MATCH INFO:

Birmingham Legion FC at Louisville City FC

Saturday, March 30 - 6PM Kickoff – Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY

Stream – My68, ESPN+

Legion FC hits the road for the first away match of the inaugural season at two-time defending USL Cup Champions Louisville City FC on March 30. Following a tough 1-0 defeat at home at the hands, or feet, of Ottawa Fury FC on March 16, Legion FC look to continue pouring in chances in order to snag the first goals and points of the season.

The black and gold outshot Ottawa in the second half, outshot Bethlehem Steel FC in match one, and in both games completed more passes, enjoyed more possession, attempted more open-play crosses and more corners than their opponents, but could not find the back of the net. With so much chance creation already in two matches, and the additions of attacking talent like forward Eddie Opoku, forward Brian Wright, and midfielder Zach Herivaux, it’s just a matter of time before the goals come for Legion FC.

Everyone in the Legion FC roster is available for selection for match three, except for defender Marcel Appiah, who is out for the second game in a row with a calf strain.

As the first back-to-back USL Cup champion in the league’s history, Louisville City FC enters unprecedent­ed territory in 2019. After ending 2018 on a 10-game winning streak that covered the final six games of the regular season and the USL Cup Playoffs, LouCity will enter the new season as the team everyone else is looking to take down after a remarkable run of success over its first four seasons.

Head Coach John Hackworth will have some gaps to fill in his starting lineup, however, with goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh and defender Kyle Smith both having joined former LouCity Head Coach James O’Connor at Orlan­do City SC in Major League Soccer. Also departed is forward Ilija Ilic to Indy Eleven after his breakout cam­paign, and then there’s the move of 2018 Championship Golden Boot-winner Cameron Lancaster to Nashville SC, with the English forward signing an MLS contract in the Music City a year before NSC joins the top flight.

That being said, there remains more than enough quality within the squad to think that Louisville will be right there again in the postseason. Defender Paco Craig earned All-League First Team honors for a sec­ond consecutive season, while captain Paolo DelPic­colo and Jamaican international Speedy Williams are a formidable tandem in the center of midfield. There are also interesting new additions with Lucky Mkosana and Sunny Jane among the arrivals this offseason, while Luke Spencer will have a chance to regain his 2017 form when he was the club’s leading scorer after an injury-hit 2018. LouCity has finished in the top two in the Eastern Conference in every season of its history and there’s a strong case it will at least emulate that feat once again (via USL Championship).

After falling at North Carolina FC in the season opener, LouCity has rattled off two wins in a row, defeating Atlanta United 2, 1-0, on March 16 and fellow league newcomer Hartford Athletic, 2-1, last Saturday.

So far this season, Louisville have been steady in possession, averaging over 420 passes per game. The attack is spearheaded by Spencer, who started his goal tally for the season last week, George Davis, and Brian Ownby, who leads the team in shots and chances created.

Follow @bhmlegion on Twitter for more info and live game updates from Louisville.