Birmingham Legion were moments away from only their third win of the season in Oakland.
Despite being on the back foot for most of the first half, a quick counter had given the Three Sparks an unlikely lead at the break. They held onto it until another stoppage time goal, this time for Oakland Roots, levelled matters deep in second-half stoppage time.
“It was always going to be tough with the travel and the quick turnaround,” Jay Heaps said. “I thought we weathered the storm early , did a good job … but tough way [to end]. It looks like a play we have to make. Whether it’s a handball or not, we still have to make the play.”
Legion made eight changes coming into the game, with only Jassem Koleilat, Seth Antwi and Sebastian Tregarthen the only players to retain their places from Saturday’s disappointing defeat. Heaps said it was about giving players a chance, but also about managing workloads and to have some players fresher for the weekend, when the team faces an important in-conference game.
While the Three Sparks started brightly, as has been their calling, they faded quickly. Romario Williams had a penalty shout in the seventh minute after going down in the box, but Oakland immediately responded with a chance of their own. Phanuel Kavita had to make an important block to prevent a likely goal, and from there on out it became all about keeping the Roots at bay.
Birmingham have struggled with crosses into the box this season, and it was clear Oakland knew all about that. Wave after wave of attacks came down either side, with Koleilat called into action in the 24th with a smart save low to his left following an attack down the right.
Not even a minute later, an Oakland move down the left flank forced him into action once again, getting a hand to a cross to take it away from a lurking striker.
Legion were the architects of their trouble quite a bit as well, with multiple sloppy passes leading to dangerous turnovers. Amir Daley notably had one in the 26th minute that resulted with a shot on goal and Koleilat save, while Bryce Washington had one that nearly led to an Oakland player going clean through on goal in the 45th minute.
In between those two incidents, Oakland also had a shot rattle the outside of the post following a header from a corner.
But then, deep into first-half stoppage time, Peter-Lee Vassell turned the game on its head.
Only one team had looked likely to score, and increasingly so as the game advanced. But in the final minute of stoppage time, Vassell carried the ball forward before quick passing between Sam McIllhatton and Amir Daley got it to Williams in the center circle. The Jamaican striker threaded through a perfectly weighted ball for Vassell to run onto, and his compatriot smashed it emphatically into the top of the net.
The ball hit the back of the net with one minute and 56 seconds played of the two added on. The referee signalled halftime moments later, and half-time speeches suddenly had to be re-written.
Out of nothing, Birmingham Legion had the lead.
“We wanted to make some adjustments,” Heaps said of his halftime team talk. “They were hurting us much more in our defensive third, and we wanted to make sure that we flattened out a little bit but released our two [Vassell and Williams] to get a little bit higher.
“We did that in the second half, and it started to show,” he continued. “The adjustments at half-time were really good, even coming out with the same group. And then we made changes, got a little bit more on the ball. Then the game turned a little bit.”
Birmingham emerged for the second period with renewed energy and grit. The game evened out, and Legion showed they were just as capable as Oakland of creating attacking opportunities.
But the biggest change came right on the hour mark, when Heaps made a triple substitution.
Samuel Shashoua, Gevork Diarbian and Ronaldo Damus, all three usual starters, came on and really helped the Three Sparks get a hold of the game. While the team still needed some big defensive plays, with Nico Brown notably coming across the field to block a dangerous shot with a last-ditch tackle in the 73rd minute, they also started creating many of their own.
By the final 10 minutes game around, Legion looked the likelier to get the next goal.
Shashoua hit a shot just wide of the keeper’s post in the 81st minute, and Diarbian, Shashoua and Tregarthen all had big opportunities four minutes later. The first two saw their shots well-blocked inside the box, while Tregarthen’s pile driver from distance forced Raphael Spiegel into a full-length diving save to keep it out.
Diarbian then had a dangerous cross knocked out that would have otherwise found a wide-open Damus in the box two minutes before stoppage time.
But three minutes after the fourth official raised his board with six minutes added on, the Roots pounced.
Off an outswinging cross, the ball fell to Peter Wilson near the edge of the box. The forward hit in on the spin and buried it in the bottom right of the goal. Legion players were livid at the referee as the cross had appeared to strike a different Oakland player’s arm before reaching Wilson, but the goal stood and the scoreboard read 1-1 with less than three minutes left.
“I was really gutted that we couldn’t make the final play [to score a second] and then make the final play to clear the game,” Heaps said. “We’ve probably lost three or four points in the last two games.”
Birmingham have struggled with crosses and corners all season, which is why Heaps said he hadn’t looked to lock up shop in those dying moments.
“I wanted to go for it,” he said. “The chances they’re going to get is going to be a corner kick. I felt like that was going to happen, it was going to be something like that.
“So getting a second one was always planned, and I thought we were going to get it,” he continued. “Second half was almost to a tee. We brought in the subs, changed the game, really started to get even more chances. G[evork Diarbian] came in, Shash came in, and they really change the momentum of what we’re doing.”
While the result hurt in the moment, it was still a positive reaction for Saturday. Oakland came into the game as the third-best team in the West, while Legion languish below the playoff line in the East. A point in such a game is never to be sniffed at, even if the manner of it will leave the team with plenty of regrets.
Focus now turns to another quick turnaround, with a home game against Loudoun in just three days. The team won’t be back in Birmingham until Thursday, but Heaps knows it’s vital they start getting wins on the board, especially against conference foes.
“I thought it was a good rebound from Saturday,” Heaps said. “Now we have to get back on flight and get ready for a game Saturday. Hopefully we get good regen in, get our guys recovered and get a training session in tomorrow and Friday so that we’re ready to go.”
The team will certainly want to get a crucial win, and also a good performance to send off one of their own. The game will indeed be the final one for Ramiz Hamouda in a Legion jersey, with the teenager off to Werder Bremen a couple of days later.
Birmingham Legion host Loudoun United at 7 p.m. Saturday at Protective Stadium.
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