Week 19 Preview: all you need to know

A much lighter Championship schedule this week with only ten games on the slate.

The most important part

The Legion has only played the Colorado Springs Switchbacks once, losing 1-2 in Colorado last August. That game has little to do with tomorrow’s matchup, other than some revenge for those Legion players who were on the squad back then; both teams are rather different this year. That being said, it should be a pretty close game. The Switchbacks are currently 4th in the West, but are only one game better than the Three Sparks. They are also one place above the Legion in the Forge Power Rankings (8th).

They are on a 2-game win streak right now, both 1-0 results over Monterey Bay and FC Tulsa. Neither of those was particularly impressive, especially the Tulsa win which went to 93 minutes before the game’s only goal ironically immediately after Tulsa’s coach was ejected for foul language). The Monterey Bay win was on a PK, also not an overwhelming result.

The team’s leading scorer is Ronaldo Damus with 8 goals; no one else has more than 3. Damus is a pure striker from Haiti; keep him pinned down and Colorado Springs will have a hard time scoring. However, the team’s two Jamaicans, Devon “Speedy” Williams (who Legion fans may remember from his time at Miami) and Maalique Foster, who represent two-thirds of the team’s attacking midfield (they typically play a 4-2-3-1). They can also be dangerous but have simply not been too productive this season (2 goals and 5 assists between them).

At the back is Christian Herrera, who is US-born but has played in the Mexican national youth system. He is solid, with 47 saves and 6 clean sheets so far this season. He has played every game for the Switchbacks in 2024, which is a luxury the Legion has not had.

Speaking of that, it is somewhat up in the air as to who will be between the pipes for the Legion tomorrow. The impressive Jayden Hibbert has been recalled to Atlanta United 2, although he did not complete last week’s game. Owen Jack stepped in for his first professional game, making one save in 21 minutes. He will be available, but so will Trevor Spangenberg, although his game fitness is a question mark.

Prediction: This seems set up for a draw. However, I am going with a close Legion win. The Switchbacks have a very weak 2-4-2 away record (the wins were at Oakland and Hartford). Also, the Legion needs the win more and should be up for it.

Best of the rest

There are a couple of games tonight, but all of our selections are on Saturday and overlap with the Legion game, so you’ll want to watch them in replay:

Indy Eleven v. Loudoun United (6:00pm, ESPN+)

Indy have climbed to 3rd in the East and are in spitting distance of the top two. On top of that, they beat Atlanta United 2-1 in midweek to become the last remaining USL team in the Open Cup. To say they are riding high is an understatement. Loudoun, for their part, are on a 7-game unbeaten streak and are also moving up in the standings, passing the Legion this week. This one could have all sorts of implications aside from being an objectively good game.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds v. Oakland Roots (6:00pm, ESPN+)

The Roots are another side on the upswing and are now second in the West after some very strong results, including a 1-0 win over Louisville City last week. The Riverhounds, to nobody’s disgust, are struggling. They haven’t scored in their last six games and haven’t won since May 4th. Which is ironic since they clearly represent the Dark Side. Their 11 goals to date underperforms their xG by 17.26, by far the worst in the Championship (oddly, Tampa Bay is second-worst). This one is for Schadenfreude fans.

The™ Miami FC v. Rhode Island (6:00pm, ESPN+)

OK, Miami is appallingly bad. The only reason to watch this one is that Rhode Island are definitely not bad, and are next up on the Legion schedule for the awaited reunion with Khano Smith. They top the Forge Power Rankings right now after some impressive results and seem to be scoring at will. They remain below the playoff line, though, after a slow start.

Tampa Bay Rowdies v. Orange County (6:30pm, ESPN+)

This one matches up two relatively unpredictable teams, so it could be either a great game or utterly uninteresting. The Rowdies are clinging to the last home playoff spot in the East, but Detroit is right behind them with two games in hand. They definitely need the points. Orange County’s last five games are losses to Colorado Springs, Oakland and wins over Indy and Memphis (that was last week by a score of 4-1). This one comes down to who actually shows up.

Back in the Old Country

Not too much has happened over the past week for Birmingham City, other than Krystian Bielik signing a new contract. However, the club is currently well into its preseason plans and just arrived in Austria for a camp. There will be games while over there; they will play SC Paderborn 07 tomorrow (10:00am CDT). The game should be available to watch on the BCFC YouTube channel here. That camp won’t last long, though, as they will be back in the UK for another friendly this coming Wednesday at Solihull Moors (1:00pm). The Blues will have four more friendlies before the season starts August 10th. Paderborn, by the way, is not Austrian; they play in the German 2. Bundesliga. Solihull is a National League team (the league Wrexham was in two years ago).