Match Preview: Huntsville City FC vs Crown Legacy FC
After a week off to rest their legs, Huntsville City FC hits the road again on Sunday evening to take on Crown Legacy FC, who last week defeated the Capybaras of Columbus Crew 2.
Let’s dive in.
Match Details
Location: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews, Matthews, North Carolina
Time: 7:00PM EST (local), 6:00PM CST (Huntsville)
Referees: Rogelio Alvarez (REF), Josh Lampkins (AR1), Trevor Hadick (AR2), Hillis Waddell (4TH)
Head Coaches: Gary Dicker (CRL), Chris O’Neal (HNT)
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
Tickets: Ticketmaster
The History
These clubs have met six times in the past, and this is the first of three meetings between Huntsville and Crown Legacy in 2025.
In those six games, three have ended in 90 minutes, with the Rocket Men winning two of the three, and Crown Legacy the other.
Of the remaining three fixtures, all of which ended in a penalty shootout, it’s been Crown Legacy to take the lion’s share, including two shootout victories over Huntsville in 2024.
These clubs have met thrice at each location in this fixture, with Crown Legacy winning all three home fixtures against Huntsville, two by way of penalty shootout. Huntsville have, in turn, won all three back in northern Alabama, one by shootout.
This of course includes their victory over Crown Legacy in their first home game in club history in 2023 as well.
The next time these clubs meet will be June 20th in Huntsville, before reconvening in Matthews on August 3rd to round out their trio of games.
Lineup Prediction
Erik Lauta maintains his place in goal, and receives a fairly familiar back four in front of him who will look to build chemistry. Those four are Tyshawn Rose, Chris Applewhite, Kevin Carmichael, and Blake Bowen, who will be wearing the armband oncemore.
In midfield, it’s again a pairing of Pep Casas and Moises Véliz, who seem to play really well off each others’ skillsets.
Christian Koffi anchors the attack, and is joined by Damien Barker John, Gio Miglietti, and Ethan O’Brien, who returns from injury.
Analysis & Prediction
As always, Next Pro is incredibly, incredibly difficult to predict. Crown Legacy enter this one having lost one game and taken two to a shootout, winning one against Columbus and losing one against New York City.
Huntsville, meanwhile, are fresh off their first shootout win since 2023 over Philadelphia, having already stacked a win against Chicago and a loss at Chattanooga on top of that.
Huntsville is a good team, who should at the very least challenge for the playoffs. Crown Legacy should be in and around that discussion this summer as well. Home field could very well be the deciding factor here.
Give me a 2-2 draw, with Huntsville goals from Koffi and Miglietti, and after flipping a coin on Google, give me Crown Legacy to take the shootout victory.