Sporting Kansas City II (3-10-5, 14 poins) and Birmingham Legion FC (9-5-2, 29 points) will square off in the first of four head-to-head meetings this season on Wednesday night at BBVA Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The USL Championship Central Division showdown will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN Plus.
Led by fourth-year head coach and former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Paulo Nagamura, Sporting KC II took a 4-1 road loss to Central Division leaders Louisville City FC on Saturday night. Dynamic winger Enoch Mushagalusa bagged his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign off Kayden Pierre’s first professional assist in the 68th minute, leveling the score at 1-1, but the hosts bagged three late goals to emerge victorious at Lynn Family Stadium and defeat Sporting KC II for the third time this year.
Under the guidance of head coach Tom Soehn, who took the helm ahead of Birmingham’s inaugural USL Championship season in 2019, Legion FC will also be looking to bounce back from a weekend defeat. Forward Neco Brett noched his team-best 10th goal of the year with a successful penalty kick in the 66th minute of a 3-1 loss to FC Tulsa, who scored twice in the final moments to seal the home victory at ONEOK Field.
Sporting KC II and Birmingham are slated to meet again on Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 at Children’s Mercy Park and on Oct. 24 at BBVA Field. They previously battled twice during the 2019 campaign, settling for a scoreless draw at BBVA Field on April 20 before SKC II claimed a 3-1 home victory on Sept. 30.
Match Information
USL Championship: Match 19
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 11
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Location: BBVA Field (Birmingham, Alabama)
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Sporting Kansas City II: 3-10-5, 14 points (8th place in Central Division)
Birmingham Legion FC: 9-5-2, 29 points (2nd place in Central Division)
ESPN+ Live Stream Link: Click here
USL Championship MatchCenter: Click here
Match Notes: Click here
SOCIAL TAGS
Match-specific hashtag: #BHMvSKC
Sporting KC II
Twitter: @SportingKCII
Instagram: @SportingKCII
Birmingham Legion FC
Twitter: @bhmlegion
Instagram: @bhmlegion
