Birmingham Legion FC

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.

Birmingham Legion FC
Full nameBirmingham Legion FC
FoundedAugust 9, 2017 (2017-08-09)
StadiumBBVA Field
Birmingham, Alabama
Capacity5,000
OwnersJack Bryant
Billy Harbert
John Harbert
Jeff Logan
James Outland
Jim Rein
Lee Styslinger III
President and
general manager		Jay Heaps
Head coachTom Soehn
LeagueUSL Championship
20207th, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals
WebsiteClub website

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 will instead play at BBVA Field, the current 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]

Sponsorship
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–present Nike Red Diamond[6]

Players and staff

Roster
As of January 19, 2021[7]
No. Position Player Nation
0 Goalkeeper Ford Parker  United States
1 Goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel  United States
2 Midfielder Marcos Ugarte  United States
5 Midfielder Mikey Lopez  United States
6 Midfielder Anderson Asiedu  Ghana
7 Defender Ryan James  Canada
8 Midfielder Bruno Lapa  Brazil
11 Forward Neco Brett  Jamaica
12 Midfielder Eli Crognale  United States
17 Midfielder Jaden Servania  Puerto Rico
21 Defender Alex Crognale  United States
24 Defender Jonathan Dean  United States
— Forward Junior Flemmings  Jamaica
— Defender Phanuel Kavita  DR Congo
— Forward JJ Williams  United States
  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:

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 J.J. Williams 8 Tom Soehn
2020 16 7 5 4 29 19 28 7th, Eastern
2nd, Group E		 Conference Quarterfinals Canceled Neco Brett 9 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.
CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinLossDrawWin %
Tom Soehn  United States August 16, 2018 present 55 21 23 11 038.18

Average attendance
YearReg. seasonPlayoffs
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. Patchen, Tyler (December 17, 2018). "Legion FC unveils new jersey and home-opener opponent". The Birmingham Business Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  7. "2020 Roster". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved February 11, 2020.


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