Birmingham Legion vs Chattanooga FC game recap

Dan Floyd
Feb 11
6 min read

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. —This was intended to be Birmingham's second match, and visibility to some trialists and new signings, and what the preferred formation would be, would have already played out in front of the home fans. But last week's game had to be postponed, and Legion's first action would be on the road in a friendly for CFC season ticket holders (and media, which got me in to see the match).

It was sunny, with temps in the high 40s, and there was a slight breeze. In the sun, and out of the breeze, it was a nice day for soccer. For much of the game, the home fans were in the shade, and with the breeze it was pretty cold for them. The same thing held true for both benches. All things considered, the crowd was a little lean, and thinned out more late in the game due to the temps.

Legion had roughly 20 field players available, and three keepers on hand. The team had announced that veteran keeper Daniel Gagliardi would be on trial, but he wasn't part of the keeper group for the match. The two rostered keepers were there, along with a trialist, a 6'4 - 6'5 younger prospect that put some time in late in the game. Also unexpected, AJ Patterson and Bryce Washington weren't available, apparently held out to recover from minor “knocks” during training.

The first question answered was the formation. The starting lineup hit the field with four across the back, Heaps’ preference during his coaching career. Ramiz Hamouda and Phanuel Kavita were the center backs. This comes with a minor caveat, since Washington and Patterson weren't available. As expected, Jassem Koleilat started in goal, and Seth Antwi started in the three-player midfield (Vassell and Shashoua were the other two). McCartney started at left back, with Saucedo in front of him; Daley was at left back, with Pasher in front of him. Ronaldo Damus was up top. In other words, just two of the starters (Koleilat and Antwi) are new to the club for 2026.

The Game

In a recent appearance on Mountain Radio, Heaps emphasized that the team would be more aggressive in the press than in recent years, and they certainly came out of the gate that way. There's plenty of speed on the team, and they put it to good use. Chattanooga had difficulty breaking the press, and Legion was largely in control of the midfield, another pain point over the past couple of seasons. Legion got on the board first from a ball the was crossed into the box and found its way through traffic. It was tough to see, but I believe that Damus got on the end of it to get it across the line. Most of the action was up and down the wings. Pasher and Vassell had occasion to rotate and switch positions, very effectively. And McCartney and Saucedo were working to get in synch down the left side. Chattanooga's first goal came after they had a good run of play and drew a foul a few yards outside of the left side of the Legion box. The ball came in high, over the scrum in the middle. One of the CFC players came in unmarked from the back, and headed it in. Definitely the kind of miscommunication expected in preseason, that will hopefully be corrected for the regular season. Legion had some issues with that at times last season, and everyone will be looking for that to be fixed for rhis season. The score was 1-1 at halftime. Legion looked the better team for the vast majority of the half, absent the lapse on the set piece.

The second half started with a handful of subs for Legion, with Tregarthen coming in at right back, and Daley sliding over to left back, and Trevor McMullen taking over in goal. Saucedo also came out, and the new pairing on that side saw CFC drive down that side to quickly take the lead in the second half. Heaps quickly made a change on the fly, bringing Daley back to the right, and moving Tregarthen forward (ahead of Daley). That cut Pasher loose with Shashoua, both behind Damus. The effect was immediate, as Tregarthen consistently raided down the right side and made deep drives and crosses. Legion's second goal came from one of those drives, where a quick cross came to Pasher for an easy goal. Just a couple of minutes later, both teams made wholesale changes. At that point, there were only a couple of Legion players on the field that I recognized (McIllhatton came in and had a very good shift). Tregarthen stayed in until the end, and one of the subs in that big round was Romario Williams. There was also a forward on the left that was very speedy and worked at a high rate, and the combination of him with Tregarthen and Romario was just a lot for CFC to handle. Throughout that 30 minute stretch, it felt like Legion was due a goal. In a moment of unfortunate timing, after they announced that there would be a short break after 90 minutes, and then another 15 minutes of play, and I made a quick pit stop. The full 90 had ended, and the scoreboard read 2-2, and then my wife said “well, you missed a last-second goal by Seba”. And by then the scoreboard had been updated. So, I missed that goal, but it sounds like Seba brought the ball forward and got a spot of daylight and fired one in. The short break was a roundtable of quick coaching, and then a quick sprint to the end. No more scoring, but Legion dominated the extra time. Final score was 3-2.

On paper, that score is closer than you'd want it to be. To the eye, Legion dominated most of the game. The lapses felt correctible, and the midfield play was especially encouraging. I went in with a ton of optimism for the season, and came away feeling like we're on the right track.

Romario Williams

Romario is likely to be the veteran signing at forward that Heaps mentioned on Mountain Radio. He's had a great career in our league, and he'll be a terrific depth piece, and/or a real menace as a second striker on the field. He's about the same height as Damus, but more physical, and maybe more vocal calling for the ball, making him easy to find.

Gevork Diarbian

The second half forward that sported a high work rate and great pace was Gevork Diarbian. He was with NE Revs 2 last season, and the Chattanooga staff mentioned him to me as someone that they remembered well from last season. I really hope we sign him. It's not crazy to think we might face a stretch or two where Saucedo or Pasher could be out and we'll need the depth. Certainly, one or the other being out would likely see Seba starting in their place. But what if it's both? Let's sign him.

Other thoughts and observations

It's hard to really wrap my head around the fact that Hamouda is still only 17 years old. I can only imagine how good he's going to be in a few years - and still be very young.

Seba looks poised for a breakout season. He is a menace with the ball at his feet, and will get as many assists as goals. He's also becoming very good in set pieces.

The midfield looks good. Transfermarkt has listed Kadeem Cole as a rumored signing, coming in from Costa Rica. I believe that's him pictured above (also in the background of one of the pics of Seba), and for now I’m factoring him in alomg with Antwi, McIllhatton, Shashoua, and Vassell. Unless/until we hear different.

The biggest need appears to be left back, as a backup for McCartney. The answer short-term might be Hamouda. But there wasn't a stand-out option in the game. That might have looked very different if Patterson and Washington had been available, and Hamouda had been a second half sub.

Jay Heaps came over and said hello during warmup. His enthusiasm for the role as head coach was easy to see. My immediate impression in-game was that he's going to be very decisive as a coach. I expect that to play out with earlier substitutions or more impactful halftime tweaks than we've seen in the past. It's one game, and we'll know more soon. But that's my immediate impression.