Lower Alabama Report: June 4
Legion will be looking for third win in a row for the first time in two years!
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Birmingham Legion defeated Tulsa on the road Saturday in Jagermeister action, 2-1. It was a gritty performance that wasn't always pretty, but they got the job done. It was Birmingham's second win in a row, and they head into Wednesday's home match against Indy Eleven (7:00 CST) looking for a third in a row, a feat they haven't managed in more than two years. Indy has had their own struggles this season and have only one win so far. Last week, they had an insane 4-4 draw against Hartford, where Indy got the equalizer in stoppage time. Legion will be shifting things around due to injuries and players being called up for national duty. They'll be stretched thinnest at the back, and a lot of the load will fall at the feet of 20 year-old Tiago Suarez (pictured above). Tiago has been recognized by the league each of the last three weeks for his efforts. I'm going out on a limb to predict a 1-0 Legion win - the first clean sheet of the season, and a third win in a row.
Huntsville City FC
HCFC will bring in Orlando City B Friday, June 6 at 7:00. Orlando is fresh off of an upset win over Chattanooga FC, while Huntsville will come in well-rested after being off last weekend. Orlando is just three places behind Huntsville in the table, and can overtake HCFC with a win. Expect Huntsville to get an early lead and build throughout the match to collect three points.
USL2
Feature match:
Last week's feature didn't disappoint. Montgomery United were on the road against Tennessee and lost a lead late to draw 3-3. For this week's feature, I'm highlighting Columbus United at home against Apotheos on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30. Columbus has played well so far, but only have two points to show for it. Apotheos has lost all three matches, BUT… two of those losses were by one goal each against two undefeated teams (Legion 2 and Tennessee SC). That other loss was 0-10 at the hands of Asheville City; as unsightly as that scoreline is, it's not a sign that Apotheos is a bad team, just that Asheville is a great team. Columbus needs to ignore the Asheville City result, and expect this to be a very tough match.
Other results last week:
Montgomery 1-3 Legion 2
Legion 2 1-0 Apotheos
Dothan 2-1 SSA
Other matches this week:
Sat June 7 Columbus United vs Legion 2 7:30
Sat June 7 SSA vs Dothan United 7:30
Sat June 7 Asheville City vs Montgomery United 7:30
The League for Clubs
Image credit: Tripp Wilson (Twitter/X)
Last week's focus was on the two matches between Gaffa FC and Union 10. They split the series, which leaves the race in the West wide open. This week's feature is an easy choice, as there's just one match featuring Lower Alabama teams. AFC Mobile will host Union 10 Saturday, June 7 at 7:15. This rivalry has deep roots starting in the Gulf Coast Premier League, as these two clubs are across Mobile Bay from each other. AFC Mobile has had a tough start, but is improving. Expect this to be close, but Union 10 will be favored to collect three points.
Other results last week:
Tallahassee 4-1 AFC Mobile
UPSL
UMA FC saw their recent run of good form come to an end against Kalonji Pro-Profile 0-3 (last week's feature match). This week will be focused on FC Birmingham on the road against Dothan Untied (Saturday, June 7 at 6:00). If Birmingham has any prayer of holding off relegation, they must win this match. Dalton is having an off season and are in the middle of the table. Look for it to be close, but Dalton will likely seal FCB's fate.
Other results:
FC Columbus Elite 2-0 Limeno
FC Birmingham 0-4 Potros
Fountain City 4-3 Filial Pachuca
FCB2 1-3 FC Atlanta
Albion SC Atlanta U23 3-2 UMA2
This week's matches:
June 5 Columbus Knight Eagles vs AFC Lightning
June 7 Filial Pachuca vs FC Columbus Elite 5:00
June 8 UMA FC vs Georgia Athletic SC 3:00
June 7 AFC Lightning vs FCB2 5:00
June 8 UMA2 vs Columbus Knight Eagles 5:00
Women's matches
Feature match:
This week's feature match has Legion WFC at home against Asheville City SC Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00. Asheville is undefeated, and beat Legion 2-0 in the first match-up this season. These two teams are at opposite ends of the table, but Legion will look to steal points in this one.
Last week's results:
USLW - Tenn SC 1-0 Legion WFC
WPSL - Gulf Coast United 2-1 Union 10
USLW - Legion WFC 1-3 Greenville
WPSL - Union 10 2-1 Florida Roots
WPSL - Jackson Ignite 2-4 FC Birmingham
WPSL - FC Birmingham 3-4 Nashville Rhythm
USLW - Chattanooga Red Wolves 1-1 Legion WFC
This week's matches:
WPSL - Wed June 4 Pensacola Academy vs Union 10 6:30
USLW - Fri June 6 Legion WFC vs One Knox 7:00
WPSL - Sat June 7 Florida Roots vs Union 10 7:15
WPSL - Sat June 4 FC Birmingham vs Jackson Ignite 4:00