Lower Alabama Report: October 22
Huntsville wins their first-ever playoff game; Legion looking ahead to 2026
Birmingham Legion FC
Cal Jennings and MD Myers. Image credit: Michael Wiser/ Charleston Battery
Birmingham Legion is out of the playoffs, and Sunday's game against Miami FC featured some experimentation with the lineup. Edwin Laszo was given the start at centerback, in an attempt to see if that might be a better fit for him than midfield. The results were disastrous, as he made several errors, and contributed to at least two of Miami's three first half goals (in addition to almost scoring an own goal). Despite Miami's starting keeper getting an early red card, Birmingham couldn't climb the hill that they created, and Miami won 3-2. The loss by Legion sees them at the bottom of the table in the East, just one point above Las Vegas in the race for the wooden spoon.
Things don't get any easier, as Legion will be on the road this week to face second place Charleston. Charleston's spot in the playoffs is secure, so it will be interesting to see how they approach their Wednesday night game on the road against Sacramento, and then the game against Birmingham. Most coaches would be careful and rest starters to protect them for the playoffs. But Pirrman isn't most coaches, and two Battery players are in the running for the Golden Boot - Cal Jennings has 16 goals, and MD Myers has 15; they're both chasing Peter Wilson of Oakland, who is on 17 with just one game remaining for him to add to his total. Birmingham earned a 0-0 draw against Charleston in their previous meeting this season, and they tend to play play better against top opponents. All things considered, Legion has a solid chance for an upset, or to steal a point. This is the featured CBS match for the weekend, so hopefully both teams will put their best effort forward, and not turn this into a glorified preseason game.
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: Huntsville City
Huntsville got an impressive 2-0 road win over Chattanooga FC in the first round of the NextPro playoffs. Christian Koffi returned to the lineup after a seven game absence, and got an assist and a goal. Both teams played their game, with Huntsville dominating possession, and CFC looking to strike on counterattacks. After losing all three regular season match-ups, Huntsville got the monkey off their back, and won their fourth game in a row.
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HCFC will be on the road to face Philadelphia Union 2 in the second round of the NextPro playoffs. The two teams met just once during the regular season, in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw; Huntsville took the extra point in the shootout. During the regular season, Philly was one of the top-scoring teams (64 GF), while also having one of the top defenses (34 GA). Huntsville performed similarly on defense (30 GA), but was behind that pace on offense (54 GF). In a league that's really not known for defense, expect this game to be a tight, low-scoring match. They'll face off on Saturday, October 25 at 6:00 ET.
Last week's results
Atlanta United Academy 5-3 FC Birmingham
FC Columbus Elite 2-1 Atletico Buford
Atlanta City 1-3 UMA FC 2
Columbus Knight Eagles 3-2 LSA Norcross 2
This week's games
LSA Norcross vs FC Birmingham; Sunday, October 26 at 7:30 ET. Norcross won their first three games, but have lost two in a row. FCB has been very competitive this season, and this should be a close game.
Filial Pachuca vs FC Columbus Elite; Sunday, October 26 at 6:00 ET. Pachuca has been very uneven this Fall, but beat Elite 5-0 on Oct 4th. Colgaelite will be looking to build off of last week's success, and are capable of pulling off an upset.
UMA FC 2 vs Augusta Arsenal; Sunday, October 26 at 3:00 CT. Augusta started the season on fire, winning their first three games by a combined 16-0. The two most recent games were a hard-fought draw, and a loss. UMA has shown high quality at times, including a draw against Angelus. This should be an entertaining match, with plenty of goals scored.
FC Atlanta vs Columbus Knight Eagles; Sarurday, October 25 at 7:30 ET. FCA is a dangerous team, with draws against both Angelus and Augusta, and a solid win over UMA. They also appear to play to their opponent's level, with four draws from six games. CKE has shown some flashes, but has also taken three hard losses. This could be another setback for the Eagles.