After an elating end to Wednesday’s game, the good vibes are back in the Magic City.

But it will all be for nothing if they can’t keep them rolling tonight against Oakland Roots SC.

After claiming his first win at Protective Stadium, and the team’s first clean sheet of 2025, Mark Briggs wants the result to act as a springboard. With only two days rest before their next encounter, it’s crucial the team harness the momentum.

“To score a last minute goal in any game gets people feeling good,” Briggs said. “You see and feel and hear spiritedness, which in turns helps with recovery. It helps with everything. So we’ve got to get ourselves in a good mindset for [tonight]. Obviously we’re at home, so we need to try and win again.”

Oakland are currently dead last in the USL’s Western Conference and have the Championship’s leakiest defense. However, that doesn’t mean it will be the straightforward affair it looks like on paper.

The Roots recently changed head coach, appointing former-USMNT international Benny Feilhaber to lead the team. They also come into the game off a full week’s rest, while this will be the Legion’s third game in seven days.

“Feilhaber’s obviously got very good ideas,” Briggs said. “He’s played at the highest level as a player and worked under Peter Vermes in that Kansas City system. He’s got a lot of experience, and I’m sure he’ll get the guys energized and ready.

“We have to make sure we match their energy,” he added. “We have to match their grittyness while also understanding what they can do tactically. And then for us, it’s about being us. It’s about showing what we shoed in the first 30 minutes in Louisville, and it’s about building on what we did on Wednesday night.”

With their busy schedule, Birmingham have focused on recovery since Wednesday’s game. Sessions have been rescheduled to allow more rest for the players, and practices have only involved light work.

With so little time to work on anything new, Kobe Hernandez-Foster said a lot of focus has remained on Wednesday’s performance.

“Obviously we celebrated that day, but we have another game [tonight],” Hernandez-Foster said. “We just focus on the positives that we had and then obviously try and fix the negatives. We should put our chances away quicker and win the game faster, not wait until the last minute. If we manage to do that, I think we’ll be successful.”

Hernandez-Foster was instrumental to Legion’s win against Sacramento and received rave reviews from Briggs in the post-game press conference. He said he’s just focused on doing his best for the team and getting better every day.

With the shift to a 3-4-3 formation, there are only two central midfield roles available. With an abundance of options in the position — Enzo Martínez, Roman Torres and Sam McIllhaton were all on the bench Wednesday — Hernandez-Foster said he’s enjoying the competition for spots and feels it will only push everyone to be better.

The quick turnaround will likely lead to some bench players starting to manage the minutes, whether in midfield or other positions.

Dawson McCartney and Trevor Spangenberg remain out, while Kameron Lacey (knee) and Ramiz Hamouda (concussion) are new additions to the injury list. The rest of the team is showing a clean bill of health, giving Briggs plenty of options across the field.

That includes new-signing Sebastian Saucedo, though the forward might need a bit more time to get to full fitness given a lack of competitive games in the past year.

“Fortunately for me, we have a squad of players that can all impact the game,” Briggs said. “We have 18 players in the right mindset, ready to come on the field and impact the game.”

After a lower-than-average turnout last time out, Briggs wants the win to bring more fans out tonight. He hopes some supporters who attended Wednesday’s game might become regulars because of their experience, while others might come out after hearing about the night’s atmosphere.

It’s just another side of making the most of the team’s momentum. As more fans turn out, the atmosphere will only improve. That will in turn give more energy to the players, leading to better performances and a cycle of positivity.

“If we have that energy behind us, we can feed off of it and put it into our performance on the field,” Hernandez-Foster said. “It’s always nice to see fans enjoying themselves, and obviously us getting three points at home.”

Birmingham Legion host Oakland Roots at 7 p.m. tonight at Protective Stadium.

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