2019 Birmingham Legion FC season
The 2019 Birmingham Legion FC season was the debut campaign for Birmingham Legion FC, representing Birmingham in the United Soccer League's USL Championship division in 2019. Its home matches were played at the 5,000-seat BBVA Field on UAB's campus.
Red Diamond Coffee & Tea supported the team as "jersey partner" for the first year of a 3-year agreement. Other sponsors included Buffalo Rock, Post Consumer Brands and Nike. Home and away games were broadcast locally on WABM "My68".
Oak Mountain High School graduate and Real Monarchs' star forward Chandler Hoffman signed on as the team's first player in July 2018. In August the team announced that Tom Soehn would be the first head coach of Birmingham Legion FC.
Roster
- Forwards: Chandler Hoffman, Prosper Kasim, Edward Opoku, Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Brian Wright
- Midfielders: Anderson Asiedu, Zachary Herivaux, Marcos Ugarte, Mikey Lopez, Joe Holland, Daniel Johnson, Daigo Kobayashi
- Defenders: Eric Avila, Kyle Fisher, Marcel Appiah, Gael Mabiala, Mathieu Laurent, Razak Cromwell, Tyler Turner
- Goalkeepers: Matt Van Oekel, Trevor Spangenberg
Record
Birmingham Legion finished their inaugural season as the 10th-ranked team in the USL's Eastern Conference, with a total of 43 points despite a 12-15-7 record and a goal deficit of 16. In the league's conference championship, the Legion made it as far as the quarter-finals before being eliminated by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Regular season (12-15-7)
- March 10: Bethlehem Steel 2, Birmingham 0
- March 16: Ottowa Fury 1, Birmingham 0
- March 31: Birmingham 3, Loudoun United 2
- April 13: Birmingham 3, St Louis United 2
- April 20: Birmingham 0, Swope Park Rangers 0
- April 27: Birmingham 1, Loudoun United 0
- May 1: New York Red Bulls 5, Birmingham 0
- May 4: Birmingham 2, Memphis 901 FC 2
- May 11: Loudoun United 3, Birmingham 0
- May 18: Birmingham 0, North Carolina FC 0
- May 22: Nashville SC 1, Birmingham 0
- June 1: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Birmingham 0
- June 8: Charleston Battery 3, Birmingham 1
- June 15: Charlotte Independence 4, Birmingham 1
- June 22: Birmingham 2, Hartford Athletic 2
- June 26: Indy Eleven 3, Birmingham 0
- June 29: Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4, Birmingham 1
- July 13: Birmingham 1, North Carolina SC 0
- July 20: Birmingham 4, Atlanta United 0
- July 27: Birmingham 1, Charlotte Independence 0
- August 2: Birmingham 0, Ottowa Fury 0
- August 10: Birmingham 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
- August 17: Birmingham 1, Memphis 901 FC 0
- August 25: Birmingham 3, Bethlehem Steel 2
- August 28: Birmingham 1, Loudoun United 1
- September 4: Birmingham 5, Atlanta United 0
- September 13: St Louis FC 2, Birmingham 0
- September 17: Nashville SC 1, Birmingham 0
- September 20: Birmingham 1, Indy Eleven 0
- September 30: Swope Park Rangers 3, Birmingham 1
- October 5: Birmingham 1, Charleston Battery 1
- October 9: Hartford Athletic 4, Birmingham 0
- October 16: Birmingham 2, NY Red Bulls Reserves 1
- October 20: Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1, Birmingham 0
USL Eastern Conference Championship
- October 23: Birmingham 3, North Carolina FC 2
- October 26: Pittsburgh Riverhounds 7, Birmingham 3
References
- Inabinett, Mark (July 30, 2018) "Chandler Hoffman coming home as Birmingham Legion FC's first player." The Birmingham News
- Murray, Nichola (August 5, 2018) "The USL Q&A: Doug Hicks, Birmingham Legion FC" USLsoccer.com
- Patchen, Tyler (December 17, 2018) "Legion FC unveils new jersey and home-opener opponent." Birmingham Business Journal
- Estes, Cary (March 6, 2019) "How Birmingham landed its own professional soccer team." The Birmingham News
- Wray, Cheryl (October 23, 2019) "Legion FC visits North Carolina in first-round USL playoff game tonight." The Birmingham News
- Patchen, Tyler (November 8, 2019) "With first year complete, Legion FC looks to the future." Birmingham Business Journal
External links
- Birmingham Legion FC website