2020 Birmingham Legion FC season

Birmingham Legion FC
2020 season
Owners	List Jack Bryant; Billy Harbert; John Harbert; Jeff Logan; James Outland; Jim Rein; Lee Styslinger III;
Head coach	Tom Soehn
USL Championship	Conference: 7th; Group G: 2nd
USLC Playoffs	Conference Quarterfinals
2020 U.S. Open Cup	Cancelled
Biggest win	MIA 0–4 BHM (September 16)
Biggest defeat	BHM 1–3 CLT (September 12); MEM 3–1 BHM (October 3); TBR 4–2 BHM (October 10)
	← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 Birmingham Legion FC season was the club's second season of existence and their second in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer.^[1] This article covers the period from November 18, 2019, the day after the 2019 USLC Playoff Final, to the conclusion of the 2020 USLC Playoff Final, scheduled for November 12–16, 2020.^[2]

Roster

As of January 22, 2020^[3]

No.	Name	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Signed in	Previous club	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
0	Joe Nasco	GK	(1984-06-18) June 18, 1984 (age 40)	2019	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	0	0
1	Matt Van Oekel	GK	(1986-09-20) September 20, 1986 (age 38)	2019	OKC Energy	0	0
18	Trevor Spangenberg	GK	(1991-04-21) April 21, 1991 (age 33)	2019	Richmond Kickers	0	0
Defenders
3	Kyle Fisher	DF	(1994-06-19) June 19, 1994 (age 30)	2019	Montreal Impact	0	0
12	Eric Avila	DF	(1987-11-24) November 24, 1987 (age 36)	2019	Las Vegas Lights	0	0
15	Akeem Ward	DF	(1996-01-06) January 6, 1996 (age 28)	2019	D.C. United	0	0
17	Gael Mabiala	DF	(1994-06-07) June 7, 1994 (age 30)	2019	UAB Blazers	0	0
22	Mathieu Laurent	DF	(1996-02-28) February 28, 1996 (age 28)	2019	UAB Blazers	0	0
23	Benjamin Kucera	DF	(1994-08-10) August 10, 1994 (age 30)	2019	Birmingham Hammers	0	0
30	Razak Cromwell	DF	(1994-10-03) October 3, 1994 (age 30)	2019	Dreams FC (loan)	0	0
33	Kyle Culbertson	DF	(1992-11-03) November 3, 1992 (age 32)	2019	Saint Louis FC	0	0
Midfielders
2	Marcos Ugarte	MF	(1992-12-02) December 2, 1992 (age 31)	2019	Ringkøbing	0	0
5	Mikey Lopez	MF	(1993-02-20) February 20, 1993 (age 31)	2019	San Antonio FC	0	0
6	Anderson Asiedu	MF	(1996-06-12) June 12, 1996 (age 28)	2019	Atlanta United FC	0	0
8	Joe Holland	MF	(1993-04-21) April 21, 1993 (age 31)	2019	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	0	0
14	Daniel Johnson	MF	(1995-09-08) September 8, 1995 (age 29)	2019	Chicago Fire	0	0
16	Daigo Kobayashi	MF	(1983-02-19) February 19, 1983 (age 41)	2019	Las Vegas Lights	0	0
21	Zachary Herivaux	MF	(1996-02-01) February 1, 1996 (age 28)	2019	New England Revolution (loan)	0	0
Forwards
7	Brian Wright	FW	(1995-03-24) March 24, 1995 (age 29)	2019	New England Revolution (loan)	0	0
9	Chandler Hoffman	FW	(1990-08-17) August 17, 1990 (age 34)	2019	Real Monarchs	0	0
10	Prosper Kasim	FW	(1996-12-15) December 15, 1996 (age 27)	2019	IFK Göteborg	0	0
11	JJ Williams	FW	(1998-01-04) January 4, 1998 (age 26)	2019	Columbus Crew SC (loan)	0	0
13	Tyler Savitsky	FW	(1996-07-05) July 5, 1996 (age 28)	2019	Næstved	0	0
27	Edward Opoku	FW	(1996-08-01) August 1, 1996 (age 28)	2019	Columbus Crew SC (loan)	0	0
88	Femi Hollinger-Janzen	FW	(1993-12-14) December 14, 1993 (age 30)	2019	New England Revolution	0	0

