A dominant display, Pasher in the middle, Kavita's calm and a hint at future deals
My Birmingham Legion FC talking points after their 3-1 win over Chattanooga Red Wolves in Sunday's USL Jägermeister Cup opener
That one felt good.
After a momentum-killing loss against a winless Hartford Athletic, Birmingham Legion FC needed a response. They did that and more Sunday with a thoroughly impressive performance against the visiting Chattanooga Red Wolves to get their maiden USL Jägermeister Cup off to a near-perfect start.
Goals from Danny Trejo, Preston Tabort Etaka and Ronaldo Damus made it back-to-back 3-1 home wins for the Three Sparks. The team would have also kept its first clean sheet of the season if not for a last-gasp consolation goal for the away team.
Cup soccer is always different, and Red Wolves are a USL League One team, but this felt like exactly what the doctor ordered for a team struggling with early season form.
Driven and dominant
USL Championship teams should, in theory, defeat their League One opponents. But this game felt like a potential banana skin for the Legion, who already suffered one “cupset” this season in their First Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup exit to Little Rock Rangers of USL League Two.
Chattanooga Red Wolves, though far from dominant in their league, are no pushovers. They defeated Legion in preseason and are through to the fourth round of the Open Cup, facing MLS side Nashville SC next week. Birmingham knew they would have a battle on their hands, but they handled it to perfection.
“Those teams aren’t easy to play,” Tyler Pasher said. “Those teams come in hungry to beat us because we’re a a league above them. So for us, we just had to stay focused and put together a strong performance. And of course winning is great, we just have to keep that habit going.”
Interim head coach Eric Avila clearly used the Open Cup defeat as incentive, as he stated both pre- and post-game how deeply it had impacted the team. He and every player said it: they are hungry for a trophy and believe they can make a serious run at the Jägermeister.
From the off, you could see that intent.
Birmingham wanted to dictate the tempo and get on the front foot, and it paid off with an early goal. But even after taking the lead, the team did not let up. Damus could easily have had a brace by half-time, while at the other end Fernando Delgado was not called upon to make a single save.
It was a stark contrast to the Hartford game. Whereas in Connecticut the players had often looked uninterested and lethargic, on Sunday there was a real energy to the team. Damus was a pressing machine up front, and every time the Three Sparks regained possession there was a real desire to drive at the Red Wolves defense and cause problems.
“This is a team that has been working super hard in training,” Trejo said. “We’ve been patient, we’ve been taking it game by game, but we’ve also been pushing at the same time because we know the talent that we have and we’ve got to try to maximize our full potential.”
Even before the red card, that intensity was paying dividends. So once the Black and Gold went a man up, it was curtains.
The Three Sparks ended the day with 69.2% possession and 520 passes completed, over 150 more than their season average. They also outshot their visitors 16-7, with 6 on target to the Red Wolves’ 1, resulting in a 2.21 - 0.88 xG advantage.
The first game in any competition always sets the tone, and Birmingham Legion clearly wanted to make a statement. It remains to be seen if they can follow up with similar performances when they go on the road to Group 3’s two other USL Championship opponents.
Tyler Pasher shines in new role
Most fans were probably confused when they saw the Birmingham Legion lineup. After all, it featured three wingers and only two central midfielders. But if you’d had a chance to observe practice leading up to the game, you would have known exactly what was going on.
Tyler Pasher, usually a right winger for the Three Sparks, lined up in the middle of the field alongside Enzo Martínez in a 4-1-4-1. Planned days in advance, it was a move that completely changed the nature of Legion’s midfield.
“We prepared for this throughout the week,” Pasher said. “I have familiarity playing in there, and they just wanted to give it a try. So I just go in there, do my best for the team.”
Pasher’s inclusion came at the expense of Sam McIllhaton, with Kobe Hernandez-Foster dropping into the deepest midfield role. The result was a clear success.
Pasher drifted across the midfield, finding half spaces to turn in and drive at the Red Wolves while also pulling the strings for the Legion’s forward players. This freed Trejo and Sebastian Tregarthen to make runs in behind Chattanooga’s wingbacks.
“When we put him inside, we start breaking these lines and we start seeing Pasher winning those,” Avila said. “When he gets in those lines and turns around and faces the defense, I think he’s even more dangerous.
“Our mindset for us was to maybe get a little more of the ball and more joy in between lines and for him to attack,” he added.
The move also allowed Enzo Martínez to play as more of a traditional 8, either carrying the ball himself or starting plays from deep. His long balls, both over the top or to switch play, where a constant threat, and his run from deep to assist Legion’s second goal showed he still had license to be an attacking menace himself.
Legion have struggled to nail down their best midfield so far this season, so Sunday’s trio might now make a claim for the distinction.
Against better sides, ones more intent on dominating play and attacking the Birmingham defense, the team will likely want a more defensive-minded 6 than Hernandez-Foster, with McIllhaton the most likely contender. But against sides looking to defend deep with a low block, Pasher’s ability to find those half spaces and break lines could be the missing piece the Three Sparks have been looking for.
