September 22, 2021 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
ATLANTA, GA – Birmingham Legion FC won 4-0 on the road against Central Division rival Atlanta United 2. Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Prosper Kasim, and Neco Brett all found the back of the net for the Three Sparks, with Brett leading the way with two goals, putting him at 14 for the season and joint-second in the USL Championship in total goals scored.
The first half saw both sides firing on all cylinders early, with either looking equally as likely to take the lead early on. It would be Birmingham to do so, however, as midfielder Thomas Vancaeyezeele had his shot deflected into the back of the net in the 16th minute for his side’s first of the night.
“I don’t score often, so it is always a great feeling to score,” said Vancaeyezeele. “The coaches have been pushing me to take shots since I got here. It was not the best shot but it got in!”
Atlanta United 2 came out for the second half aggressive, applying heavy pressure early on in search of an equalizer. The hosts almost found it in the 52nd minute, as Darwin Matheus managed to create enough space for himself to fire a shot on goal. Fortunately for Birmingham, goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg was there to make the save.
“Trevor made a really big save in that moment,” said Legion FC Head Coach Tom Soehn. “Also, I credit our subs coming in, because we were going through a difficult stretch, and that’s gonna happen in games. The guys came on and really raised the energy, so I think we utilized the subs quite well.”
Legion FC’s depth was on full display tonight, with midfielder Eli Crognale in particular leaving a direct impact on the match with his assist to Neco Brett in the 78th minute. After picking the ball up in the midfield, Crognale was able to play Brett through on goal, where the latter chipped it over ATL goalkeeper Alec Kann for his first of the night.
The celebrations would continue soon after for BHM, as midfielder Prosper Kasim extended his side’s lead to three in the 82nd minute. After receiving the ball in midfield via a flick-on from forward Jaden Servania, Brett would go from goalscorer to playmaker, as he was able to play Kasim through on goal. Kasim would handle things from there, cutting back to beat his defender and curl it into the back of the net. Brett would then cap off a successful night for the visitors with a fourth goal following a defensive error on Atlanta’s part in the tail-end of stoppage time.
The win comes at a crucial time of the season for the Three Sparks, as prior to tonight’s victory, they were winless in their last three matches played. With things only looking to get more difficult, putting in a solid performance was crucial.
“It’s all about the performance,” said Soehn. “It was a game where we had a lot of chances early, which, starting well is something that’s been on our agenda, and I think we could’ve put a couple away early to really open the game and make them feel the pressure early. We finally got one, after that it was a good game. It was back and forth. Atlanta has quality, we have quality, and our shape was good. Opening it up and putting a team away, that was really important at this time of the season. We gotta start having confidence to put teams away. You give Neco and others looks like that, they should finish teams off, and they did.”
Box Score:
1st Half 2nd Half
ATL 0 0
BHM 1 3
Goals:
BHM – 16′ – #27 Thomas Vancaeyezeele (assisted by #10 Prosper Kasim)
BHM – 78′ – #11 Neco Brett (assisted by #12 Eli Crognale)
BHM – 82′ – #10 Prosper Kasim (assisted by #11 Neco Brett)
BHM – 90’+ – #10 Neco Brett
Starting Lineups:
BHM – 4-3-3 – #18 Trevor Spangenberg; #5 Mikey Lopez, #3 Phanuel Kavita ©, #21 Alex Crognale, #24 Jonny Dean; #27 Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Subbed out by #7 Ryan James in the 83′), #8 Bruno Lapa(Subbed out by #12 Eli Crognale in the 66′), #20 Zach Herviaux (Subbed out for #6 Anderson Asiedu in the 50′); #10 Prosper Kasim (Subbed out by #13 Jake Rufe in the 83′), #11 Neco Brett, #23 JJ Williams (Subbed out by #17 Jaden Servania in the 66′)
ATL – 4-3-3 – #25 Alec Kann; #2 Aiden McFadden, #24 Josh Bauer (Subbed out by Matías Benítez in the 81′), #27 Bryce Washington (Subbed out by Nigel Prince in the 81′), #6 Bradley Kamdem-Fewo ©; #37 Ajani Fortune, #14 Robbie Mertz, , #5 Abdalaye Diop (Subbed out by David Mejia in the 61′); #16 Erik Lopez, #10 Darwin Matheus, #36 Jackson Conway (Subbed out by Macky Diop in the 61′)
Stats: Legion FC Match Center
The team returns home on Sunday, September 26, at 4:00PM to take on the Charlotte Independence. Fans can contact the Legion FC Ticket Office at 205-600-4635 or tickets@bhmlegion.com with any questions.
For all club news and updates, be sure to follow @bhmlegion on social media and keep an eye on bhmlegion.com and the Legion FC app.
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