Roster News

CHICAGO, Ill. – For a second time in three months, Birmingham Legion FC’s Matthew Corcoran is answering the call for his country. 2025 is starting off on the right foot for the The Three Sparks’ midfielder, who has accepted a call-up to the United States Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team training camp that will take place from January 11-19 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Corcoran is one of just two from the 22-player roster called in by coach Marko Mitrovic that plies his trade in USL Championship, along with Sacramento Republic FC defender Chibuike Ukaegbu. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005 are age-eligible for this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, set for Sept. 27-Oct. 19 in Chile. Corcoran was last called into the USYNT in November for a U-19 training camp, marking his first international call-up since the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia where he started and played 90 minutes in three of the squad’s four matches.

After missing much of the 2024 season for Legion FC due to a hip injury, Corcoran made his season debut on August 23 at home against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and would go on to log 130 minutes over five appearances.

Legion FC fans will have their first chance to see Corcoran at Protective Stadium on February 1 for a preseason friendly against Major League Soccer side Atlanta United FC. Those who purchase or renew 2025 season tickets will receive a ticket in their Ticketmaster account for this special “MLS in BHM” match.

Birmingham kicks off the 2025 USL Championship on March 8 at home against Loudoun United FC. Those interested in season tickets can call the Legion FC ticket office at (205) 842-4406 today.

U.S. U-20 MEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER – JANUARY TRAINING CAMP
GOALKEEPERS (2): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.), Gavin Beavers (Real Salt Lake; Henderson, Nev.)

DEFENDERS (9): Freddie Anderson (Stoke City/ENG; Manchester, England), Luca Bombino (LAFC; Saugus, Calif.), Grayson Dettoni (Bayern Munich/GER; Munich, Germany), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Reston, Va.), Ethan Kohler (Werder Bremen/GER; Campbell, Calif.), Drew Murray (Freiburg/GER; San Jose, Calif.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas), Owen Presthus (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Chibuike Ukaegbu (Sacramento Republic FC; Roseville, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC; Dallas, Texas), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Darius Lane (Brighton Hove Albion/ENG; London, England), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Bryan Moyado (LAFC; La Puente, Calif.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo FC; Chicago, Ill.)

FORWARDS (4): Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; Warrington, England), Caden Glover (St. Louis City SC; Columbia, Ill.), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake; Eagle Mountain, Utah), Ruben Ramos Jr. (LA Galaxy; La Puente, Calif.)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Some familiar faces will continue to don the black and gold for the foreseeable future with Birmingham Legion FC announcing on Thursday that it has signed multi-year contract extensions with forward Tyler Pasher, midfielder Enzo Martinez, as well as defender and captain Phanuel Kavita. The moves are pending league and federation approval.

“We are excited to re-sign these key players as we look to the 2025 season and beyond” Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps said of the moves. “These three players have been core members on our team and important signings as we continue to build the rest of the roster.”

Martinez, 34, originally signed with The Three Sparks ahead of the 2022 season and has since become an auto-selection in the starting lineup with 112 appearances across all competitions to go along with 33 goals, which ranks second all-time for the club. During a 2024 Legion FC season that was mired by an assortment of injuries, Martinez was the constant, with the Uruguayan playing in all 36 of Birmingham’s matches and was subbed off only twice.

In his two seasons with Legion FC, Pasher has filled up the stat sheet in short order. The 30-year-old Canadian followed a five-goal, three-assist 2023 campaign with six goals and a club-high eight assists in 2024. Despite missing eight matches this past season, Pasher still finished second on the team with 53 chances created, behind only Kobe Hernandez-Foster’s 62.

A fixture on the backline, Kavita readies for a fifth season of wearing the captain’s armband in Birmingham. The 2024 season was a particularly memorable one for the 31-year-old center back with his first ever goal for the club coming in a thrilling 2-1 victory at Detroit City FC. After logging 29 solid appearances, Kavita parlayed that into a call-up to the Rwanda Men’s National Team for a pair of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last November. It marked the first time that 6-foot-2 defender had earned a call-up at the senior international level.

