After a more or less even first half the Legion attack exploded in the second and did everything it needed to do to secure the win. For the third straight game, their efforts were offset by dubious refereeing decisions. The red card to Leo Duru in the Hartford game potentially cost the Three Sparks 2 points, then the penalty call on Phanuel Kavita against Charleston cost another point and now the phantom penalty call (I think on Amir Daley) – which followed an equally suspect free kick call on Ronaldo Damus – against Loudoun cost a further 2 points. That’s at least 3, possibly 5, points taken away.
Still, winless as it remains after 4 games, this Legion team is clearly an upgrade over last season’s edition and there is considerable justification for optimism, especially considering that the season is yet very young. Let’s take a look at how the players all performed.
GK: JASSEM KOLEILAT – B+
The PK aside, Jassem faced only 2 shots on target and there wasn’t much he could do to stop James Murphy’s goal. As for the PK, if he had simply stood his ground, he would have saved it, but no keeper ever does that. Just 23 passes in the game, with a 73.9% accuracy rate.
LB: RAMIZ HAMOUDA- B
A surprising choice to start given that he was fresh off the plane from Portugal, Raz played only the first half as Heaps went for a more attacking strategy. An interception was his only defensive contribution. He also won 2 of 3 duels. He did get to move forward, putting in an unsuccessful cross and connecting on 19 of 22 passes (and he was perfect in the attacking half).
CB: BRYCE WASHINGTON – A-
Back from getting his bell rung Bryce played the full 90 and was impressive. 2 tackles and 4 clearances combined with 3 of 5 duels won for a solid center back performance. And add a whopping 95.7% accuracy rate on 46 passes (all but 1 were short though). He picked up a yellow card riught at the end of the game to spoil it just a tad.
CB: KEEGAN HUGHES – B-
Keegan played his first Legion game a day after signing on loan and it was against the team he last played for in the Championship (in 2024). It took him all of 23 minutes to get a yellow card and it may have hampered him slightly for the rest of the game. Then again, he wasn’t tested much. 2 tackles and 1 interception was all he recorded. He lost 4 of 7 duels. Passing was good, missing on 5 of 42 attempts.
RB: AMIR DALEY – B+
Amir got the opportunity to improve on a weakish showing last time out and overall he did so. Setting aside being victimized by the ref, he was the busiest member of the back line. 3 tackles, 2 clearances and 8 for 14 in duels. He also took a shot (just off target) and was a decent 80% good on 40 passes. Definitely an option going forward.
LDM: SAM SHASHOUA – A
Other than winning 8 of 13 duels – a key statistic – Sam’s contribution was entirely attacking. A hefty 77 passes, on which he found his man 70 times, was accompanied by a shot off target and 2 chance creations. Most of those passes were also in the Loudoun half and only 2 of his 7 misses were in that half.
RDM: SETH ANTWI – A
Seth appears now to be the defensive pivot of choice in this lineup. He barely moved into the attacking half and never into the final third. He made 2 tackles and 3 clearances and won 7 out of 8 duels, including both aerial duels. Nice. His passing was stellar: 93.8% accurate on 48 attempts; they were all short but even so.
LAM: GEVORK DIARBIAN – B+
The Legion’s hardest-working man in show business, Gevork’s numbers don’t always reflect what he provides on the field. In this one he had just 1 shot, which was on target, but was credited with a chance creation. He also had 2 unsuccessful crosses and went 16 for 20 in passing. 14 of those were in the attacking half and 4 were sent into the box (only once successfully though).
CAM: TYLER PASHER – A+
Scoring a brace makes it an easy call for Man of the Match. Tyler also made the USL Team of the Week as a result. This was his 3rd brace in Legion colors, the previous two coming in 2023 in league play and in 2024 in the Open Cup. His play overall was really smart, especially leaving the one pass to get set up for the first goal. His scoring efficiency was 100% as well. Allowed to rest after 75 minutes.
RAM: PETER-LEE VASSELL- B+
Peter-Lee only played the first half but that was enough for him to provide the assist for the first goal. He also had a shot of his own blocked. He also played a part in the defense: 1 clearance, 1 block and 1 interception. Not bad for 45 minutes’ work.
FWD: ROMARIO WILLIAMS – A
No goals for Romario this week. In fact, no shots at all. However, he did get an assist, and showed a surprising burst of speed to do it. He created one other chance as well. On the other hand, he was credited with 3 tackles, 3 clearances and an interception to lead the team in defensive actions. He was also involved in a staggering 17 duels, winning 9. All that in 75 minutes.
SUB: SEBASTIAN TREGARTHEN – A-
Seba replaced Peter-Lee at half-time, likely to provide some additional aggression in attack. He played much deeper and stayed mostly wide right. He got 6 touches in the Loudoun box, pretty good for 45 minutes. He had a shot off target and created 1 scoring chance. Passing was a bit weak: he missed on 4 of 18 tries, 3 of which were in the attacking half.
SUB: DAWSON MCCARTNEY – A-
Also on at the half, Dawson did almost identical work on the left to Seba on the right, although he never got into the box. No shots, 1 unsuccessful cross and 1 chance creation. His passing was much better: he failed to connect on just 2 of 14 passes and one of those was a corner. His 9 other passes in the attacking half were all good.
SUB: KADEEM COLE – B+
Kadeem came on for Tyler, probably to see the game out. Unfortunately, the PK was given just a couple of minutes later. Still, he did what was asked: 1 tackle was he had to make. He touched the ball 12 times and of those 5 were in the attacking half as the Legion tried to get the lead back.
SUB: RONALDO DAMUS – B-
It was good to see Ronaldo back on the field after missing 3 games. He managed to get a very justifiable yellow card as he made his presence felt. He did not in my opinion foul Pacifique Niyongabire, ultimately leading to the PK, but did not challenge the decision. He had 2 shots , both blocked, and offset those with 2 blocks of his own. We’ll see more of him this week, I imagine.
HC: JAY HEAPS – A
Jay can be a very emotional guy on the sideline and that he did not get a card on the PK (or on one that the Legion were not awarded) is a shocker. His game plans have been pretty aggressive compared to what we have historically seen and this team has become fun to watch despite the lack of wins. The half-time adjustments were spot-on but the defense still needs to tighten up.
