By Adam Mendelevitz, for Next in Line
Riley Bidois, New Zealand striker, sending us proof this week that he is definitely alive and not a deepfake or illusion.
Loudoun’s gotten their rest after playing three games in a row where they played above expectations, and split it evenly with a 1-1-1 record. Now they travel to Birmingham to face an opponent that has been playing way below expectations. Will Loudoun play down to their competition? Or will they use this chance to put on a clinic and continue proving they are a legit force to be reckoned with?
Head-to-Head
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, Loudoun’s record against the Legion is bad. Out of 6 matches (not counting the 2020 COVID cancellations), Loudoun has only won once, and tied once. But that one win came at home last season, with goals from Leggett, Ryan, and ElMedkhar. With the team starting to gel together and all three of those players in the current rotation, there’s no time like the present to start balancing the scales.
Their Season So Far
On the other side of the coin, Birmingham’s 2024 has started off poorly. The only thing keeping them from the bottom of the table is a season opening win against Phoenix Rising, the game in which they scored their only goal on the season so far. That goalscorer? The invisible journeyman known as “Own Goal.” Their latest match involved the red hot Louisville City using Matt Van Oekel’s net for target practice, ending in a 5-0 drubbing.
Know Your Opponent
The Legion is led by their longtime skipper (and onetime DC United head coach) Tom Soehn, who has been with the team ever since they changed their official name to Birmingham Legion FC. He’s usually gotten the most out of his team, leading them to playoff appearances each time and an occasional upset. However, most of the dynamic attackers he’s coached have moved on to other teams, so this edition of the Legion might be Soehn’s biggest challenge yet.
Between the sticks, the Legion have the aforementioned Van Oekel, but there’s a chance that they give Trevor Spangenberg the nod this time and let Van Oekel cool off for a bit. In front of goal they have a 3-man backline usually composed of AJ Patterson, Alex Crognale, and Phanuel Kavita. They form a pretty cohesive unit…except for the previous match where they didn’t. Ramiz Hamouda is a promising Sporting KC Academy graduate who could lend support, but hasn’t played a pro match yet.
On the attacking side, Mohamed Buya Turay was one of the Legion’s big offseason additions. The Sierra Leone attacker was looking for a fresh start after injuries and poor form over the past few years put him into a slump, while Birmingham needed to fill the large holes left by the departures of Juan Agudelo and Nico Brett. So far, he has yet to impress. Prosper Kasim and Tyler Pasher are potential threats on the wings to watch out for, but who knows where their deadly finisher is going to come from without Agudelo or Brett. Maybe USL veterans Enzo Martinez or Preston Tabortetaka could fill in, but neither of them are natural 9s.
Projected Lineups
With the personnel that Soehn currently has at his disposal, he’s been trotting out a 3-4-3, a departure from the 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 variants that he’s relied on in the past. I’m taking a couple of big swings on this projection, but considering the Legion’s current state, I don’t think any lineup combination is truly off the table.
As for Loudoun, assuming everyone is happy and healthy, I don’t foresee any big change in the 4-2-3-1 setup from before, except to ask whether it will be Francois or Leggett getting the starting job at RW. Based on how Leggett has played lately, I’d say it’s his for now. Maybe we see Riley Bidois appear on the bench. I am also going with a wild guess that Dane Jacomen gets a start in goal.
Three Questions
- Is this a trap? With a porous defense, and a lackluster offense, this Legion squad should theoretically be an easy match for Loudoun to bounce back from their tough loss against Detroit. But a wounded animal can be a most dangerous one, especially one that wants to show off for their fans in their home opener. Don’t take them for granted.
- Can Ryan shake it off? We Adams mentioned this on our last podcast, but can Ryan shake off his largely invisible performance against Detroit, and return to being the goal-scoring machine we know and love? Even the best players have bad days, just gotta hope he can “burn the tape” on his last performance and instead burn the enemy net in the upcoming match.
- Can they clear it cleanly? Regardless of who takes the field for Loudoun’s defense, for the sake of my heart-rate, I gotta know if they learned not to be too fancy playing it out of the back. Even a team as down on their luck as the Legion can steal a goal if you gift them the ball right next to the 18 yard box.
Prediction
Birmingham puts up a good fight at first, punching Loudoun in the nose, and then Loudoun responds by coming together and spoiling their party. Going to be optimistic and say 3-1, Loudoun Win. Don’t let me down, lads.
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