parried over the goal.
Montgomery’s best attacks in this span came on the counter, and both ended with controversial refereeing decisions.
In the 9th minute, a Montgomery forward wriggled into the box before being brought down. The referee signalled no foul, and though a teammate got to the ball first in the confusion, he was unable to get a shot off.
Just over five minutes later, a lone Montgomery striker ran at Legion’s defense. Neal Carlson’s tackle was late and caused him to stumble, but he kept his footing. However, it allowed Landon Surratt to catch up to him and push him off the ball.
Though the second challenge, by Surratt, might have been a 50/50, the first was undeniably a foul by Carlson. However, the referee seemed satisfied the forward had taken the advantage by not going down, much to the frustration of the Montgomery bench.
Legion II enjoyed possession for most of the half, but found little outlet to make something of it. Montgomery were content to sit deep with a compact 4-1-4-1, forcing the Birmingham boys to pass it around and patiently wait for their opening.
“It’s a scenario that you’re not faced with often, especially with the youth-side that our team possesses,” Schiavoni said. “It’s hard to break down low blocks. It took a lot of quick thinking, quick combinations to break them down. We did it a couple of times, but then the quality was lacking when we got in behind them.”
After the opening quarter-of-an-hour, Legion II’s only meaningful chances for the next 30 minutes came from set pieces.
Heaps won a foul some 30 yards from goal and van Horn sent in a lofted ball. Montgomery’s goalkeeper read it well to snatch it off the head of Alan Melendez.
Heaps sent another one in himself just before the hour mark, but his cross from the left sailed over his teammates before Montgomery’s goalkeeper punched it clear.
Only in the final seconds of the period did Legion II get another shot on goal. Shoebridge, now on the right, cut back a cross to John Davis, forcing a full stretch save by the goalkeeper.
The inability to break down the resolute Montgomery defense eventually hurt Legion II.
Ten minutes into the second half, a quick counter found a Montgomery player free down the right flank. With goalkeeper Brock Marlow racing out, the winger got to the ball just in time to poke it home. Against the run of play, the visitors led 1-0.
The hosts nearly got an immediate response with Sanchez hitting the crossbar in the 59th minute, but the assistant’s flag was up for offside anyway.
Legion II made a quadruple substitution in the 63rd minute as they tried to get back in the game, and reaped the benefits soon after.
“It’s a test of character,” Schiavoni said of his team’s ability to fight back after being sucker punched. “It’s a test of resilience. They did well to not let that jeopardize, not let that be the defining moment of the game. They got back in the game and got back on the front foot, so I was proud of them.”
In the 65th minute, van Horn found space behind the Montgomery backline. Despite an incredibly tight angle, the forward powered the shot over the goalkeeper and in off the crossbar for the 1-1.
Things got heated soon after when a Montgomery player went to ground following a Legion II challenge. Seemingly content with the draw, the visitors started dropping like flies whenever a clash occurred. Some could even be heard telling their teammates to stay down
This led frustrations to boil over on both sides, as Legion II had to endure constant breaks in play for allegedly serious injuries that did not keep the players off the field long once they were done moved to the sideline.
“It’s difficult,” Schiavoni said. “It’s one of those where you try to keep them engaged, keep doing the right thing and keep the tempo high. Not let the theatrics take play a part in the game.”
Birmingham’s determination to keep pushing finally paid off in stoppage time. Van Horn sent a corner in from the right flank, and Heaps was there to nod it home.
With the lead, Legion II took on the time-wasting role for the remainder of the game, flipping the script on their frustrated visitors.
The Birmingham team kept the ball in the corner for much of the remaining seconds, running out 2-1 winners at Protective Stadium. The game was played at the home of Birmingham Legion’s senior team prior to their USL Championship matchup with Charleston Battery.
Birmingham Legion II play one last game next Wednesday, traveling to Tennessee SC at 7 p.m.