Week 27 Preview: all you need to know

The Three Sparks are off this week, so there’s no game preview. Next up are the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday.

Best of the rest

With the Three Sparks resting, there are several games that could affect the team’s current positioning as well as a game for the next opponent. Here’s how they could impact the Legion.

Louisville City v. Loudoun United (Friday, 6:30pm, ESPN+

If there’s a team you need to keep behind you, having Louisville do the dirty work is a pretty good plan. If last week’s game is anything to go by, you need to score 7 goals to beat them. Loudoun will have a hard time getting that done in Kentucky. That’s good news, since they are just 1 point shy of the Three Sparks with a game in hand. They lose that this weekend but get it back when the Legion plays midweek. But after that they play the Legion next weekend in a key game. Their schedule beyond that is fairly tough too.
Best outcome: Louisville win, pretty likely.

Hartford Athletic v. Indy Eleven (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)

Indy has been slipping down the standings lately probably as poorly as the Legion has. They have one win in the last five games and also were knocked out of the US Open Cup last week. They have not looked good in the process. The Eleven is a point ahead of the Three Sparks, currently with a game in hand. Hartford are lowly but have been playing rather well lately and could be in a dangerous spoiler role. If they can take points from Indy that will help; Indy has a relatively weak schedule going forward.
Best outcome: Hartford win, unlikely.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds v. Rhode Island (Saturday, 6:00pm, ESPN+)

This is a big one. The last two teams to play the Legion going at it. Rhode Island is 2 points in front of the good guys, the Riverhounds are 3 points back. The Hounds have played 2 more games already though. Even so, a win over Rhody would put them above the Legion on tiebreakers. And if Loudoun also wins, that would put the Legion below the playoff line.
Best outcome: In a game like this it’s always a draw and there is a good chance that will be the outcome.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks v. Tampa Bay Rowdies (Saturday, 8:00pm, ESPN+)

The Rowdies are safely in third right now with a 10-point gap to the Charleston Battery above them and a 5-point lead over Detroit City. They do have games in hand over both teams though. That will be partly eaten up this coming Wednesday against the Legion. However, they have been stumbling lately, their only win in the last five games being over…Miami. Which kinda doesn’t count. The Switchbacks could prove a tough assignment, especially playing at home. They scored 7 goals in their last two games and looked very solid in those wins over Memphis 901 and FC Tulsa.
Best outcome: Difficult to say. Possibly a Tampa win, as they will be less concerned about winning Wednesday. I’d say that’s a 50/50 shot.

El Paso Locomotive v. Detroit City (Saturday, 8:00pm, ESPN+)

Detroit are coming off a surprising 0-1 loss to Tulsa and a disappointing 1-1 draw with Hartford but are in 4th with a 1-point lead over Rhode Island. They are 3 points ahead of the Legion and can stretch that lead with a win over the relatively weak Locomotive, who are bottom of the West. City will also want to keep Rhode Island and Indy Eleven at bay, of course.
Best outcome: El Paso win, highly unlikely.

Back in the Old Country

Birmingham City played League Two Walsall in the EFL Trophy (a third-tier competition that not many care much about) with a largely second-string starting XI. They went down a goal but brought on some regulars, ending the game 1-1 but losing 3-4 on penalties. Alfie May was the final miss, to everyone’s surprise.

The Blues were originally scheduled to play at Exeter City this Saturday – and it would have been on Paramount+ – but unfortunately it has been postponed. Which means both Birminghams are off this weekend, unusually. The postponement is actually for a pretty good reason: several Blues players have been called up for international duty. That doesn’t happen too often for third-tier teams, which goes to show just how good the squad is.

They are also off next weekend. sort of; they don’t play until Monday, September 16th. It’s the big one, with Wrexham coming to town.