After a much-needed 13-day break, the Legion are back in action this Friday under unusual circumstances…
The most important part
Thanks to Usher Raymond and Chris Brown, Protective Stadium has been deemed off-limits to the Legion this weekend. Their concert isn’t until next Tuesday but the BJCC is claiming they need at least 4 days to prepare for it. That seems odd, given that they are performing in Nashville this Saturday and therefore none of their equipment can be set up until late Sunday at the very earliest. Doubtless you are utterly shocked at this unprecedented display of unprofessional behavior by this paragon of civic pride.
Not. Anyway, the Legion decided this would be a home game of the most literal kind. It will be played at the team’s training field at Dunnavant Valley and US280. The players are more than happy for this development as they prefer playing on grass. The field has a small bleacher stand with space for maybe 300 people; the team is bringing in extras to expand that to as much as 4,000. TV cameras will be set up on lifts. Thus, the Three Sparks will be moving from the league’s largest stadium to its smallest.
Parking will be free, and tickets include a free drink. The seats will be far closer to the action than at Protective, closer even than at UAB’s PNC Field (if you remember that far back). That should make for a noisy atmosphere and a far better fan experience all told. Beyond that, there are a ton of great eating places nearby (the closure of Valley Post notwithstanding).
It should be a great evening, as long as the weather holds up. If it doesn’t, that could be a problem, including on the field, which notoriously does not drain very well.
Any advantage over the visiting New Mexico United is welcome. They are currently 3rd in the West but have 2 games in hand over Orange County SC and San Antonio FC above them; 1st place is very much within reach. And they are working hard to get there. They are 4-0-2 in the last 6 league games and 2-0-0 in the last 2 USL Cup games. They have not lost since a 0-1 setback by the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 20th. Currently, they are top of both our Power Rankings and the USL’s own Power Rankings. John Morrissey has them at #5. They are, to put it mildly, a good team. Moreover, they have been on a slightly extended break since whipping Lexington SC 4-1 away a week ago Wednesday.
Friday will be 2 years and 4 days since the last game between the two teams, a 1-1 draw in Albuquerque. The only home game in the series was a 1-0 victory for the Three Sparks in 2023 and the Legion also won away 2-0 in 2022.
Clearly, maintaining that undefeated series record will be tough. That being said, and even with the big 4-1 win last time out, New Mexico are not a prolific scoring team. In 14 league games they have 19 goals, good for 16th in the league. That’s only 3 goals more than the Three Sparks, even if on one less game. They did score 8 in the USL Cup, 1 better than the Legion, although that was not enough to make the playoffs. They are also fairly efficient with their shooting, ranking just 18th in shots (the Legion is 8th) but 10th in converting those shots (the Legion is a lousy 24th).
They also do not allow many goals: 15 in 14 games for a +4 goal difference. Starting goalkeeper Kris Shakes has 4 clean sheets in 12 games, tied for 7th in the league. He is also averaging 3.5 saves a game, slightly better than our Jassem Koleilat, who averages 3.0 (but has made more saves overall). That is interesting, as New Mexico has, per American Soccer Analysis, an xGF of 20.73 and an xGA of 25.90, which means they are slightly underperforming their xGA but are way better than their xGA. The Legion are also well under their xGA (19 compared to a very similar 26.02) but are also far under their xGF (16 compared to 25.69).
This, then, has the makings of a goalie war. Which are always fun.
As far as the shooting is concerned, the primary scorer so far has been Greg Hurst, who has played all 14 league games and has bagged 4 times. He did not score at all in the Cup, in which Dayonn Harris led the team with 4. The Scotsman Hurst is a true striker, although he has played occasionally as a #10, and has been with New Mexico since 2023. Harris can add 2 league goals to his total, making him the overall team leader. He is a left winger primarily, but as happens frequently with the Three Sparks, he has been known to play inverted. The Canadian-born Antiguan is in his 3rd season with the club.
Formation should be predictable. In all but 2 games early in the season they have played a 4-2-3-1 exclusively. The other 2 games were 4-4-2, from which they were able to score just 1 goal. That will not present any unforeseeable issues given the Legion’s own familiarity with the setup.
