History is here for Birmingham Legion FC against MLS club

Birmingham Legion FC debuted in 2019. Ever since that first season, I’ve been waiting for the day that the soccer team played an MLS club in the Open Cup.

That day is here, and it’s going to be one of the more exciting moments in modern Birmingham sports history.

It’s time to pack it out, Birmingham. Get your tickets early. Share this column. Buy merch. Bring all your friends to the game. Tailgate. Wear costumes. Rep the city. Properly hydrate in the rituals of social enjoyment. Get crazy and rally together for the forces of good. One of those times to show the country that Birmingham can do big things is here. At 7 p.m. on May 24 at Protective Stadium, Legion will play Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer in the fifth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

There are 16 teams left in the national tournament, and Birmingham Legion FC is among them. A victory for Birmingham against Charlotte would put Legion against the Round of 16 winner between MLS clubs Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC.

American soccer is lacking a system of promotion and relegation. Until that happens, the Open Cup is our taste of the good life. Drink it up. There’s nothing like the Open Cup in American sports. It’s an all-divisions national tournament that allows smaller clubs to punch up at the big boys. Legion has played preseason friendlies against Atlanta United, but this game against Charlotte FC counts in the official record.

The official draw for the Round of 16 came on Thursday and there was no guarantee that Birmingham would have an opportunity to host. Birmingham got lucky. Chance is shining on the club, and now it’s up to the city to capitalize on the opportunity.

Of the 16 teams still standing in the Open Cup, 14 are clubs from Major League Soccer. Two are second-division teams of the United Soccer League, Birmingham Legion FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. It was Pittsburgh that knocked Legion out of the USL playoffs last season in that epic match that featured an extended penalty-kick shootout.

They gave away free beer in the supporters section that night. Time to break out the kegs once again.

GOODMAN: Where the beer is free, pride comes at a cost

This match against Charlotte is a big deal, and it needs to be treated like a major, city-wide event. Join one of the team’s rowdy supporters groups: Magic City Brigade, Elyton Ultras and La Mancha Maria. Learn the songs. Make signs. Hang the banners. Raise Legion’s crest above the city. Let everyone know. Do everything possible to promote this match like a flashpoint for a city with ambition.

A historic moment is here for Vulcan’s boys and the goal for attendance needs to be at least 20,000 strong. Birmingham can do it. Prove the doubters wrong. Legion is a club that does things the right way and deserves your support.

There is nothing minor-league about how Birmingham Legion FC operates. People need to understand and appreciate that. This is a soccer club with visions of transforming the culture in Birmingham. Legion is only five years old but already it has established a fast-rising reputation in pro soccer for its dedication to the highest levels of professionalism.

In pro sports, the proof of a first-rate team is how it attracts, retains and develops talent. Legion mainstays Prosper Kasim, Matt VanOekel, Mikey Lopez and Anderson Asiedu have all been with Legion since the beginning. Defender Alex Crognale played in MLS with Columbus Crew before joining Legion in 2020. He never left. Lightning-quick forward Tyler Pasher is the latest MLS-level talent to join Legion’s journey, and as fate would have it he played for Charlotte FC last season.

Perhaps the biggest proof of Legion’s quality? Attacking wizard Juan Agedulo has U.S. national team, MLS and English Premier League experience. He’s on his second season with Legion because he understands what Legion is doing. It’s dedicated to winning championships and competing with the best.

More proof? Here are a few more examples:

— Veteran Uruguayan midfielder Enzo Martinez is one of the best all-around players in USL and he has made a home here in Birmingham playing for Legion.

— One of the top scorers in the USL over the past five years, Jamaican forward Neco Brett is back with Legion for his second tour.

— Legion developed defender Jonny Dean as an unknown player out of college and now Dean is playing for MLS club Chicago Fire. Nigerian Diba Nwegbo, a 21-year-old developing talent, looks to be the scouting department’s next big breakthrough.

— 17-year-old midfielder Matthew Corcoran of Dallas has been identified as one of the best up-and-coming talents in American soccer. He chose to hone his skills in Legion’s system and now he’s contributing big minutes for the club.

— USMNT and Premier League defender Chris Richards of Crystal Palace is a massive Legion supporter.

I’ve chronicled sports at the highest levels of professionalism throughout my career. As a beat writer, I covered Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra’s Miami Heat. As a columnist, it has been a thrill covering Nick Saban at Alabama. There is a standard of excellence that must be met within those organizations. Everything about Birmingham Legion FC is first class. This is a club that is run like a major-league outfit by people with major-league talent.

From the ownership to the management to the players to the academy team, this is a pro franchise that operates like a major-league club. The Legion Way starts with team president Jay Heaps and is put into practice on a daily basis by fiery coach Tommy Soehn.

This is the fifth season for Legion. The team competes in second-division United Soccer League and every season the team has gotten better and better. It has been fun to watch Legion grow. The staying power of this team is evidenced by how young people in the city have embraced the team. Just stay after a match and watch kids swarm the players for autographs. It’s eye-opening. In a way, the trajectory of Legion has mirrored the rejuvenation of the city.

And since Legion has made the playoffs every season of its existence, that means this club is currently playing at an extreme high level.

Not only does Legion have a good chance to knock off Charlotte and advance in the Open Cup, if we’re being honest, Legion probably should. Legion is currently second in the USL Eastern Conference standings and Charlotte is 12th on the MLS East table. There was great joy in Memphis a few weeks ago when USL club (and Birmingham rival) Memphis 901 FC upset mighty Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup. Understand that backstory first before digesting this next bit of information. In the next round of the Open Cup, which was played on Wednesday night at Protective Stadium, Birmingham Legion FC drubbed Memphis 3-0.

I’m often asked about the possibility of Birmingham Legion FC making the jump to Major League Soccer. I’m beginning to think that’s the wrong question. The better perspective: Can top-rate teams like Birmingham Legion FC force U.S. Soccer into finally acknowledging that a system of promotion and relegation is the best way forward to grow the sport domestically?

Maybe it takes a Legion to break through the walls and storm the castle.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.