
Birmingham Legion kick off its U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup journey when hosting the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the University of Montevallo.
You can purchase tickets here or call a sales ticket rep at 205-791-7145.
What is the Open Cup
Now in its 109th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s Club Championship – has been named a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. This year 96 teams are participating in the Open Cup, 47 of those are USL teams. The First Round of the tournament began on March 19 and the Final Round will be on September 25. The U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports.
Legion FC Outlook
Legion is one of the 16 teams from the USL Championship that will be competing in the Third Round. The remaining eight USL Championships will enter the Round of 32 as well as the eight Major League Soccer teams.
On the last time out, Legion FC drew 1-1 to North Carolina FC. Enzo Martinez’s 70th regular season goal was the equalizer for the club. Not satisfied with the result the boys in gold look to bounce back. A week before that, the Three Sparks rallied a 3-1 comeback victory against Loudoun United FC in front of the club’s home opener crowd.
Scouting Chattanooga Red Wolves
The Chattanooga Red Wolves defeated NPSL side Apotheos FC in the Open Cup’s Second Round. In USL League One play the Red Wolves come off a 4-2 win against Central Valley Fuego with a hattrick from Ropapa Mensah and a goal from Lucas Coutinho.
Legion FC’s Open Cup History
In 2023 the Three Sparks had a historic Open Cup run advancing as far as the Quarterfinal. To get there, Legion defeated the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the Second Round and Chattanooga FC in the Third Round. Legion faced rival Memphis 901 FC in the Round of 32 and, thanks to a 3-0 victory, would draw Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC in the Round of 32 and defeat the MLS side 1-0 at Protective Stadium. This was the first time Birmingham claimed victory over a MLS club in a competitive game. The club would exit the competition after a 1-0 loss against Inter Miami CF in the Quarterfinal. Although the club’s Open Cup journey ended there, Legion would draw in a record crowd of 18,418 fans to Protective Stadium.



To keep up to date on all things Legion FC, Legion encourages its fans to follow @bhmlegion on social media and keep an eye on bhmlegion.com and the Legion FC app. Download the Legion FC app today on Apple or Android.
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Written by Kenia Hernandez – @mediabykenia