Competitions

Exhibitions

February 8 Preseason 1	Birmingham Legion	2–3	Atlanta United FC	Birmingham, AL
3:30PM CDT	Brett 48' (pen.) Mensah 80'	BIR report ATL report	Barco 44' Mulraney 51' Jahn 67' (pen.) Rossetto 90+2'	Stadium: BBVA Field Attendance: 6,722

February 16 Preseason 2	Birmingham Legion	v	TBD	Birmingham, AL
CDT				Stadium: BBVA Field Attendance: Closed

February 19 Preseason 3	Birmingham Legion	3–0	Forward Madison FC	Hoover, AL
1:00 PM CST	Bergmann 27' Servania 40' Hoffman 50'	Report		Stadium: Hoover Metropolitan Complex Attendance: Closed
Note: 70 minute scrimmage

February 22 Preseason 4	Birmingham Legion	v	Atlanta United 2	Marietta, GA
CDT				Stadium: Atlanta United Training Facility

February 22 Preseason 5	Antigua GFC	v	Birmingham Legion	Antigua, Guatemala
12:45PM CDT

USL Championship

Standings — Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Qualification
1	Charlotte Independence	16	8	4	4	24	22	+2	28	1.75	Advance to USL Championship Playoffs
2	Birmingham Legion FC	16	7	4	5	29	19	+10	25	1.56	Advance to USL Championship Playoffs
3	North Carolina FC	15	6	1	8	17	21	−4	19	1.27
4	Memphis 901 FC	15	4	4	7	24	31	−7	16	1.07

Source: USL

Match results

In the preparations for the resumption of league play following the shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Birmingham's schedule was announced on July 7.^[4]

July 15 1	Birmingham Legion	3–0	Memphis 901 FC	Birmingham, AL
7:00 PM CDT	Lapa 22', 41' Servania 30' Wright 31' A. Crognale 52'	Report	da Silva 27' Carroll 58'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Thompson
Note: Televised live on ESPN2

July 19 2	Charleston Battery	1–2	Birmingham Legion	Charleston, SC
6:00 PM CDT	Lewis 29' Daley 51'	Report	Wright 12' A. Crognale 40' Rufe 45+1' Cromwell 48' Lapa 54' Akinyode 82' Servania	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Referee: Kevin Broadley

July 25 3	Birmingham Legion	1–1	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Birmingham, AL
7:30 PM CDT	A. Crognale 16' Akinyode 45+1' Asiedu 66'	Report	Lasso 13' Guenzatti 51'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Chris Ruska

August 1 4	North Carolina FC	1–0	Birmingham Legion	Cary, NC
6:00 PM CDT	Donovan 29' Fortune 51', 90+2' Kristo 87'	Report	Akinyode 33' Brett 45'	Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Kevin Broadley

August 5 5	Birmingham Legion	4–1	Charlotte Independence	Birmingham, AL
7:00 PM CDT	Dean 5' Brett 11', 66' Lapa 52'	Report	Vadalá 29' Martínez 76' (pen.)	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Thompson

August 8 6	Birmingham Legion	1–0	Atlanta United 2	Birmingham, AL
6:30 PM CDT	A. Crognale 27' Kasim 45+1'	Report	Jadama 36'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Muhammad Hassan

August 12 7	North Carolina FC	1–1	Birmingham Legion	Matthews, NC
6:00 PM CDT	Etou 52' Kelly 82'	Report	Lopez 3', 90+3' E. Crognale 47' Kasim 56' Asiedu 68' 80'	Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Referee: John Matto

August 15 8	North Carolina FC	0–2	Birmingham Legion	Cary, NC
7:30 PM CDT	Donovan 48'	Report	Servania 18' Brett 21' (pen.) A. Crognale 42' Akinyode 46' Van Oekel 59' Lopez 60'	Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Matthew Franz

August 22 9	Birmingham Legion	2–2	Memphis 901 FC	Birmingham, AL
6:30 PM CDT	Lapa 12' Asiedu 24' Akinyode 28' Brett 90+8' (pen.)	Report	Mentzingen 18', 90+4' Marsh-Brown 29' (pen.), 52' Gonzalez 45' Hague 90+2'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Muhammad Hassan

