Birmingham Legion FC

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Birmingham Legion FC
Birmingham Legion FC logo.svg
Full nameBirmingham Legion FC
FoundedAugust 9, 2017; 4 years ago (2017-08-09)
StadiumProtective Stadium
Capacity47,100
Owners
President and
general manager		Jay Heaps
Head coachTom Soehn
LeagueUSL Championship
20212nd, Central Division
3rd, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
WebsiteClub website
Away colors
Third colors
Current season

Birmingham Legion FC is an American professional soccer club based in Birmingham, Alabama, that competes in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. The team was established in August 2017 and began their first professional season on March 10, 2019.

History[]

On August 9, 2017, the United Soccer League (now known as USL Championship), the Division II sanctioned league by the United States Soccer Federation, granted a team for Birmingham to begin play in the 2019 season.[1] On January 17, 2018, the team name was revealed as Birmingham Legion FC, a reference to the historic Legion Field that opened in 1927. However, the team instead played at BBVA Field, the home of the UAB Blazers soccer program.[2]

Oak Mountain High School graduate and Real Monarchs' star forward Chandler Hoffman signed on as the team's first player in July 2018.[3] In August the team announced that Tom Soehn would be the first head coach of Birmingham Legion FC.[4]

Their first professional game resulted in a 2–0 defeat against Bethlehem Steel FC on March 10, 2019.[5]

Stadium[]

Legion FC played its home matches at PNC Field (formerly BBVA Field), a stadium on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham which also serves as the Blazers' home pitch, from the club's inaugural season in 2019 through the end of the 2021 season.

On March 15, 2021, Legion FC was forced to move its scheduled match against rival Memphis 901 to historic Legion Field because of unplayable pitch conditions at BBVA Field, caused by heavy rains in the previous days. The match, dubbed "Legion at Legion," drew a club-record crowd of 10,177, which the club said was also the largest crowd ever to attend a professional soccer match in Alabama.[6] (Legion Field's largest soccer crowd ever was a 1996 Summer Olympics match between the United States and Argentina, which also set the stadium's all-time attendance record with 83,810 fans.) Inclement weather also forced delays or cancellations in other matches.

In November 2021, the club and the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees agreed to terminate Legion FC's eight-year lease early. No reason was announced through official channels.[7] On December 7, 2021, the club announced the Legion would play their home games at Protective Stadium starting with their 2022 season.[8][9]

Sponsorship[]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–present Nike Red Diamond[10]

Players and staff[]

Roster[]

As of December 10, 2021[11]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Matt Van Oekel  United States
2 MF Marcos Ugarte  United States
3 DF Phanuel Kavita  DR Congo
5 MF Mikey Lopez  United States
6 MF Anderson Asiedu  Ghana
7 DF Ryan James  Canada
8 MF Bruno Lapa  Brazil
10 FW Prosper Kasim  Ghana
18 GK Trevor Spangenberg  United States
21 DF Alex Crognale  United States
27 DF Thomas Vancaeyezeele  French Guiana
77 FW Junior Flemmings  Jamaica
— FW Amadou Diop  Senegal
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract

Team management[]

Front office
Owners Jack Bryant
Billy Harbert
John Harbert
Jeff Logan
James Outland
Jim Rein
Lee Styslinger III
President and general manager Jay Heaps
Vice President of Business Development Morgan T. Copes
Vice President Ticketing and Sales Michael Emert
Vice President of Stadium Operations Jason Coleman
Coaching staff
Head coach Tom Soehn
Assistant coach Khano Smith

Last updated: March 25, 2019
Source: [1]

Team records[]

Year-by-year[]

As of October 10, 2020
Season USL Championship Play-offs U.S. Open Cup Top scorer 1 Head Coach
P W L D GF GA Pts Pos Player Goals
2019 34 12 15 7 35 51 43 10th, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 3rd Round United States J.J. Williams 8 United States Tom Soehn
2020 16 7 5 4 29 19 28 7th, Eastern
2nd, Group E 		Conference Quarterfinals Canceled Jamaica Neco Brett 9 United States Tom Soehn

^ 1. Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches[]

  • Includes USLC regular season, USLC playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Tom Soehn  United States August 16, 2018 present 55 21 23 11 038.18

Average attendance[]

Year Reg. season Playoffs
2019 4,551 —
2020 N/A N/A

References[]

  1. ^ "USL Officially Awards Franchise to Birmingham". USL. August 9, 2017.
  2. ^ "Birmingham Legion FC Branding Unveiled". United Soccer League. January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Inabinett, Mark (July 30, 2018). "Chandler Hoffman coming home as Birmingham Legion FC's first player". The Birmingham News. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Stephenson, Greg (August 16, 2018). "Birmingham Legion FC hires Tom Soehn as head coach". The Birmingham News. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. ^ Legion FC Communications Team (March 10, 2019). "Sellout crowd sees Legion FC fall in inaugural season home opener". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  6. ^ "Legion FC Defeats Memphis in Front of Record Crowd of 10,177 at Historic Legion Field". Birmingham Legion FC (via OurSportsCentral). May 15, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Seale, Michael (November 5, 2021). "Legion FC And UAB End Stadium Lease Agreement". Patch Birmingham. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  8. ^ Goodman, Joe (November 5, 2021). "'Overrated' Birmingham Legion FC ready for first home playoff game". Birmingham News/al,com. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Turrentine, Caleb (December 7, 2021). "Legion officially name Protective Stadium as home field for 2022". ABC 33/40. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Patchen, Tyler (December 17, 2018). "Legion FC unveils new jersey and home-opener opponent". The Birmingham Business Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "Team Roster". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved July 8, 2021.

External links[]

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