August 28, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
BIRMINGHAM, AL – A solid team performance from Legion FC resulted in a 3-1 victory over New York Red Bulls II at Protective Stadium on Sunday afternoon. New York took the lead early, Birmingham equalized in the first half and scored two more in the second to keep earn its sixth win in the last seven games and remain firmly in the race for a top four finish in the Eastern Conference and a home playoff game.
After back-and-forth action on both sides of the pitch, and action that saw the home side miss out on a handful of quality opportunities, New York opened its account in the 25th minute with Jordan Adebayo-Smith putting away a penalty after he was brought down in the box.
“I was disappointed with giving one up early, because we created so many opportunities early and I think if our head was in the right space, we would’ve buried those chances all the way through the first half,” said Head Coach Tommy Soehn. “I actually came in [to the locker room at halftime] pretty angry, and I feel like the second half was much better. But I think part of it was our own doing and making sure our mind is right against whoever we play.”
Birmingham kept its hopes alive and carried the confidence they would take all three points despite being down by one. In the 38th minute, midfielder Bruno Lapa and defender Jonny Dean linked up with a skillful one-two that gave Legion an equalizer. The Brazilian delivered Hotlinks a beautiful, over the top ball that fell perfectly for Jonny to slot it home.
“I think one [way to improve in the second half] is just to shut our mouths and play,” said Soehn. “We were so concerned with calls and everything else outside the game, and it’s just a distraction. I think once we started focusing on the game, obviously their desire to slow the tempo down was there, so we wanted to keep the tempo high, and I think as we did that, the second half things started falling our way.”
It was Birmingham’s turn to receive a penalty in the 49th minute to take a lead it would never relinquish. Quick-witted, fancy footwork won forward Juan Agudelo a PK, and he cleanly converted from the spot to notch his seventh of the season. With seven goals he now ties with Prosper Kasim for second in goals scored this season for the Three Sparks.
In the 74th minute, a brilliant team goal gave the Legion a two-goal cushion. Starting from the midline, a quick buildup saw the ball go…