
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a nearly 100-day absence from the pitch, Birmingham Legion FC is set to make its triumphant return in a big way as it opens up the 2025 preseason with a special MLS in BHM match against Atlanta United FC. The meeting will mark the first of many waypoints for The Black and Gold who enter Saturday with the hopes of treating the home crowd to a signature victory, but to also see how it stacks up following a week and half of training sessions.
“From day one of them showing up, it’s been a unique buy-in amongst the players and I’m really excited about what that can mean for this group,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn. “It’s baby steps along the way and making sure every day you’re getting better and every day you’re competing. As that happens, the chemistry amongst each other grows.
“We put a lot of thought in building this roster and making it a fun team to watch. So far, early signs of that look like it will be in play.”
MATCH INFO
- Birmingham Legion FC vs Atlanta United FC
- MLS in BHM | Preseason Friendly
- Saturday, February 1 | 3:30 p.m. CT
- Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL
One of the more intriguing areas of the field that Soehn will be keeping a close eye on is in Birmingham’s final third.
2024 saw Legion FC finish middle of the pack when it came to scoring in USL Championship play, tallying 44 goals which was 13th among the league. However, the conversion rate was not ideal at 12.5-percent on 482 shots with 151 on target. Finding more ruthlessness in front of goal was a big part of Birmingham’s offseason revamp, not just with the additions of prolific USL-C attackers Ronaldo Damus and Danny Trejo, but also signing a pair of college stars in Sebastian Tregarthen and Lucca Dourado who are hungry to make a splash as newly-minted professionals.
As Soehn noted, there was a clear intent in adding firepower for 2025 and it has made the early training sessions a lot more exciting.
“I’ve seen some quality in the final third that has been a lot of fun to compete against,” defender Jake Rufe said of training. “Seen some great goals and great link up play. Unfortunately, I’ve been on the receiving end of some that, but it’s nice to see some combinations that will make for some entertaining stuff.”
The new attacking prowess should come in handy against an Atlanta United side that has been one of MLS’ more exciting clubs since its inception a decade ago. And it will be strolling into Protective Stadium with a bit of a chip on its shoulder after it opened up its preseason last week with a 2-1 loss against Charlotte FC of MLS Next Pro.
Saturday’s matchup will be the fifth time these two teams have met in the preseason since Legion FC burst onto the scene in 2019, and second year in a row. Of the previous meetings, Legion FC’s best result was a scoreless draw on March 28, 2021.
It’s not lost on the players, especially the veterans, on what a victory this weekend could mean for the club as it continues preparations towards getting back to the postseason in 2025, but also would be a nice feather in the cap for the USL-C as a whole.
“It’s awesome because it tests you early on and it sets the tone,” midfielder Enzo Martinez explained. “It’s great to play a high level game for your first one. This year, the product that we want to put out is one of high-intensity work ethic and a lot of attack to let the fans that come to the game celebrate something.”
Follow Along
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.