August 29 10	Charlotte Independence	1–4	Birmingham Legion	Matthews, NC
6:00 PM CDT	Etou 82' Kelly 86'	Report	A. Crognale 24' Servania 26' Brett 33', 49' E. Crognale 42' 58' Asiedu 63' Wright 83', 90+1'	Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Referee: Sergii Demianchuk

September 2 11	Birmingham Legion	1–2	North Carolina FC	Birmingham, AL
7:00 PM CDT	Kobayashi 45+1' Kasim 59' Brett 90'	Report	Albadawi 24' Fortune 62' (pen.)	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Lukasz Szpala

September 5 12	Memphis 901	1–1	Birmingham Legion	Memphis, TN
7:00 PM CDT	Baxter 25' Marsh-Brown 28' Metzger 61' 73'	Report	E. Crognale 43' Lapa 48' (pen.), 89'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Referee: Jervis Atagana

September 12 13	Birmingham Legion	1–3	Charlotte Independence	Birmingham, AL
6:30 PM CDT	Brett 34' Asiedu 48' 60'	Report	Kelly 17', 30', 45' Etou 23' Lacroix 81' Gebhard 86' Johnson 88' 90'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Thompson

September 16 14	Miami FC	0–4	Birmingham Legion	Miami, FL
6:30 PM CDT	Rozeboom 52'	Report	Brett 35', 55' Dean 38' A. Crognale 42', 45+1'	Stadium: Riccardo Silva Stadium Referee: Alyssa Nichols

September 26 15	Birmingham Legion	1–2	North Carolina FC	Birmingham, AL
6:30 PM CDT	Cromwell 23' Servania 67' Williams 87'	Report	Perez 7', 37' Fortune 26' Kristo 90+6'	Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Jonathan Bilinski

October 3 16	Memphis 901	3–1	Birmingham Legion	Memphis, TN
7:00 PM CDT	Jennings 36', 54', 86' Muckette 43' Marsh-Brown 79'	Report	A. Crognale 23' Lopez 33' Lapa 41' Williams 66'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 901 Referee: Ben Meyer

USL Cup Playoffs

October 10 Conf. Quarterfinals	Tampa Bay Rowdies	4–2	Birmingham Legion	St. Petersburg, FL
6:30 PM CDT	Doherty 8' Guenzatti 38' Mkosana 78' Fernandes 80'	Report	Crognale 10' Lopez 20' Williams 42' Kasim 57' Lapa 63' Cromwell 85'	Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 1,098 Referee: Eric Tattersall

U.S. Open Cup

As a USL Championship club, Birmingham will enter the competition in the Second Round, to be played April 7–9.^[5]

April 7 2nd Round	Chattanooga Red Wolves SC	P–P	Birmingham Legion	Chattanooga, TN
7:00 PM CDT				Stadium: Chattanooga Christian School
Note: Match postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[6]

References

^ Humphries, Clayton (December 14, 2018). "Inaugural Legion FC match set for March 9, 2019". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
^ "USL Championship Unveils 2020 Schedule". Retrieved February 1, 2020.
^ "Birmingham Legion roster". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
^ "Legion FC Releases New 2020 USL Championship Schedule". bhmlegion.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
^ "Restructured Competition Format For 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Provides Opportunity For More "David vs. Goliath" Matchups In 107th Edition Of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
^ "U.S. Soccer Temporarily Suspends 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Due to COVID-19 Outbreak". ussoccer.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.

[1] Humphries, Clayton (December 14, 2018). "Inaugural Legion FC match set for March 9, 2019". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.

[2] "USL Championship Unveils 2020 Schedule". Retrieved February 1, 2020.

[BHMroster-3] "Birmingham Legion roster". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved January 22, 2020.

[4] "Legion FC Releases New 2020 USL Championship Schedule". bhmlegion.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.

[5] "Restructured Competition Format For 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Provides Opportunity For More "David vs. Goliath" Matchups In 107th Edition Of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.

[6] "U.S. Soccer Temporarily Suspends 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Due to COVID-19 Outbreak". ussoccer.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]