North Carolina FC 1 – 0 Birmingham Legion FC
Cary, NC– Home at last: 146 Days after they last took to the field at Wake Med Soccer Park, North Carolina FC returned to their friendly confines to take on their rival Birmingham Legion FC.
In their previous game, their first game back since the USL Championship season restarted, the Dead Whales battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a draw at Tampa Bay on July 17th. But North Carolina did not look like a team that has played only one game in the last five months. They put together a solid first half, building out of midfield and creating several opportunities.
On the other side of the field, Birmingham came to Sahlen’s Stadium, looking to create more space between them and the rest of Group G in the USL Championship.
The Saturday night tilt was the first meeting between the two clubs since the Legion shocked NCFC with a stoppage time goal in last season’s playoffs. Both teams picked up this burgeoning rivalry where they left off last fall. Neither side seemed willing to stand back and feel the other side out. Seven minutes in, Birmingham penetrated through North Carolina’s midfield, forcing goalkeeper Alex Tambakis to flip a shot over the crossbar and concede an early corner kick.
A few minutes later, North Carolina regained the upper hand when forward Robert Kristo intercepted a weak pass near Birmingham’s final third of the field. Kristo took a couple of touches to open some space before firing a shot headed for the lower left corner. It ended up being an easy save for Legion goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel.
NCFC put together several sharp combination plays throughout the first half, but they weren’t successful in getting shots on frame. As for Birmingham, they saw their best chance to take the lead come in the 22nd minute when Anderson Asiedu dispossessed Dre Fortune and carried the ball just inside the North Carolina penalty area before unleashing a rocket that caught air and flew over the crossbar.
Tonight, it was Birmingham’s turn for a shock when NC midfielder Akeem Ward sprung Steven Miller with a well-weighted pass through midfield. Miller pushed the ball around Legion defender Bolu Akinyode, who stuck out a hand and took the NCFC veteran down. Akinyode was given a DOGSO red card, forcing the visitors to play the last hour of the match down a man. Upset by the call, the Legion nearly went down two men just before halftime when Neco Brett put Ward in a headlock. Fortunately for his team, Brett’s frustration only earned a yellow card.
After a first half where they dominated in possession and chances but not on the scoreboard, North Carolina looked to challenge Van Oekel and break the deadlock.
Six minutes into the second half, the Dead Whales took possession of the ball in Birmingham’s half. Hadji Barry pushed the ball to Kristo, who did well to hold the ball and draw defenders toward him before he slipped the ball out to D.J. Taylor, streaking into the right side of the box. Taylor found Fortune at the top of the box with a perfectly placed ground ball, and Fortune made sure Van Oekel wouldn’t have a chance with a hard blast to the bottom right corner.
Now down a man and a goal, Birmingham had to chase the game and forced NCFC into a couple of nervy moments, but Tambakis was there to make sure the visitors stayed off the board. But North Carolina kept the pressure on, creating several more chances to double their lead.
In the 70th minute, Miller picked out second half substitute Ben Speas with a through ball into the box, forcing Van Oekel off his line to smack the ball off of Speas’ foot. Four minutes later, Fortune picked off the ball near NCFC’s final third and drove a pass to the feet of Speas. With a few touches, Speas was off to the races before delivering an outlet to Kristo. After getting into space near the goal, he blasted a shot that Van Oekel deflected over the bar.
Off of the ensuing corner kick, North Carolina center back Sam Brotherton nodded a header on goal. Brotherton would score off an assist from Miller in the 76th minute, but he was called offside, negating the tally.
When the final whistle blew, North Carolina earned their first win of the 2020 season. Overall, head coach Dave Sarachan was pleased with his team’s play, even while noting they’re still shaking off some rust. “I think the fight, determination, and competitiveness is there. Overall, in our possession and our first touch, some of the decisions that we make by forcing things, I think that in time we will get cleaned up.”
“I think our fitness level is good,” he continued. “That’s going to improve our combination play.”
Sarachan also found a lot to like about Fortune’s game and how he is growing into his role. “…he’s driven to be an impactful player. He’s banged in a couple of important goals already in the two games back,” he said. “And I think he’s committed to put up good numbers, but not in a selfish way. His ability to create chances, and then also on the defensive end has really improved and contuse to get better.”
Final Notes
- NCFC was without one of their team leaders with midfielder Nazmi Albadawi forced to miss the game with a foot injury.
- Manny Perez, North Carolina’s dynamic homegrown midfielder, was reportedly affected by the COVID-19 virus. After recovering and undergoing strict protocols, he was cleared for Saturday’s game. He played 63 minutes before giving way to Ben Speas.
- Next on the schedule for North Carolina is a trip to Tennessee next weekend to take on Memphis 901 FC. On August 15th, Birmingham returns to Wake Med Soccer Park for a rematch.
Lineups
North Carolina FC: A. Tambakis; A. Ward, S. Brotherton, C. Donovan, D.J. Taylor; Pecka, D. Fortune; S. Miller ©, H. Barry, M. Perez; R. Kristo
Birmingham Legion FC: M. Van Oekel ©; M. Lopez, J. Rufe, A. Crognale, J. Dean; B. Akinode, A. Asiedu, B. Lapa (J. Servania, 80’), D. Kobayashi (M. Ugarte, 63’), B. Wright (R. Mensah, 63’); N. Brett (E. Crognale, 45’)
Score:
North Carolina FC: 1
Birmingham Legion FC: 0
Goals:
North Carolina FC: D. Fortune (51’, D.J. Taylor)
Birmingham Legion FC: none
Discipline
North Carolina FC: C. Donovan, YC 29’; R. Kristo, YC 87’; D. Fortune, YC 90’
Birmingham Legion FC: B. Akinyode, RC 33’; N. Brett, YC 44’
