Second-half goal lifts Birmingham Legion to 1-0 upset of Charlotte FC in Open Cup
Prosper Kasim’s stunning 60th-minute goal lifted the Birmingham Legion to a 1-0 win against 10-man Charlotte FC on Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama, sending the second-division side past the Major League Soccer team in a U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 match.
Birmingham advances to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they will play host to Inter Miami on June 7. The Legion is one of two teams from the USL Championship to reach the last eight of this year’s U.S. Open Cup, joining the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who upset the Columbus Crew 1-0 on Wednesday.
In the game’s decisive moment, Kasim took a pass from former U.S. men’s national team player Juan Agudelo on the right flank, dribbled past a defender and unleashed a 20-yard shot that beat Charlotte goalie Kristijan Kahlina at the far post.
The visitors were playing a man short after Adilson Malanda received a second yellow card in the 51st minute for a tackle on Tyler Pasher.
Charlotte FC, who had a three-game MLS winning streak snapped with a 2-1 home loss to Nashville SC last weekend, return to league play to face the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday in California.
