Timothy Belin

FINAL: Hartford 1-0 Legion Disappointing performance and result for the Three Sparks, who hand Hartford their first league win of the season. @BirminghamSport

Last throw of the dice for Avila as Tiago Suarez replaces Moses Mensah.

Into 4 minutes of stoppage time, Legion still trail 1-0.

Double sub for Legion in the 79th minute. On: Roman Torres and Preston Tabort Etaka Off: Sam McIllhaton and Danny Trejo

71’ Goal Hartford A comedy of errors as Hartford take the lead. Hamouda overplays at the back and loses the ball right in front of the box, and the shot, straight at van Oekel, somehow squeezes past him. 1-0

And that’s it for Pasher in the 55th minute. The forward comes off for Sebastian Tregarthen.

No Legion changes at the half, second period underway. Tyler Pasher told @FootballForge on Thursday that he felt ready to play “15-20” minutes more than last week’s 45 minutes, so it will be interesting to see how long he lasts.

Kobe Hernandez-Foster ended the half with the best chance of the opening 45’ off a free-kick won by Tyler Pasher. Trejo by far the most dangerous man, while Damus has struggled to get into this game. Pasher has shown flashes but feels still short of 100% following his injury.

Halftime: Hartford 0-0 Legion A low-energy affair so far, but Birmingham have grown into the game as it progressed. Based on my pre-game interviews, I suspect they had instructions to let Hartford have the ball in the first 15 to figure out their plan, and then act from there.

Jay Heaps, once again amongst the coaching staff, has picked up a yellow card in first-half stoppage time. Commentators think he’s Avila, which likely goes to show how active he has once again been on the sideline.

Danny Trejo picks up a yellow for a tactical foul in the 34th. The Mexican forward has been a real thorn in Hartford’s right side today, so the Legion will need him to be careful now to not lose his attacking threat.

Halfway through the first half and it’s been a pretty even game so far. Legion’s best chance came 5 minutes in when Pasher blasted a close-range shot over the bar. Hartford have had probably the best chances so far with already four corners and four shots (but just 1 on target)

Birmingham Legion lineup at Hartford: Van Oekel; McCartney, Rufe, Hamouda, Mensah; McIllhaton, Martínez, Hernandez-Foster; Pasher, Damus, Trejo. Subs: Spangenberg, Kos, Suarez, Ereku, Torres, Tregarthen, Tabort Etaka. Kick off in 10 minutes on ESPN+ @BirminghamSport

"After one win, the confidence, the mood amongst the team has improved so much.” - Sam McIllhaton With their first win secured, the Three Sparks are hungry for more ahead of their trip to Hartford Athletic. My story for @BirminghamSport https://t.co/yPP6Rl3ivc

RT @TimothyBelin_: My latest Birmingham Legion talking points as the Three Sparks finally get their first win of 2025. I dive into Sam McI…

If you care about soccer in the US, you should be following @usopencup. Very proud to have played a small part in helping them continue their amazing work covering America’s oldest soccer competition.

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#USOC2025 Round 3 began on Tuesday night. The final games wrapped up when most non US Open Cup sickos were sleeping. Catch up with our Tuesday night Round Recap >>> https://t.co/XgnMcvcTuc

Legion’s Ronaldo Damus makes the USL Championship Team of the Week following his brace against El Paso Locomotive.

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It's that time... 😏 ⌚️ Find out if your club is repped on our latest Team of the Week 👇