In Republic FC’s second straight home contest, Birmingham Legion FC makes its way to the Capitol City for the first time ever. The Alabama side has been a tough opponent for almost any club the last two seasons – and they match up well this year with Sacramento after showing great form since the end of May. Check out a few notes on this week’s opponent:
Last Week’s Drama
Birmingham took three points from a skidding Charleston Battery this past weekend, logging their seventh clean sheet of the season. With the exception of the possession balance, the Alabama side had their way in nearly every aspect. The club was excellent up top, tallying 16 shots for the match and taking possession from the hosts in the attacking third on 10 occasions. The victory allowed them to keep pace with Detroit City FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who each sit four points above them in the table.
Legion FC This Season
Birmingham’s season has been quite similar to Republic FC’s. After hovering around the playoff line through March and April, the club caught fire from May into June by winning four straight matches. From May 4 to June 25, the club conceded just two scores and tallied five clean sheets, three of which came in consecutive fashion against Phoenix, New Mexico, and Eastern Conference leader Memphis. Since May 27 the club is 5-1-1, with their only loss in that stretch coming in the final moments to Louisville City FC while down to 10 men.
Republic FC will need to keep tabs on attacking midfielder Enzo Martinez, who has contributed all over the pitch in his first season in Birmingham. Entering Saturday, he’ll have scored in four straight matches and five of the club’s last seven dating to the end of May. Feeding the ball to the Uruguayan is a strong backline core led by Alex Crognale and Phanuel Kavita.
Head to Head
Saturday marks the first ever contest between Sacramento and Birmingham. On the stat sheet, the two clubs have nearly identical records – Sacramento has conceded and scored once more than the Alabama side, and each club’s differences in possession, passing, and more are small.
The pair does share a surprising 7 matches against similar opponents this season. Sacramento has the better record in those contests, posting 4 wins, two draws and losing just once compared to Birmingham’s 3-3-1 record.
