BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Marlon marked his debut for Birmingham Legion with a spectacular late equalizer as the hosts earned a 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday evening before a crowd of 9,277 fans at Protective Field.

Legion FC had the better of the play in the opening half-hour, but Tampa Bay broke the deadlock 11 minutes before halftime when Sebastian Guenzatti won possession in the attacking third, allowing the ball to come to Yann Ekra on the right. The French playmaker cut into the penalty area, cut back onto his left foot and threaded a cross to the back post where Sebastian Dalgaard put away a first-time finish.

The hosts tried to fight back in the second half. Enzo Martinez hit the crossbar on a chance that would have been ruled out for offside, and Anderson Asiedu fired a shot from 20 yards just wide of the right post with just under 20 minutes to go. With four minutes to go, though, Marlon provided the equalizer with a brilliant curling finish from 25 yards into the top-right corner of the net to earn Legion FC a point from its home opener.

USLChampionship.com Player of the Match

Sebastian Dalgaard, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Dalgaard scored the opening goal for the visitors and put in a strong shift on the left side, winning 5 of 8 duels and completing 24 of 34 passes.

Scoring Summary
TBR – Sebastian Dalgaard (Yann Ekra) 34’
BHM – Marlon (Prosper Kasim) 86’

Full Box Score