Legion Looking to Build Momentum

by Timothy Belin

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 18, 2025

The mood has shifted for Birmingham Legion FC.

After a rough start to the season culminated with the firing of longtime head coach Tom Soehn, the Three Sparks finally achieved their first win of 2025 at the weekend. Now they are hungry for more.

“Winning kind of erases everything,” Enzo Martínez said. “Still hard to get over the situation that happened because obviously a lot of us are here because of Tommy, so still something that’s lingering, but obviously getting that first win kind of helps that situation a lot.

The win wasn’t the only positive from the weekend, as Sunday’s match also saw the return of several injured stars.

New-signing Danny Trejo returned to the starting lineup for the first time since a concussion cut his debut short in early March, Tyler Pasher made his first start of the season, and Stephen Turnbull returned from the injury he picked up in the US Open Cup. While the latter two only lasted 45 minutes — a pre-planned double substitution to manage their return, interim head coach Eric Avila confirmed — the squad is finally looking healthy following a rough go with injuries in the season’s opening weeks.

Long-term absentee AJ Paterson remains out, though making good progress, and Phanuel Kavita is working back up to full fitness following just over a month out. Everyone else is currently fit and available, a welcome boost for Avila.

“The whole team is getting there, to be fully healthy, and I think that’s great,” Avila said. “Now it just becomes more competition, trying to figure out the fight for spots, and that’s the kind of environment that I like.”

As a result, Martínez described the past week’s training sessions as “very sharp,” “high quality” and with “really good focus,” all resulting from the improved atmosphere around Dunnavant Valley Fields. Avila said he had also been pleased with the response to the weekend’s win, and the focus was now on building consistency in both training and game performances.

New arrival Sam McIllhaton, who made his Three Sparks debut at the weekend, said even he had been able to notice the shift in mood.

Though McIllhaton said he’d enjoyed his time in Alabama so far, he admitted that Soehn’s firing, less than a week after his own arrival, had disrupted things for him. However, he recognized that it was part of soccer, and he said he was pleased with the way the team used it as motivation to finally get the season going against El Paso Locomotive.

For most Legion fans, Sunday was the first opportunity to form an opinion of the Australian midfielder, who played the full 90 as the deepest player in a three-man midfield. He confirmed that that is his best position, though added that he can play anywhere in midfield.

“I like to get up and down,” McIllhaton said. “I’m gonna work really hard for the team. I’m a technical player, I like the ball at my feet, I have a good passing range, short and long. But I think [fans] can expect somebody who’s going to give their absolute everything, for every game, every minute.”

Avila said he had found McIllhaton to be a welcome addition to the roster, providing discipline and organization in that 6 role to shield the backline. His presence, though not necessarily the most flashy, was certainly crucial to Sunday’s success.

“It’s a whole domino effect,” Avila said. “Where can you be risky? For us it’s basically balancing the whole team out.”

The team flew out to Connecticut today after an early training session as they look to build on their first win with a trip to Hartford Athletic.

Hartford are the last remaining team in the USL Championship without a win in 2025 and have scored just one league goal in their first four games. But as a team that was also winless until very recently, the Three Sparks know how that fact could fire up their opponents.

“That’s a very dangerous place for us to be, with a team that is hungry, that is looking for that first win,” Martínez said. “It’s going to be super difficult because they had a little bit of a break and they’re ready to go. They’re chasing that first win, and in itself that gives you a lot more motivation, a lot more energy to get out there.”

That break Martínez referred to is a result of the postponement of Hartford’s game last weekend due to weather conditions, which means Birmingham's opponents will come into tomorrow’s game with a two weeks rest since their last encounter. On the positive side for the Black and Gold, the postponement also meant that Adrian Diz and Beverly Makangila, both key players for Hartford, were unable to serve suspensions picked up in the previous game and will therefore miss out on the game against the Legion.

Avila said the absence of the two players does give his team an advantage, but like Martínez he is still weary of underestimating a team that will be desperate to get its first points on the board.

The absences also add to the already difficult task of figuring out a team that may not have figured itself out just yet.

“It’s one of those where we don’t know what’s going on,” Avila said. “They’re still trying to find their identity and they’re still trying to figure out who they are, and sometimes that can be dangerous.”

“The picture of what they want to do can change,” Martínez added. “You can prepare for a certain situation, and if it’s a team that’s looking for their first win, they’re trying different things. So you prepare this whole week for something, and then you show up on the day of the game and it’s a totally different picture. So we’re preparing for what we think they’ll do, but we’re super mindful that things can change, and to be able to adapt and read the situation quickly on the field.”

After wearing the captain’s armband in all of his appearances this season, Martínez said he felt that he would be responsible for reorganizing the team if any shifts were necessary. But while the Uruguayan admitted it was special to have the responsibility of the captaincy, he said it hadn’t changed his approach to the game in too many ways. He said his winning mentality and desire to lead the way were always present regardless of any outward signifier of his role.

On paper, Birmingham Legion face two very winnable games in their next two encounters, with Hartford tomorrow before playing host to USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves in the Jägermeister Cup next week. Buoyed by the first win of their season, they know now is the time to really push on.

“We’re hungry too,” McIllhaton said. “We’ve only got one win, and we’re hungry for another win. So I don’t think the motivation is lacking from us. We know to keep up with the guys at the top of the ladder, we need to keep winning.

“After one win, the confidence, the mood amongst the team has improved so much,” he added. “When you start stacking wins, the vibe around the training ground and the belief within the group only grows.”

Birmingham face Hartford at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the game live-streamed on ESPN+. They will then return home at 4 p.m. April 27 for their first ever Jägermeister Cup matchup.