Welcome to the Classic Championship Game of the Day, where today we go back to the final week of the 2019 regular season and a clash between Birmingham Legion FC and the New York Red Bulls II at BBVA Field.

Originally scheduled for early in the season, the contest had been abandoned due to lightning and heavy rain, resulting it being rescheduled for late in the regular season. That meant the stakes couldn’t have been higher for Legion FC, which was looking to reach the USL Championship Playoffs in its first year in the league. While Birmingham sat in the No. 10 position in the standings going into the contest, it was under pressure in a three-way battle for the final two spots in the postseason with both Saint Louis FC and the Charleston Battery.

Charleston – which was also in action on the same night against Memphis 901 FC – sat level on points with Birmingham, with both teams two points behind Saint Louis FC, which had only one game remaining. Both clubs had the chance to overtake Saint Louis with a win as their contests represented the game-in-hand they held on STLFC.

For New York, a postseason spot was already assured, as was a place in the top six of the Eastern Conference. But there still remained plenty for the Red Bulls II to play for in terms of seeding, with a chance at a top-four finish and a home playoff date to start the postseason within reach if it could grab victory on the road.

The scene is set, so sit back, relax and enjoy a classic clash from the Championship’s history.