As the roster construction continues with a mix of established and new talent, the upcoming season is shaping up to be a memorable one for Legion FC and fans will not want to miss it. 2025 season ticket packages are available now, featuring fantastic benefits, including priority seating, exclusive events, merchandise discounts and much more. Visit bhmlegion.com/2025-season-tickets to lock in your seats today!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Sweden’s GIF Sundsvall to land Ronaldo Damus on a loan deal for the 2025 season. The deal for the prolific 25-year-old forward includes an option to purchase and is pending league and federation approval.

“We are really excited to add Ronaldo to our roster,” Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps said. “He is a proven goal scorer and a player that has helped win championships. He will be a critical piece to our attack as we continue to build for 2025.”

Damus is no stranger to finding the back of the net in USL Championship play with 47 goals across three seasons in the league. His most recent exploits occurred this past season with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC where his team-high 14 goals in regular season and postseason play ranked sixth among all league players. That includes a goal in Colorado Springs’ 3-0 win over Rhode Island FC in the 2024 USL Championship Final to capture the club’s first trophy.

“I would like to thank the coaching staff for providing me the opportunity to join Birmingham,” said Damus of his latest destination. “I’m very excited to start working with the team and my biggest goal and challenge for the 2025 season is to collectively win the championship and individually win the Golden Boot.”

After beginning his professional career with Real Hope FA in his native-Haiti, Damus made the move to America in 2019 to play for then-USL 1 side North Texas SC where he tallied 21 goals and eight assists in 35 appearances over two seasons. He marked his debut year with a 16-goal output to earn the league’s top scoring honors.

Other stops include a jump up to the Championship with Orange County SC in 2021 where he won his first USL-C title, followed by a transfer to GIF Sundsvall in 2022 and ensuing loans to San Diego Loyal and Colorado Springs in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Having made his senior international debut in 2016, Damus has earned eight caps with the Haiti Men’s National Team with his most recent appearance coming last October in CONCACAF Nations League play against Aruba.

Legion FC’s addition of Damus is the second new arrival this week, with the club announcing the signing of goalkeeper Fernando Delgado on Monday.

TRANSACTION
Birmingham Legion FC has reached an agreement with GIF Sundsvall to acquire forward Ronaldo Damus on a loan with an option to purchase.

PLAYER BIO
Name: Ronaldo Damus
Position: Forward
Height: 5’9
DOB: 9/12/1999 (25)
Hometown: Hinche, Haiti
Nationality: Haiti

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Stalwarts Matt Van Oekel, Phanuel Kavita and Enzo Martinez headline 13 players that are returning to Birmingham Legion FC for the 2025 season, with the club announcing on Tuesday its first batch of offseason roster decisions.

Next year will mark a seventh season in Birmingham for Van Oekel, having been with the club since its inception prior to the 2019 season. The 38-year-old goalkeeper tallied 77 saves and six clean sheets in 22 appearances across the 2024 USL Championship campaign. Club captain Kavita readies to embark on a fifth season in Birmingham, while Martinez is set for his fourth after logging a team-best 3,053 minutes across 34 appearances in USL-C play this past year.

Other players remaining on the roster for 2025 are goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg; defenders Ramiz Hamouda, Moses Mensah, AJ Paterson; midfielders Matthew Corcoran, Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Jake Rufe; forwards Dawson McCartney, Tyler Pasher and Preston Tabort Etaka.

Meanwhile, players not returning to Legion FC next season are defender Alex Crognale, midfielder Mikey Lopez and forwards Prosper Kasim, Diba Nwegbo and Stefano Pinho. Additionally, defender Derek Dodson and midfielder Miguel Perez head back to their respective parent clubs after being loaned to Birmingham for the 2024 season.

Kasim departs Legion FC after six memorable seasons, leading the club all-time with 167 appearances in USL-C play. The Ghana-native announced his presence in a big way by scoring the club’s first ever goal in a 3-2 victory over Louisville City FC in 2019. Like Kasim, Lopez came to The Magic City for Legion FC’s inaugural season and made his presence felt in the middle of the pitch with a club-best 164 tackles won. Crognale joined Legion FC for the 2020 season and proved to be a staple of consistency, having logged 12,179 minutes in five years to rank second in club history, only behind Van Oekel’s 13,516 minutes. The 30-year-old defender also leads all Birmingham players with 604 total clearances.

