Lower Alabama Report: September 17
Legion is in do-or-die mode; Huntsville needs to stop the slide; a big clash in UPSL Div 1
Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Birmingham had a bye last week, and hopefully they'll be rested up as they head into action this week. Their chance to make the playoffs is rapidly disappearing. They have two games this week, against fellow bottom-dwellers in the table.
First up is a mid-day special, focused on an education day for local schools to attend. They'll be up against the Tampa Bay Rowdies today (Wednesday, September 17) at 11:30 AM Central, who they played to a 2-2 draw in the earlier meeting this season. Both teams are sitting on 22 points, and are desperately trying to scratch and claw their way above the playoff line. The stakes are high, and this is already a heated rivalry, so the referee is likely to get a workout. Both teams have gone through coaching changes this season, although Tampa Bay's new coach has been in place for less time. Neither team is in great form, or they wouldn't be at the bottom of the table, and another draw won't be good news for either of them. Legion should have a pretty full roster available, and will need to balance substitutions in the heat (the “feels like” temp will be around 95 degrees).
Birmingham's second game will be on the road against Indy Eleven on Sunday, September 21 at 4:00 central. This is their third meeting this season; Indy won the first, and they played to a draw in the Jagermeister Cup (Indy won the shootout). If Legion beats Tampa, they'll come into this game trailing Indy by one point. Indy's problem this year has been swings of inconsistency. They'll also be without Elvis Amoh, who got a red card last week against in a 0-1 loss to Rhode Island. Indy has lost three of their last four games, but also beat a red-hot Harford 2-0 during that same run. If Legion can keep Romario Williams bottled up, they've got a good chance to get the three points.
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: Huntsville City FC
Huntsville has been streaky all season, and last week's 2-3 loss to first place Red Bulls 2 was their fourth loss in a row. With three games left in the regular season, the Boys in Blue need some points to stop the slide. They're in sixth place in the East, 7 points ahead of the seventh and eighth place teams.
Huntsville will be on the road this week against Orlando City 2, before coming back home for their final two games. This is the third meeting for these teams this season, with the home sides winning each time previously. A win would secure a spot in the playoffs for HCFC for the first time, and the pressure will be on to make that happen.
UPSL
Last week's results
FC Birmingham 1-7 Potros
Georgia Revolution 3-1 FC Columbus Elite
UMA FC II 3-3 Angelus
Middle Georgia United 0-6 Columbus Knight Eagles
This week's games
FC Birmingham vs Dalton United; Sunday, September 21 at 4:30 CT. Dalton has historically been a powerhouse, but didn't have a great Spring season. Their first game of Fall was a hard loss to Potros, indicating that this game might be more even than would be expected.
FC Columbus Elite is off this week.
FC Atlanta vs UMA 2; Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 ET. Early indications are that UMA would be favored here, after the 3-3 draw against Angelus.
Columbus Knight Eagles vs Augusta Arsenal Soccer Team; Sunday, September 21 at 5:00 CT. Both of these teams won their matches last week by a score of 6-0. Expect this to be high-scoring, and the winner could have the inside track for the Fall season. I give the Eagles the advantage at home.