Last week did not give Birmingham Legion the results they wanted, but the Three Sparks did show there’s still fight left in them.

Now faced with a tricky trip out West, the Black and Gold know they need to start making inroads if they are to achieve their postseason goals.

“I think you can see the morale’s high,” Mark Briggs said. “People are feeling confident. People understand what’s at stake, what our goal is, and we have to do all we can to achieve that.”

Birmingham will not only hope to build on the momentum of a strong performance against Pittsburgh. They will also keep a keen eye on what’s happening back East.

Playing in Irvine, California, the Three Sparks kick off three hours later than their conference rivals. And, crucially, all of them face tough tasks ahead.

Hartford Athletic host third-place North Carolina FC, Indy Eleven host table-topping Louisville City and Rhode Island welcome second-place Charleston Battery to Pawtucket. That’s the three teams directly above Legion hosting the three best teams in the East.

The two teams beneath them, Miami FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, round out the slate with numbers four and five by traveling to Loudoun United and hosting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, respectively.

With Birmingham’s opponent, Orange County, currently 8th in the West, this weekend is a prime opportunity for Legion to gain some ground on their rivals.

“We just have to take the momentum from that [Pittsburgh] performance and turn it into a result,” Briggs said. “It’s going to be a difficult game. Orange County are very good, … they’re a difficult team to play, especially when they’re at home. So it’s going to be a difficult game, but we’ve got nothing to fear going in there. We have quality and we think we have what it takes to go in there and get a result.”

Orange County cannot be taken lightly despite their standings in the West, coming into tomorrow’s game on a vein of form. The California side have three wins from their last five. Their only loss in that stretch came in their most recent game, a 1-0 reverse in Tulsa after battling down a man for 70 minutes.

The game does mean Orange County will be without midfielder Stephen Kelly for the game. And if Birmingham is to take anything back from the West Coast, the key to the encounter could well be in that midfield.

After struggling in the middle of the park for several weeks, the Three Sparks lined up with a new-look midfield against Pittsburgh, and the result was obvious.

Sam McIllhatton partnered Samuel Shashoua in the two-man pivot, and the pair of Sams were a noticeable improvement on previous central partnerships. After having to be patient to get his chance, McIllhatton is eager to keep pushing on.

“Being a first-year pro, it’s part of it,” McIllhatton said. “You have to prove yourself, and then when the opportunity comes, try and grab it with both hands.

“It’s training every day like you’re going to play, because you never know what can happen every week,” he added. “For me, I’ve just been trying to be the best pro I can be. Now that my opportunity’s here, I’m more than ready to take it and get some wins with the team.”

McIllhatton isn’t the only one who seized his opportunity last week, with new signing Amir Daley doing the same. After a 30-minute cameo in Rhode Island, the Antigua and Barbuda international started at the weekend and delivered the assist for Ronaldo Damus’ goal.

Having joined just days prior on loan from FC Cincinnati 2, the young wing-back is excited to show what he’s all about.

“It’s a really good feeling, honestly,” Daley said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in on such a short notice, but I’m excited and I feel happy that [the coaching staff] have the trust in me that I can come in and make an immediate difference.”

Daley’s arrival could prove crucial as the team struggles with absentees.

Captain Tyler Pasher is out for the game after sustaining a hamstring injury at Rhode Island, while veteran goalkeeper Matt van Oekel is a doubt following some bruising in the same game.

Moses Mensah and Kameron Lacey remain out long-term, while Dawson McCartney, recently returned from injury, did not take part in practice Wednesday and is a doubt. Midseason signings Maliek Howell and Sebastián Saucedo are in the same boat after missing out on recent practices as well.

Finally, midfielder Roman Torres has been recalled by his parent club, Minnesota United, after barely featuring since starting the first five games of the season.

Despite these absences, the team should still have more than enough to put up a fight in California. With Orange County the first of two away games to West Coast opponents, it could prove a vital time to start picking up some much-needed points.

“Off last week, and even the cup game midweek, I think the collective performance was a lot better,” McIllhatton said. “We aren’t relying on one player to win us a game. I think we’ve realized now it’s going to take a team full of us to get us over the line and get us to the playoffs, where we want to be.”

Birmingham Legion face Orange County SC at 7 p.m. local (Pacific) time / 9 p.m. Central time. The game will be live on ESPN+ and WABM My68.

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