Soccer comes back home on Saturday as Birmingham Legion FC returns to the Magic City after two big wins on the road.

Legion FC (2-2) plays host to the Swope Park Rangers, the affiliate team of Sporting Kansas City of the MLS, on Saturday at 4 p.m. at BBVA Compass Field on the UAB campus.

The Birmingham squad is still looking for its first goal and win at home during its inaugural United Soccer League season.

What you need to know about Swope Park

The Rangers (0-3-1) are coming off a rough 3-1 loss to Indy Eleven this past Monday. The team has also lost to the New York Bulls II and Bethlehem Steel and played to a draw against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

Despite the losses, Swope Park has scored seven goals, showing its ability to score and play aggressively.

Wilson Harris scored the lone goal, and his first this season, for the Rangers in last week’s loss. Other players who have scored this season are Felipe Hernandez, Rodney Wallace, Kelyn Rowe, Ethan Vanacore-Decker and Jerome Ngom Mbekeli (2 goals).

Swope Park, which moved from the Western to the Eastern Conference this season, lost key members off its playoff roster last year and seems to still be adjusting to the new feel of the squad. The team lost its three top scorers and also released 11 players.

The team has also suffered from slow starts, as illustrated by giving up two goals within the first six minutes in the loss to Indy Eleven. Coach Paulo Nagamura alluded to the problem after the loss.

“If you put yourself down five minutes into the game against a good team, it’s really difficult to turn that around,” he said. “I thought after the first 10 minutes, we started playing, we started being more aggressive defensively, smart with the ball, playing one-two touches, and we were able to create a lot of good moments around their goal.”

‘Creative and versatile’: Daniel Johnson brings international experience to Birmingham Legion FC https://t.co/mmr2KDf211 — AL.com sports (@aldotcomSports) April 18, 2019

What you need to know about Birmingham

Legion FC comes off two impressive wins on the road, a 3-2 victory over defending USL champions Louisville and then a 3-2 victory over previously-undefeated St. Louis FC. Those wins were sandwiched by a weather postponement of a game played against the New York Red Bulls II in Birmingham that didn’t last past the 17th minute.

The most recent win, against the Eastern Conference-leading St. Louis squad, was led by Legion FC’s most recent loaner and Alabama native JJ Williams. Two days after joining the team, Williams scored two goals and along with an early goal from UAB alumni Mathieu Laurent gave Legion FC an impressive and somewhat unexpected win.

Also contributing in that game was defender Kyle Culbertson, who had two assists and led the team with three interceptions.

Legion FC has been marked in recent weeks by its well-roundedness; a variety of players have contributed in every facet of the game.

Following the victory over St. Louis FC, Birmingham coach Tom Soehn said the team continues to improve and do good things.

“(It) was a battle, both ends were pushing the game, and there were some hard moments that the guys just battled through,” Soehn said. “We created opportunities, took our chances again, and I’m pretty proud of the performance.”

The next challenge? Scoring a goal and getting a win for the home crowd back in Birmingham.

Game details

Birmingham Legion FC vs. Swope Park Rangers begins at 4 p.m. at BBVA Compass Field. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at the Legion FC’s website. The game will be televised locally on My68.