Birmingham Legion FC has a big week at home at BBVA Compass Field, with a match Saturday night against the defending United Soccer League champ Louisville City FC and then the franchise’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday.

First up is what should be a tough challenge against Louisville City FC, which currently sits at 4-1-4 in the USL standings. Birmingham (3-2-3) has played the reigning champs already once this season, getting a 3-2 win on the road on March 31.

What you need to know about Louisville

Louisville is coming off a 3-2 loss to the Swope Park Rangers last weekend and is trying to battle back from early injuries that have hampered the team.

The team lost forward Richard Ballard and goalkeeper Chris Hubbard to injuries, and then midfield captain Paulo DelPiccolo has been slowed by a nagging injury after the first two matches. In Game 4, starting forward Brian Ownby went down with a knee injury and goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski was unavailable the last three matches due to a calf issue. while forwards George Davis IV and Luke Spencer both missed a pair of games with hamstring strains.

Coach John Hackworth said Louisville is getting back to full strength.

“The update is that we are healthier, and that’s good news,” Hackworth said. ""We have three games in seven days as an opportunity for guys to step up and show what they can do. We need every man on our roster to be ready during this stretch.”

What you need to know about Birmingham

Legion FC comes back to the Magic City after a tiring road stretch last week that included a 5-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls II and a 2-2 draw with Memphis 901 FC in the span of four days.

A strong ending in the draw against Memphis was a good segue to the trip back home, as the team scored three goals in the last 10 minutes. Late goals from Legion FC midfielder Daniel Johnson and forward Chandler Hoffman earned a much-need point for the team in the USL standings.

Johnson had a particular strong outing and was chosen as a member of the USL Championship Team of the Week. He had one of the most dynamic goals of the season when he latched onto the ball at the top of the box and rifled a ball into the top right corner for a score in the 84th minute.

Coach Tom Soehn experimented with different lineups in the New York and Memphis games and will look to find consistency Saturday against Louisville.

At Memphis, defenders Kyle Fisher and Eric Avila and midfielder Daigo Kobayashireturned to the starting lineup after missing against New York; and up front, forward Eddie Opoku got his first start of the year next to Hoffman.

Soehn said that a full match performance is key to the team’s success this week and all season long.

“Obviously, the words that come to mind are resiliency and fight, never die ... and it’s a part of the growth. Those are great qualities, and we’ll hold on to those words. The first 45 [minutes] just weren’t good enough [against Memphis], and that’s something we’re going to have to work on,” he said.

What’s next

Following the Saturday evening match, Legion FC will get ready for the Open Cup match on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against West Chester United SC.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

A special ‘WINSday’ ticketing promotions will include opportunities for season ticket holders and those buying tickets to the May 11 match to access complimentary seats to the May 15 Open Cup match.

Game details

Birmingham Legion FC vs Louisville City FC starts at 7 p.m., on Saturday at BBVA Compass Field on the UAB campus. The game will be televised locally on MY68.