With two losses last week from winning positions, the Legion now finds itself in a deep hole and the playoffs are getting further out of sight. The team now has a tough game to start off the final push. Can they get there?
The most important part
When I spoke with Mark Briggs this week, he was in a mood for some hard truths. The core problem as he sees it is a lack of unity in the team. He told his players, “Guys, there’s a lot of people in the locker room that have an opinion. Whether it be how we play, whether it be how we press, whether it be how we defend the formation we play. But when you don’t follow what you’re asked of – the game plan – when you can see the goal and the wheels start to fall off, because there’s 400 different opinions.” That failure to stick with the game plan has cost the Three Sparks game after game after game: “Every time the game plan’s followed we’re either up or in a position to win…But with this group they follow a plan for a certain amount of time and then they do their own thing. And every time we do their own thing, we fall off.”
Ouch. He went on: “There has to be a better cohesiveness within the whole club…and I think it was blatantly obvious to see last year as well. This isn’t like something that’s crept up on us.”
None of that is really surprising; it’s pretty clear to anyone watching the team that things have gone very wrong. It also meshes with what I wrote in a post earlier this week. Briggs did not try to lay the blame entirely on other shoulders, saying that he takes full responsibility for not getting some of the results he truly expected to get. He also said that he remains “excited where the club is and where I feel it can go.”
That doesn’t exclude the remainder of this season. “We’re not mathematically out of the playoffs. It’s very difficult. You know, I’m not stupid. We’re probably gonna have to go and win 5 out of 5 games. That’s the only way we get a chance. We’ve only won 4 games all year, so the odds are not stacked in our favor, you know, but it’s not unrealistic.”
I think it may be a little unrealistic in fact, but that is no reason not to end the season on a high note. If nothing else, the players are at this point playing for their jobs next year (although I suspect a good few of them are already on the do-not-extend list).
That unrealism could well start this weekend. Heading to San Antonio (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN+) is not exactly the easiest of tasks. A loss will not eliminate the Legion just yet but it would bring the death knell that much closer. San Antonio is 4th in the West right now, but have been somewhat inconsistent over the course of the season. They have won their last 2 games handily (5-2 over Loudoun and 3-1 over Orange County) but lost 0-1 to Tulsa before that and drew 1-1 with Detroit and 0-0 with Monterey Bay immediately before that.
They have 2 old friends on the roster: Alex Crognale and Juan Agudelo. Alex is recovering from surgery and will almost certainly be out; Juan has been a regular on the field. He has only 1 goal all year though (Alex has 2!) but he is a very physical presence. The primary goalscorer for the team is Jorge Hernandez with 11 to his name. Confusingly, he lines up alongside Dominick Hernandez in the midfield most of the time. But he may not be the biggest threat: the team last month re-signed long-time USL stalwart Santiago Patiño for his third stint with the team.
San Antonio plays mostly with a back 4; the two centerbacks are Mitchell Taintor and Alexis Souahy, who are among the best in the league. They are tasked with defending Richard Sanchez in goal. That’s a pretty demanding assignment as Sanchez is prone to errors. If anything, he is the weak link in the team.
Prediction: If the Three Sparks get anything more than a point out of this one I would be deliriously happy. I don’t see it happening though. Even a single point would surprise me. The winless streak will not end this weekend.
Best of the rest
There are 2 games on tonight, both of which are of interest to Legion fans, the North Carolina FC v. The™ Miami FC game being less so than our pick. There are games all weekend too. Here are our selections:
El Paso Locomotive v. Rhode Island FC (Friday, 8:00pm, ESPN+)
An absolute must-lose for Rhode Island if Legion is to stand any chance of making the playoffs. Rhody is currently holding the final Eastern playoff spot and is 8 points up on the Three Sparks, so they have to lose as much as possible. El Paso, which has been up and down all year, is comfortably in the Western playoffs for now but is on a 3-game losing streak, all to Eastern teams. They need to avoid stretching that to 4 games.
Indy Eleven v. FC Tulsa (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)
Tulsa has clinched a playoff spot and is now looking to consolidate at the top of the West. A win and Lexington dropping points at New Mexico would guarantee a home playoff spot. They have looked a tad vulnerable of late though and are facing an Indy team that needs every point it can get. Last week’s win over the Legion notwithstanding, the Eleven is not a strong team and should be ripe for the picking.
Detroit City v. Louisville City (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)
Louisville needs 9 points from the final 5 games to win the Players’ Shield. They can already finish no lower than 2nd in the East. Despite their ridiculous record, a win this week would make for their longest win streak of the season at 5 games. Detroit is edging ever closer to dropping below the playoff line and are on a 2-game losing streak without scoring. Not a good situation.
Loudoun United v. Tampa Bay Rowdies (Sunday, 4:00pm, ESPN+)
Loudoun can do the Legion a big favor with a win here. They also need to keep their noses ahead of North Carolina, who are a point behind with a game in hand, and Hartford Athletic who are 3 points behind. Those 3 plus the Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be battling it out for the last 2 home playoff spots. That should be an entertaining competition in the final run-in.
