Kamp Fender
Legion's Daigo Kobayashi (16) grasps his head in disappointment after narrowly missing a header during the Birmingham Legion FC's inaugural match versus Bethlehem Steel FC at BBVA Compass Field in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday, March 10, 2019. (Kamp Fender)
BIRMINGHAM — It's well-known in the South that football is a game of inches.
It became clear on Saturday night that soccer is too.
Playing its second game in franchise history, Birmingham Legion FC missed scoring its first goal by the slightest of margins.
Twice.
The narrow misses, both in the second half, contributed to the team's 1-0 loss at BBVA Compass Field.
"I thought second half we were much better, but in the end, we still can't get that first goal," Legion FC head coach Tom Soehn said. "I think once we get that one, I feel like the floodgates will open. But until we do, it's been tough."
Birmingham's first tantalizingly tight miss came in the 82nd minute. Midfielder Daniel Johnson lofted a cross deep into the box, where forward Brian Wright took a quick touch and tapped the ball toward goal.
It looked as if it was destined to find the back of the net, rolling past goalkeeper David Monsalve. But Thomas Meileur-Giguere saved the day. The Ottawa defender raced toward the goal line and cleared the ball before it crossed.
Wright, who was shadowed by an Ottawa defender, said he couldn't get enough power on his shot.
"I just tried to put myself in a good position," said Wright, who is on loan from MLS club New England Revolution. "I made a call to DJ, and DJ delivered a great ball."
Legion FC's next narrow miss came about 10 minutes later, in extra time. Midfielder Eric Avila lifted a cross from right of the 18-yard box that found the head of Joe Holland, who directed it just wide of the left post.
The miss drew a roar of disbelief from many in the crowd of 4,234. Legion FC outshot Ottawa 11-5 in the second half but couldn't muster a goal.
"We started kind of slow in the first half, but I thought that we were definitely the better team in the second half," Wright said. "We had a lot more opportunities. It's just more about capitalizing right now."
Wright entered as a sub in the 58th minute and helped revive a team that played lifelessly for much of the first half. It had only one shot in the game's first 45 minutes.
"We had a lot to work on after the first half," Soehn said. "We came out really flat, and I'm not sure why."
Ottawa capitalized. In the 16th minute, Carl Haworth powered a shot past Legion FC goalkeeper Matt VanOekel.
It proved decisive.
"We're going to get through this," Soehn said. "It's still a good group. Everybody believes in each other."
Legion FC will have next week off before returning to action on March 30 at Louisville City FC.
Wright said his team, which fell 2-0 to Bethlehem Steel FC last Sunday in its franchise opener, is hungry to score its first goal.
"I feel like once we get that first one, we'll get rolling," he said.