For the Canadian, who turned 31 on the day, it was also another step in his recovery after missing the start of the season following surgery. He admitted that his first few starts after returning were not his best work, but it now looks like he might finally be getting back to his best.
“It’s been hard, I’m not gonna lie,” Pasher said. “It takes a while, but it feels good to finally get some of that sharpness back.”
He wasn’t the only one enjoying himself again after a spell on the sidelines. Trejo, who incidentally celebrates his 27th birthday today, also missed several games to injury after a concussion on his debut.
With a goal, an assist and a “hockey assist,” he was directly involved in all three Legion goals.
“I came to Birmingham Legion because I want to help this team win, and I want to put this team where it deserves to be,” Trejo said. “My goal is to show up every day with those expectations.
“I think that injuries slowed me down a bit,” he added. “Injuries are a part of the game, but sometimes you got to take a step back until you feel like you again. And I’m starting to feel like myself again, and that’s a good thing.”
Composed Kavita
Recently injured players were a theme in Legion’s success, as defensive stalwart Phanuel Kavita made his return to the starting XI after just over a month out. He only lasted 45 minutes, a precautionary halftime substitution to build up his fitness, but showed exactly what he brings to this Legion backline.
It was a mistake, however, that truly highlighted his importance.
In the 43rd minute, Kavita miscontrolled a routine backpass and briefly lost sight of the ball under his feet. Despite standing in his own box and with a Chattanooga player running at him, the Rwanda international quickly readjusted himself, regained control of the ball and calmly passed it to Delgado to clear.
It was a nothing moment in many ways, but that was only due to the experienced centerback’s calm in dealing with it.
Legion fans saw last week just how costly a mistake can be in those positions, but for many the potential stress would barely have registered before it was dealt with. Kavita exuded coolness throughout the game, and in no moment was it more apparent than those few seconds were he misplaced the ball.
Kavita won all five of his duels on Sunday and made four clearances, but his role felt larger than those few stats. The entire backline looked calm and composed throughout, and Kavita’s presence was no doubt crucial to that.
Looking at his central partner, Ramiz Hamouda could easily have looked shaky after his error led to the goal last week. Instead, with a player literally twice his age talking him through the game, the 16-year-old put in one of his best defensive performances to date.
It all went to show the influence an experienced head can provide a backline, and it was no coincidence that 29-year-old Jake Rufe moved over to centerback, with 20-year-old Tiago Suárez taking the right-back slot, when Kavita went off. Suárez’ 6’5” frame seems much better suited to a more central role, but the Legion staff clearly believe Hamouda is better off surrounded by more experienced players.
If Kavita can now form a lasting partnership with the teenager, the pair could develop into a fearsome duo for opposition forwards to come up against, and the youngster will only develop further for it.
Potential newcomers on the sidelines
The on-field display was not the only thing of interest during Sunday’s game.
After parting ways with Tom Soehn earlier this season, Birmingham Legion announced their intent to immediately conduct a nationwide search for his successor. One name many fans have brought up as a preferred option is Mark Briggs, who spent five years with Sacramento Republic before a mutual parting of ways this offseason.
Keen-eyed viewers would therefore have been delighted to see Briggs standing by the player tunnel before the match, deep in conversation with Jay Heaps, Legion’s CEO and Chief Soccer Officer.
While there is no indication that talks are at any sort of advanced stage, Briggs was wearing a “Game Day Operations” lanyard that clearly indicated he was there as a guest of the club. Whether this was his first or last visit to Protective remains to be seen, but it does suggest that he is almost certainly interviewing for the vacant head coaching position.
And Briggs wasn’t the only person on the sideline who could be joining the Black and Gold in the near future. While head coach is the position fans will care about most, a potential new player was also present.
Kameron Lacey, a 24-year-old Jamaican attacking midfielder with prior stints at Asheville City, San Antonio FC and Lexington SC, has been on trial with the club for several weeks now. On Sunday, he came out to the match with the team.
Like Briggs, it is unclear how advanced a potential deal for Lacey is, if at all, but having him there feels like an indicator that something could be brewing. The trialist spent his time at the game with Lucca Dourado, AJ Paterson and Temi Ereku — three players who did not dress for the match — and will hope to become a permanent addition to the roster soon.
Asked about it prior to the match after Lacey was spotted taking part in Thursday’s training session, Avila remained coy on the situation.
“It’s one of those where we have a guy for numbers,” the interim head coach said. “We’re trying to make sure the numbers are square. I like to play 11 v 11. And we’re also managing a little bit of time with some people, so that gives us a breather with some players that we want to see.
“But you never know, we’re also still looking for players,” he added. “We’re always going to try and see if we can strengthen the team.”
It may be that the club is simply waiting to bring in a new head coach before making any decisions on player personnel, in which case Lacey’s future could well be linked to that of Briggs.