The long two-week rest is almost over, and it’s time for the Legion to get back to business. They are on the road this week; oddly, so are the Stallions. I guess they haven’t finished clearing the dirt out of Protective…
The most important part
The Three Sparks head up to Virginia to face Loudoun United (Saturday, 4:00pm, ESPN+). The two teams are, per the league website, 12th and 13th respectively in the East. Per the tiebreaker system, the Legion should be 10th and Loudoun 12th. Both are just 3 points out of the playoffs, although that hardly means much at this stage.
Both teams have a 0-2-1 record with a -1 goal difference. Loudoun has scored 1 more goal than the Legion; the draw was, like the Legion’s, 0-0 (with Miami). The only common game was against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. That was the season opener for the Legion and a tough 0-1 loss. Loudoun played them last week, losing 1-3 comprehensively.
On top of that, Loudoun played Wednesday in the Open in a local derby with League One’s Richmond Kickers. Richmond are 15th (of 17) and have not exactly been great the past two seasons. However, they won 1-0. So Loudoun have had a rough week of it.
The loss to the Kickers was played with a less-than-first-choice lineup, although several regular starters featured. The most notable absence was goalkeeper Adam Beaudry, who put up a 10-save performance in the draw with Miami two weeks ago. He obviously didn’t do as well against the Rowdies; in fact, he was credited with an own goal (the ball rebounded off his back).
As far as the attack is concerned, the leading scorer so far is Icelandic striker Thorleifur Úlfarsson with 2 goals. The best-known attacking player on the team is Elvis Amoh, who is in his second stint with the team and has been with 5 other USL Championship clubs, most recently Indy Eleven. Amoh has been mostly as a late sub, although he started against Richmond. The team is largely unrecognizable names otherwise (which is usually the case with Loudoun); long-time Legion fans will however remember defensive mid Bolu Akinyode who played for the Three Sparks back in 2020.
Loudoun has used two formations in league play: 3-4-1-2 and 4-3-1-2, Úlfarsson’s partner up top being either US-born Guatemalan Arquimides Ordonez or Brazilian Marcos Dias. This is Dias’ first year in the USL after a standout 3 years in MLS Next Pro with New England Revolution II. He was named Playmaker of the Year in MLSNP last season. The team used a 3-4-2-1 in the Richmond game with Amoh at striker.
Head coach Ryan Martin led Loudoun to its first-ever playoff spot last year even after the baffling announcement that he would “mutually part ways” with the club at the end of the season. He is now with the resurgent Oakland Roots. He was replaced by Anthony Limbrick. A somewhat odd selection, the Tasmanian has had a rather mixed coaching career in England, Wales and, of all places, Gibraltar.
As for the Legion, the lineup is rather up in the air. Defenders Ramiz Hamouda and Phanuel Kavita will likely still be recovering from jet lag and international play. Bryce Washington and Ronaldo Damus are also question marks. Defense has been the team’s weakest point to date so that could be a problem unless the team keeps Loudoun parked in its own half (which has been done fairly successfully to date). Damus’ absence would be perhaps less of an issue but does limit options in the box. Even so, expect the Three Sparks to continue with the aggressive press and overlapping wing play we have seen in the first three games.
Best of the rest
All USL Championship games this weekend are on Saturday; 3 teams have a bye. The Legion game is surprisingly not the earliest on the schedule. 3 East Coast games have a 3:00pm kickoff. That’s unusual in this league and we probably won’t see much of that as the summer makes itself felt. Anyway, there are plenty of interesting matchups to choose from, mostly not conflicting directly with the Three Sparks game. Here are our picks for your viewing pleasure:
Louisville City v. Charleston Battery (3:00pm, ESPN+)
This one does overlap with the Legion game, but these are two Eastern heavyweights. City are of course a perfect 4-0-0; the Battery have fallen on slightly hard times. The iffy win over the Legion was the start of a decline. Since then they lost 0-1 to Detroit and in midweek 2-3 in a marathon Open Cup match against League Two’s Charlotte Independence. Getting back on track in Louisville will be tough,
Indy Eleven v. Pittsburgh Riverhounds (7:00pm, ESPN+)
Indy were discounted pre-season by almost everyone. Their record so far has thus come as a bit of a surprise. After a shaky loss to Brooklyn they impressed in a 2-1 win over Detroit and last week drew Hartford Athletic 2-2 in a very entertaining game they came very close to winning. Losing 1-2 to Union Omaha in the Open Cup Tuesday was a possible return to form. The Riverhounds on the other hand have been completely underwhelming as defending champions. A 2-2-0 record with the wins over Loudoun and Sporting JAX (both 3-2 scores) isn’t great. Oh, and they are the Legion’s next opponent.
El Paso Locomotive v. Las Vegas Lights (9:00pm, ESPN+)
El Paso has been an excellent team so far this season, especially last week, beating Sacramento 2-1 in a very solid manner. They also pummeled New Mexico United 4-0 Wednesday in the Open Cup. The Lights are better than the 1-2-1 record suggests although the win was 1-0 over Monterey Bay in a bizarre contest of missed penalties. Form indicates an easy home win but the visitors could surprise.
Orange County SC v. New Mexico United (9:00pm, ESPN+)
The aforementioned New Mexico will be hurting, especially considering that they got their first league win of the season last week (3-2 over Colorado Springs). The OC also lost in the Open Cup Tuesday (1-2 to Phoenix Rising) but are 2nd in the West with an undefeated record and a 2-game winning streak. Quite a bit on the line for both teams.
Back in the Old Country
Fresh off the international break, the Blues have a double-game weekend. Friday they play Blackburn Rovers (9:00am, no US TV). he Rovers are 19th and should not present too much difficulty. However, with Birmingham City’s recent form, that may not prove to be the case.
Monday’s game will be another matter entirely. That will be on the road at Ipswich Town (9:00am, Paramount+). Ipswich have much to play for. Currently, they are 3rd, just 2 points behind Middlesbrough for the second automatic promotion spot and with a game in hand. Further, they only have the one game this weekend. This doesn;t really count as a 6-pointer; Ipswich are effectively out of reach. But points are now at a premium and every game is more or less a must-win. But this one will be a tall order.
In a BBC interview yesterday manager Chris Davies admitted that reaching the playoffs is unlikely but claimed that progress has been made. That is probably true but almost certain not to go over well with the fan base. Worse, it’s not what you would expect to hear from any manager, let alone one who already knows his job is on the line. We shall see.
