How it happened
Jake McGuire kept SC Jacksonville in the contest for 90 minutes, but one goal was enough for Birmingham Legion FC. A.J. Paterson scored in the 37th minute, and that was the only goal of the match.
The defender, who played 86 minutes, finished with a match rating of 7.8. The goal came from a side that created plenty: Birmingham had 14 shots to Jacksonville's 10, and seven of them were on target against two for the home side.
Nothing changed after the interval. Birmingham led 1-0 at half-time and by the same score at the end, with no red cards and no further goals. Jacksonville's two shots on target never forced the visitors into the kind of scramble that the home goalkeeper had to deal with at the other end.
The numbers
McGuire made six saves from the seven shots on target he faced, and his match rating of 7.9 was the second-highest of the three top performers. Only Birmingham midfielder Sam McIllhatton, on 8.1, rated higher. McIllhatton played the full 90 minutes, had 96 touches and created two chances.
The expected-goals figures back up the visitors' edge without making it a rout. Birmingham registered 1.32 xG against 0.69 for Jacksonville, a difference of 0.63. Birmingham also had 53% of possession to the home side's 47%, and each team won six corners.
Jacksonville's problem was the quality of their shooting. They produced 10 attempts but only two reached the target, so the home side asked few questions of the Birmingham defence.
What it means
Birmingham stand 22nd in the USL Championship with 26 points from 27 matches, while Jacksonville are 25th with 14 points from 28. That is a gap of 12 points between two sides in the lower reaches of the table.
The result also reverses the teams' meeting on 23 August, when Jacksonville won 3-2 at Birmingham's ground. That match produced five goals; this one produced one.
Jacksonville's recent record is a concern: two wins and eight defeats in their last 10, with nine goals scored and 28 conceded. Birmingham have won two, drawn three and lost five over the same span, taking 0.9 points per match.