Lower Alabama Report: May 7
The Group of Death starts the season
All times listed are Central time
Birmingham Legion FC
Birmingham Legion were on the road last weekend to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies. It was the first game playing for their new coach, Mark Briggs, and there was a lot to like. Bham was on the front foot and had several chances early that were foiled by the Rowdies keeper. But at 25 minutes Tampa Bay were awarded a penalty that was converted by Leo Fernandes, giving them the lead. Both sides played more evenly after that, and the Rowdies led 1-0 at halftime.
The second half started with both sides looking to break through. After about 25 minutes Briggs made a triple substitution that surprisingly saw Ronaldo Damus come off the pitch (he wasn't happy about it). Just one minute later Enzo Martinez did his thing and cleaned up a ball in the box to get the equalizer. Then a few minutes later Trejo scored, assisted by Preston Tabort-Etaka (who had come on for Damus). Legion looked like they were going to come away with all three points until Pacifique Niyongabire flashed some individual brilliance in stoppage time. The final was a disappointing 2-2, but if Legion keeps that form they'll start to move up the table.
Next up for Legion will be a home game against Rhode Island Wed May 14 at 7:00. Rhode Island's season has also not gotten off to a good start, although they've made progress in the Open Cup. Where Legion gets eleven days to rest and train before facing Rhode Island, Coach Khano and his crew will have played twice more during that span. Those games are against New England Revolution of MLS and Monterey Bay (third in USLC West). That should be good news for Birmingham, unless RI rolls in with big momentum from winning those games.
Huntsville City FC
Huntsville City faced off against Atlanta United 2 last weekend and were hoping to keep up their run of form. They got in front by two goals early, only to see Atlanta pull one back just before the half. ATL2 got their equalizer early in the second half, and regular time ended up at 2-2. Atlanta took the extra point in the shootout.
This weekend HCFC travels to face Carolina Core Saturday May 10 at 6:00. Carolina has been competitive this season, but only have one win to show for it. Expect this to be a close game that could easily end up in PK's.
USL2
Image credit: Dothan United
Dothan United and Montgomery United will start their regular seasons in the first showdown for the Group of Death on Saturday May 10 at 7:00. This should quickly develop into a solid rivalry, and the Dothan supporters have already initiated some trash talk related to traveling to Montgomery's “TINY” stadium. There's a temptation to think that Dothan has a big leg up after they hammered AFC Mobile 9-0 in a friendly last weekend . But this one will be hard-fought, and an early indicator for what's in store for this season. Put it on your list to watch. And then they'll turn around and play each other again in Dothan a week later.
FC Birmingham
FCB hosts Limeno Saturday May 10 at 5:00. These two teams are at opposite ends of the table. The biggest talking point relates to an open letter posted this week by the FCB owner. The team is facing relegation and have called up players from the second team due to significant fallout from the first team. Roughly half of the players that started the first game have left, and their most recent match saw them play a keeper at forward with only two players on the bench. The owner has said that the issue has been a lack of commitment. The situation bears watching, but it's a tough recipe against one of the top teams.
FCB2 was on the road against Limeno 3, expecting to put together a big win. Limeno was looking for their first win of the season, after some very uneven performances. FCB2 couldn't get anything going and they lost 0-1.
UMA2 comes to Bham this week to face FCB2 Saturday May 10 at 2:30. The players being pulled up to the first team will almost certainly leave the squad a little thin. UMA2 should be able to capitalize on that.
UMA FC
UMA will be on the road Sunday May11 at 4:00 to face Soccer Saves Lives. UMA is looking to get back on track. They won their first two matches, but haven't picked up a win since then. SSL has only won one game, but they score a lot of goals. Flip a coin on this one.
UMA2 was on the road against FC Atlanta, and they'll be looking for three more points on the road against FCB2 this weekend.
The Adjacency
Image credit: Fountain City FC
Fountain City hosts Georgia Revolution Saturday May 10 at 2:00. The Revs are coming into this game well-rested after a 1-0 two weeks ago against FC Birmingham. Fountain were against Montgomery United for a friendly this past weekend, but only played 25 minutes before the game had to be called due to weather. Some of their key players didn't make that trip, so they should also be rested and ready to go. The Revolution have the better record this season, but the only consistent thing is that their games are close - for both wins and losses. Fountain is not a team that anyone should let hang around, and I look for them to get points here.
FC Columbus beat Georgia Athletic 2-0 last week, which was their third win in the last four games. This week they'll be at home against Albion Atlanta SC on Saturday May 10 at 6:00. Albion is below Elite in the table due to inconsistent play. This could go either way, but Elite has shown in the past that they can build success throughout a season, and I think they'll get the win.
Columbus Knight Eagles lost 2-6 last weekend to Middle Georgia United. After a strong start, their season has started to deteriorate and they've fallen to fourth in the table. This week's match will be on the road against Albion Atlanta SC U23 Saturday May 10 at 6:00. Albion has been very inconsistent, and they've had some lopsided losses. CKE needs to get the three points from this one.