Wednesday’s draw with North Carolina FC was the 12th straight game without a win. That is now the longest such streak in team history, although it does include a Jägermeister Cup game, so only equals the longest streak in league play. Will they be able to end that streak this weekend?
The most important part
Anything less than a win will eliminate the Legion from the playoffs and they would be the first team eliminated. The™ Miami FC can also be eliminated this week but they do not kick off until about the time the Legion game ends (they are hosting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds).
So beating Loudoun United (Saturday, 4:00pm, ESPN+) is an absolute must. That takes us back all the way to the first game of the season. If you recall, Jake Rufe scored in the 2nd minute and things briefly looked like it was going to be a good year. Loudoun needed just 3 minutes to answer and then the wheels fell off and the Legion lost 1-3.
Loudoun have been having a great year in comparison. They are currently 4th and need just 4 points from 4 games to guarantee a playoff spot. That would be the first in team history. They can get there this weekend in a couple of ways: a win and a Rhode Island FC loss or draw, or a draw and a Rhode Island loss. Rhody is playing the Las Vegas Lights, so who knows how that will end up.
Loudoun is a very dangerous squad, although their leading scorer Abdellatif Aboukoura stands way above anyone else on the roster with 12 goals. That’s tied for 5th best in the league as a whole. Aboukoura grew up in the DC United youth system (DCU still owns a minority share in Loudoun).
The team as a whole is high-scoring. Their 43 goals are 4th best in the Championship. They also take the 5th most shots so their conversion rate is not that great. However, that means they play a very different style than North Carolina, whose low shooting approach the Legion was able to capitalize on. Defending against Loudoun will be a very different matter.
Mark Briggs didn’t have a great deal to say about Loudoun this week other than that they are “a very good team.” Because of that the Legion needed some rest after Wednesday evening and get as healthy as possible. That especially means Sebastian Tregarthen who suffered a very nasty arm injury. I would expect him to be unavailable and possibly done for the year.
The other Sebastian (Saucedo) could be on the roster. Last I spoke with him he was expecting to be fit for the final 3 games of the season. If so, his rocket foot will be a useful option off the bench at least.
As for what Briggs wants out of his team as the season draws to a close, he said, “I want to see good performances. I just want to see what we saw tonight [Wednesday], a team that fights to the end, a team that continues to try and pass the ball and create attacking opportunities. And a team that’s difficult to play against and difficult to get opportunities against. I think that for me in the last three games would be it. And then hopefully get a couple of results. But performances going into, obviously, a big offseason.”
Prediction: If the Legion can play anywhere near as well as they played against North Carolina—a marginally better team—then they should be able to come home with at least a point. Better than that seems unlikely.
Best of the rest
There are games Saturday and Sunday this weekend, but we have chosen all Saturday games to watch. Here are our selections:
Louisville City v. Indy Eleven (6:30pm, CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Lou City is on a season-high 5-game win streak. They need 6 points from 4 games to set a new PPG record in the USL Championship. They could finish just 3 points short of Phoenix Rising’s 2019 78 points, which were earned from 4 more games. Indy did just beat Western Conference leaders Tulsa and are hanging on to that last playoff spot. This edition of the LIPAFC could be a good one.
Detroit City v. North Carolina FC (3:00pm, ESPN+)
North Carolina are coming off a tough midweek matchup against the Legion and tomorrow’s early kickoff won’t help. They are holding on to 3rd in the East and will want to maintain that position. Detroit are on a 3-game losing streak in which they have failed to score and are edging closer to the playoff line. They could easily drop.
Tampa Bay Rowdies v. Monterey Bay FC (6:30pm, ESPN+)
Both teams in this one are sitting in 10th in their respective conferences. The Rowdies have stumbled a bit since beating the Legion with two consecutive 2-2 draws (against North Carolina and Loudoun, as it happens). Monterey Bay have been less than stellar all season but just got a big win over Sacramento Republic. They ahve also 1 more game than everyone else and need the points even more than Tampa does.
Sacramento Republic v. Hartford Athletic (9:00pm, CBS Sports Golazo Network)
The Game of the Week and the first trophy of the season is on the line. The second Jägermeister Cup final is upon us. This one should be a doozy. Hartford will obviously be motivated to get the first piece of silverware in the team’s history; SacRep is hardly an easy out though. Moreover, home field advantage and a late kickoff Eastern time are in their favor.
