Tregarthen's late equalizer rescues Birmingham Legion against Loudoun United

Sebastian Tregarthen turned Birmingham Legion FC’s night at Protective Stadium into a study in urgency, not just relief. The second-half substitute came off the bench and, in the 89th minute, slipped past two defenders on the right side of the box before curling home the equalizer that rescued a 1-1 draw against Loudoun United FC.

The point felt earned long before Tregarthen delivered it, because Birmingham and Loudoun had already traded real chances in a game that could have broken open earlier. Peter-Lee Vassell nearly gave Legion a dream start with a bicycle kick that sailed just over the crossbar from close range, then later forced a strong save from Ethan Bandré. Loudoun answered in the 18th minute when Abdellatif Aboukoura unleashed a shot that Birmingham goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat tipped onto the bar and over.

Aboukoura finally found the breakthrough midway through the second half, and it was a striking finish for his first goal of the 2026 season. The Loudoun forward, who entered the match as the club’s 2025 USL Championship Young Player of the Year, buried a precise shot from 25 yards into the bottom-right corner and seemed to have put the visitors on the path to a much-needed road result. He also kept firing. USL credited Aboukoura with seven shots, the most by a Loudoun player in the club’s USL Championship campaign to date.

Birmingham, though, kept creating pressure until the final whistle. Samuel Shashoua smashed a shot off the crossbar, then Gevork Diarbian endured the kind of late miss that can sink a home side, his effort striking the underside of the bar and the left post before bouncing out in the 81st minute. Instead of collapsing, Legion kept forcing the issue, and Tregarthen’s finish became the release valve for a team that had already seen a late result slip away earlier in the week in Oakland.

That earlier 1-1 draw against Oakland Roots SC, when Peter Wilson scored a stoppage-time equalizer after Peter-Lee Vassell had put Legion ahead late in the first half, framed Saturday’s response. This time Birmingham was the side that found the equalizer late, a useful sign of depth and belief even if it also hinted at how much work Legion still left for itself. For Loudoun, the draw was another entry in a season that had already produced too many of them, with the club entering the match at 1-4-7 and leaving with its seventh draw.