Lower Alabama Report: September 10
Huntsville could be headed to a track meet; UPSL Division 1 starts this week
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit; Birmingham Legion; Jake Rufe had a huge game
Legion got a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw with Tulsa last week. As a yes or no question, the draw helped Birmingham in the standings, as the teams around them failed to get points. But they need to be getting wins instead of draws. The two big storylines of the game were the referee, and Jake Rufe. The referee was inconsistent with his calls throughout the game, and the big hit came from a penalty that was given at the end of the first half for a handball in the box by Birmingham. It was arguably the correct call, but the way it was handled bordered on debacle. The penalty gave Tulsa a 1-0 lead at the half.
The other storyline was Legion's Jake Rufe. Jake has been a soild performer throughout the season, but had disappeared from the starting lineup a month ago for no apparent reason. He got the start against Tulsa by necessity (two other CB's were called up for international duty), and he made the most of the opportunity. He put in a great shift on defense, and then scored the equalizer for Legion late in the game off of header from a set piece. His performance earned him Team of the Week honors from the league. The final score ended 1-1.
Birmingham is idle this week, and will be back in action next Wednesday for a daytime game against Tampa Bay.
Huntsville City FC
Monday's match against New England Revolution 2 saw Huntsville lose 0-1, thier third loss in a row. They've been shuffled down to fourth place in the table, and while they look safe to make the playoffs, the recent slide could see them miss out on a hosting position. They have four regular season games remaining, with three of those at home.
The task this week doesn't get any easier. New York Red Bulls 2 will come to town for a game on Saturday, September 13 at 7:00 CT. HCFC won the first meeting this season 2-1 on July 6. The Red Bulls are in first place in the East, but they're a bit of a mess. They've scored a league-high 61 goals, but have also given up a whopping 50 goals in 24 games. Huntsville will need their defense (28 goals allowed this season) to step up and slow RBNY down to get momentum headed back in the right direction leading into the playoffs.
UPSL
Image credit: FC Birmingham
Last week's results
Scenic City SC 2-2 FC Birmingham
Georgia Athletic SC 5-0 FC Columbus Elite
This week's games
Division 1 starts this week, and we'll have two teams in the division (in addition to the Premier teams) to cover for the Fall season: UMA FC 2 (the first team is not competing for the Fall), and Columbus Knight Eagles.
FC Birmingham vs Potros: Sunday, Sept 14 at 3:30 CT. Potros comes in after a dominant 4-1 win in week 1 over North Georgia United. FC Birmingham will need to step up to the challenge, and try to steal some points.
FC Columbus Elite vs Georgia Revolution: Saturday, Sept 13 at 6:00 ET. The Revs had a bye in week 1, but are always a strong opponent. Elite will be looking for a better performance, and are capable of an upset.
Middle Georgia United vs Columbus Knight Eagles: Saturday, Sept 13 at 6:00 ET. The Eagles started the Spring season strong, but faded towards the end. They'll be looking for three points on the road to kick start the Fall.
UMA FC 2 vs Angelus: Sunday, Sept 14 at 6:00 ET. UMA fielded two teams in the Spring, and the first team made a run to the playoffs. The club has since merged with Fountain City, but taken a break at the Premier level for Fall. This first match will be a strong indicator to see if players from the merge and/or first team will be mixed on the Division 1 squad. If so, look for them to come out strong against Angelus, who is in their first UPSL season.