As it turned out, anything less than a win would have eliminated the Legion from the playoffs, thanks to The Miami FC playing their best soccer, well, pretty much ever. Had Tyler Pasher connected with the net rather than the post the additional point would have left the Three Sparks 12 points behind Miami with 4 games remaining (Miami only has 2). The potential points tie breaks in favor of Miami; the first tiebreaker is conference wins, of which Miami has 9 and the Legion just 4. Loudoun United did get a last-gasp equalizer against Indy Eleven, but were in exactly the same situation and so were also consihned to the early shower.
Thus the Legion, for the 2nd straight season, is finishing the season playing for pride, and, I suspect, for jobs next year. It’s also the 3rd straight season out of the playoffs, although it came down to the very last game in 2024 (thanks to a late-season crash). This time is probably even more frustrating than the last two, given that the 26 points lost from winning positions would have the team 2nd in the East.
It seems that the 2027 rebuilding effort is already under way. The team this week announced the hiring of Jonathan Nelson as team president. That’s perhaps not a name that most are familiar with but he definitely has the bona fides. He was for a long time President and GM of the Birmingham Barons (his career with them going back to their Michael Jordan days) and before that was with the Bulls as a Media Relations intern. One thing the announcement does not state is that he was most recently at Wilbron, Inc. Again, you likely don’t know that name. Wilbron is a major PR firm based here. Given his background, the announcement’s closing statement that the team will have “a renewed focus on expanding its fan base, strengthening corporate and community partnerships, growing matchday attendance and creating a sustainable platform for long-term success” makes a lot more sense.
He’s got a ton of work ahead, but a good starting point might be our X poll from a week or so ago:
OK, we were planning to do this at the end of the season, but given today’s news it seems timely to do it now. So: where should @bhmlegion play its home games next season? Give your reasons in the replies. Tell those who don’t follow us know and have them follow us too!
— The Football Forge (@FootballForge) September 30, 2026
The most important part
The most immediate task on the to-do list is of course tomorrow’s game. Another of this season’s bugbears has raised its ugly head again, namely, the weather. You have doubtless noted that Hurricane Isaias is moving in off the Gulf and is due to hit the Florida panhandle and then Alabama some time this evening. For one thing, stay safe. For another, although this is a road game in Jacksonville precautions have been taken. The game will now be played behind closed doors and the kickoff, originally scheduled for 4:00pm, has been advanced to 12:00pm (ESPN+). The city may not be on the storm’s direct track but this is definitely the proper move.
Surprisingly, the Lexington SC v. FC Tulsa game tonight, which is definitely on the predicted track, has not taken the same approach and is going ahead as planned.
It is highly arguable that the 2-3 loss to Sporting JAX back in August was the worst result of the season. So much so that Jay Heaps was on the field for a good while and then in the locker room decided to ditch the regular press conference and go straight into reviewing the game tape. The team wlil be looking to reverse that disastrous game and put it to the hosts big time.
A few things have changed since then. Notably, errors such as giving up a game-winner 11 minutes into second-half stoppage time seem to have been corrected. That goal was also off a cross, a long-standing issue that likewise has not happened recently. And the Legion, by and large, seems to have figured out how to score, the Tampa Bay and Detroit games notwithstanding.
Jax, even though they won again 2 games later, are 2-4-0 since then. In those games they have allowed 20 goals and scored just 6 (3 of which were in the 3-2 win over Lexington). They are coming off back-to-back 1-4 defeats and were also beaten 1-4 by Brooklyn right after the Legion game. They are allowing 3.33 goals per game, up from their season average of 2.70.
Moreover, last Wednesday’s 1-4 loss was to Miami, which contributed mightily to the end of the Legion season. And it was JAX’s fault entirely. 29 minutes in and with the score 0-0 captain and center back Ryan Edwards was red-carded for a DOGSO foul. After that the floodgates opened and Miami never looked back. That was his second ejection of the season; JAX has not won without him and he has been captain every game bar one when playing. He’s as much a key piece as JAX has, but that’s not saying much.
That the game will be played without fans would generally be an advantage for the visitors. In this case it’s hard to tell. JAX has been drawing 1,300 or fewer to Hodges Stadium, which has a 12,000 capacity. They may not be missed. Then again, the Legion are used to playing in front of a crowd you can barely tell is there. But they will probably need to direct the mics away from the Legion bench…
Best of the rest
Now that other teams’ performances are of less concern, we can focus in on the best matchups of the weekend. There is one game tonight; everyone else is on Saturday.
Lexington SC v. FC Tulsa (Friday, 6:30pm, CBS Sports Golazo)
We already mentioned this one in passing, but it looks to be a goody. Lexington are on a 4-game win streak and have risen to the top of our Power Rankings. They are now 4th in the West by a point over Tulsa. This is therefore a potential warm-up for a later playoff game and hosting rights are on the table. A key fixture for both teams.
Charleston Battery v. Louisville City (Saturday, 5:00pm, ESPN+)
Normally, seeing this scheduled for late season would make for instant must-see viewing on the grounds that the Eastern title would be on the line. Not so this year, but it is till important to both sides. The Battery, who were on a bye last week, trail Detroit by a point for 2nd and have a game in hand. Lou City has been uncharacteristically struggling in the league but did pick up hardware last week, beating Hartford Athletic for the USL Cup. They are 6th but dangerously close to the playoff line.
Indy Eleven v. Tampa Bay Rowdies (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)
Indy blew it late last week against Loudoun and saw Miami pass them for the final playoff spot. They trail by 2 points but do have a game in hand. That may not help much; after this one they end the season on the road at Louisville and Charleston. As for the Rowdies, they may not be too happy with Detroit inching up on them at the top; their lead is now just 5 points. And last week’s 1-2 loss to Miami will not be sitting well.
The Miami FC v. Loudoun United (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)
A 4-game win streak in Miami? Say it ain’t so. Well, there’s a very good chance it could extend to 5. Miami’s last 2 games are both home; after this they finish the season next week against Charleston. Therefore the Battery will a lot to say about which of Miami and Indy make the playoffs. Loudoun, as noted above, are out after last week (against Indy, to make it even more convoluted). Not the best team to play spoiler but you never know.
Back in the Old Country
After what seems like forever, the international break is over and the EFL Championship is back in action. The Blues play an early one tomorrow (6:30am, Paramount+) at West Bromwich Albion. West Brom are 5th, 5 spots better than Birmingham by 3 points; a road win wold see the Blues pass them. They have 4 wins in the season to date, but all of theose were agaisnt teams currently 17th or weaker, and 3 of them against teams in the bottom 5. This should be a chance for the Blues to get their season into higher gear.
The break has been good to the Blues. They get Max Bird, Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Demarai Gray all back from injury, although Paik Seung-Ho remains out.
The Ladies are still without a win this season. They lost 1-2 to Everton last week. The good news is that Aston Villa (as well as Charlton Athletic) are also winless. The WSL is on a break this week.