New Mexico’s head coach is Dennis Sanchez who is in his second year running the team. He joined them immediately after taking the Las Vegas Lights in his first season as a head coach all the way to the Western Conference final in what was by a wide margin their best season ever. Under his leadership New Mexico were 3rd in the West last year, again getting to the Western Conference final. That’s a pretty good record.
It’s hard to say how intimidated they may be in the unusual surroundings. They consistently play in front of large crowds at their home field, Isotopes Park, and several of the other Western Conference stadia can be pretty rowdy as well. But none of them would be anywhere near as close to the actual playing field. Not to mention the limited dimensions and weird angle the home field has, being yet another baseball field.
What of the Three Sparks though? We are still awaiting a potential replacement for Ramiz Hamouda, and also Keegan Hughes for that matter. And there are all the injuries the team has been battling. That aside, the boys in whatever color they choose to wear should be in their most confident state so far this year after the comprehensive defeat of FC Tulsa almost 2 weeks ago. Their run of form in league is diametrically opposed to New Mexico’s, being winless in the last 8. That is, they need to generate points wherever they can. Further, points against a non-conference team are essentially a bonus. The Three Sparks also have Brooklyn FC and Loudoun United breathing down their necks. A win will get the team over the playoff line, nor will it improve their overall standing; Hartford Athletic in 9th being 5 points ahead.
But the important thing is that this should be a fun evening. If you still don’t have a ticket, get one before they sell out.
Best of the rest
There were two games played Wednesday evening, both ending in a 2-0 win for the home team, Lexington SC over the Oakland Roots and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks over The™ Miami FC. All four teams have a double-game week. The only Championship team idle this weekend is Louisville City. Naturally, they will be the Legion’s next opponent this coming Wednesday, and at home to boot. Just great.
Anyway, all games other than the Legion tilt will be on Saturday, so you once again have a completely open schedule to choose from. Here are our recommendations:
Indy Eleven v. Loudoun United (6:00pm, ESPN+)
Loudoun are 2 points behind the Legion. Indy is 7 points ahead on one less game. Obviously, a road win is preferable for the Three Sparks (so long as they also get a result). Loudoun has 1 win in its last 10 games (2-0 over Richmond Kickers in the USL Cup, although they were unlucky not to beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies last week. Indy is predictably erratic, with 3 shutout losses in its last 5 games.
The Miami FC v. Tampa Bay Rowdies (6:00pm, ESPN+)
At the same time is this one, which seems like a much stronger matchup. The Rowdies have been faltering with only 1 win in the last 5 league games. Miami is probably a lot better than their record suggests…
El Paso Locomotive v. Sporting JAX (8:00pm, ESPN+)
Now that both games against the Legion are closing in, it was of course time for JAX to start showing some life. Their first league last week over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds was impressive and they really should have put Brooklyn away as well, instead blowing a 2-goal lead for the 2-2 draw. El Paso have gotten steadily weaker as the season has progressed and are now below the playoff line. This could be a good chance for JAX to add to its win column.
Monterey Bay FC v. Orange County SC (9:00pm, ESPN+)
The OC have not played a league game since July 8th and no games at all since July 11th. That last game in the USL Cup rounded out a shocking 0-4-0 record in the competition. However, they remain top of the Western Conference by 3 points. Monterey Bay, in contrast are bottom of the West by 3 points and the teams above them have games in hand. This Northern v. Southern California should go to the visitors but it is the USL Championship after all, where anything can happen.
Back in the Old Country
The Blues’ preseason continues apace. On Wednesday they played away at Burton Albion of League One. They finished 1-0 winners, the scorer being August Priske. This weekend they will play a split-team doubleheader against Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra (both games Saturday at 9:00am) ahead of the big one against Barcelona next Friday. Both opponents are in League Two.
As expected, Kyogo Furuhashi has left the team, heading to the LA Galaxy for an undisclosed fee. Goalkeeper James Beadle is back with the team, his season-long loan from Birhton & Hove Albion having been renewed.
Other than that, it’s been relatively quiet over there.
