After securing their first win under Mark Briggs last week, Birmingham Legion will take a break from league play this weekend.

Instead, the Three Sparks are gearing up for Matchday 2 of the USL Jägermeister Cup.

Legion defeated Chattanooga Red Wolves in their first ever game in the competition last month. They will be keen to keep that momentum going as they travel to FC Tulsa, a Western Conference USL Championship team.

Tulsa lost their inaugural game on penalties against USL League One underdog One Knoxville SC, making this a must-win game for the hosts if they want to keep up with Indy Eleven, Group 3’s current leaders. Indy Eleven already played their second game of the group stage and have a perfect record so far, as well as a +5 goal difference.

For Legion, the other team in the group with a 100% record to date, keeping pace is key. Only the top team in each group is guaranteed a spot in the knockouts.

If Birmingham can get a result in Oklahoma, it would set things up nicely for a top-of-the-table clash when Indy and the Legion face of at the end of next month.

FC Tulsa

Before thinking of Indy Eleven, Birmingham needs to focus on FC Tulsa. Despite their slip up in Round 1, the Oklahoma team will not be a straightforward opponent.

FC Tulsa currently sit third in the Western Conference, with a game in hand on second-place El Paso Locomotive. They’ve won half of their 10 league games to date and, crucially, have conceded the West’s lowest number of goals at eight. Only Louisville City in the East have fewer goals against with five.

This matters even more because goals scored are an important tiebreaker in the Jägermeister Cup. If Legion fail to win, they will at least want to get as many on the board as possible.

From a head-to-head standpoint, it’s a mixed bag.

Tulsa hold the upper hand with four wins to Legion’s three, in addition to one draw, but Birmingham have had the better of the encounter in recent times. The draw came in the most recent matchup between the two teams, their only face-off in 2024, but the Three Sparks swept Tulsa in 2023.

Birmingham Legion

For Birmingham, momentum is shifting.

After a tough start to the season, the team is fresh off its first road victory of the season and looking to make it two on the bounce. That will be no easy feat, however, as it has been nearly a year since the Three Sparks last won consecutive games. The last occurence dates back to June 26, 2024, when the team defeated Detroit City a few days after overcoming San Antonio FC.

Last week’s win was also the first under Briggs, who told the club’s website he was eager to build on the positives from that game.

“We’ve got to continue to do the things that we did correctly against Miami and continue to strive to improve,” Briggs said. “We got a good result on the road, but we want more and hopefully those three points gave everyone a little bit more hunger and desire to get more.”

So far in 2025, Birmingham sit on a 3-4-5 overall record, but 1-2-1 since Briggs took over. His fifth game in charge will be his first in the Jägermeister Cup after being in attendance for Round 1, a few days before his announcement as the team’s new head coach.

Players to watch

One potential key player in the game could be recent arrival Edwin Laszo. The defensive midfielder joined from FC Tulsa two weeks ago and has played the full 90 in both Birmingham games since.

With his familiarity with tonight’s opponent, the Colombian could be crucial to the team’s success.

“It’s all about managing your emotions when you play a former team,” Briggs said. “It’s part of your journey, and I’m sure he wants to go there and show the best version of Edwin. But the reality of this business is sometimes you can’t control those things. In some ways, it’s just another game and it’s just another 90 minutes and that’s how we all have to approach it.”

Briggs will also rely on the team’s stalwarts, several of whom have upped their game in recent weeks. Tyler Pasher was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week following his performance in Miami, while Phanuel Kavita has been called up to the Rwanda national team following his recent performances.

“He’s been magnificent,” Briggs said of Pasher after the Miami game. “The energy he shows as he plays consistently and he is always a threat. Tyler is one of the best players in this league. We’ve got to get high-level performances for us to be at our best. There’s still more to come from him.”

Kavita, like Ramiz Hamouda for USMNT U17s duty, will miss next week’s USL Championship game, but both have travelled to Oklahoma and are available for selection.

Selection choices

AJ Paterson remains the team’s only long-term absentee. The only other known potential injury doubts for tonight’s game are at left back, as both Moses Mensah and Dawson McCartney went off injured in the win at Miami. If both miss out, we could see another start for new signing Erik Centeno, who made his debut at right back last week before switching flanks late on.

With this being the first cup game for Briggs, it will be interesting to see if the Englishman rotates from his preferred personnel. The new head coach has so far been fairly consistent with his starting XIs, but might view the cup competition as an opportunity to give other players a look.

18-year-old goalkeeper Fernando Delgado has started in goal for both cup games this season, the Chattanooga win and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup loss, and could get the nod once again. The likes of Roman Torres, Ethan Kos, Temi Ereku and Finn Calloway have barely featured under the new head coach and might hope for their chance to impress.

Kameron Lacey, the team’s newest signing, could also make his Black and Gold debut after remaining on the bench in Miami.

Game Details

The game will take place at 7:30 p.m. tonight, May 31, at Tulsa’s ONEOK Field. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Chattanooga Red Wolves host Forward Madison in the other Group 3 game at 6 p.m.

For game updates, follow @TimothyBelin_ on X.com. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook or Bluesky to keep up to date with all my Legion coverage.