Legion FC thanks them and all departing players for their contributions on the pitch and for having a hand in laying down a solid foundation as the club continues to grow.

Updates on players who served on the 2024 roster that are not listed above will be announced at a later date.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A familiar face is making a return to The Magic City as Birmingham Legion FC announced on Monday that it has reached an agreement with Real Monarchs SLC (Real Salt Lake’s MLS Next Pro club) to acquire goalkeeper Fernando Delgado on a transfer, pending league and federation approval. Notably, the move marks a second stint with The Three Sparks for the 18-year-old goalkeeper, having recently spent a portion of the 2024 season with the club.

“We are excited to complete the transfer for Fernando and appreciate working with Real Salt Lake to get this finalized,” said Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps. “He is a very good, young keeper with amazing upside and a player we were able to get to know while he was here on loan.” 

Legion FC loaned Delgado last April, where he started two matches in USL Championship play against Miami FC and Memphis 901 FC, and one match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before the club recalled him in mid-May. In addition to making the bench for Real Salt Lake once in the 2024 campaign, the 6-foot-1 Delgado made 10 starts with Real Monarchs SLC.

After signing with the RSL Academy in 2020, Delgado made history by becoming the youngest USL-C goalkeeper ever when he debuted in October 2021 at just 15 years old. Delgado has also earned international recognition, representing the Mexico Youth National Team three times in 2022-2023 and earning a call-up to the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The acquisition of Delgado is the first of many roster moves for Legion FC ahead of the 2025 season. Additional transactions will be announced in the coming days and weeks on bhmlegion.com and on the club’s various social media channels.

TRANSACTION
Birmingham Legion FC has reached an agreement with Real Monarchs SLC to acquire goalkeeper Fernando Delgado on a transfer.

PLAYER BIO
Name: Fernando Delgado
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6’1
DOB: 7/25/2006 (18)
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Nationality: Mexico

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Phanuel Kavita is on the cusp of making his international debut after the Birmingham Legion FC defender and captain accepted a call-up to the Rwanda Men’s National Team for the country’s upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Also eligible to represent the Democratic Republic of Congo, the call-up marks the first time that the 6-foot-1 center back has received an invitation to play at the senior international level.

With the top two teams in each group advancing to next year’s tournament, Kavita’s arrival comes at a crucial time for Rwanda, who currently sits in third place with five points in Group D of the qualifying round – just one point back of second-place Benin with a home match against Libya on November 14, followed by an away match at Nigeria on November 18 to conclude group play. Should Rwanda achieve qualification, it would mark just the country’s second Africa Cup of Nations appearance and first since 2004.

A veteran of 10 years with five different clubs across the United States and Puerto Rico, Kavita has amassed 133 appearances with Legion FC since signing with the club ahead of the 2021 campaign. The Clemson-product played in 28 matches this past season and netted his first goal for Birmingham in a big way by powering home an 88th minute matchwinner at Detroit City FC on June 26.

Kavita’s addition to the Rwanda roster for the November FIFA international window marks the first time in 2024 that a Legion FC player has received a call-up to a senior national team. Matthew Corcoran is also currently on international duty for a training camp with the United States Under-19 Men’s Youth National Team.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Birmingham Legion FC’s Matthew Corcoran has accepted a call-up to participate in the United States Under-19 Men’s Youth National Team training camp that will take place from November 11-17 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

It marks the 18-year-old midfielder’s return to the U.S. Youth National Team, having last played for his country in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia where he started and played 90 minutes in three of the squad’s four matches.

“it means a lot to get the call-up to get back into the team,” Corcoran said of his selection. “With how this last year went for me, it definitely helps my confidence, so now I’m looking to get back into the fold, see some familiar faces and keep improving on my game.”

The 24-player roster called up by head coach Michael Nsien will be eligible to participate in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to take place next fall in Chile. Corcoran is one of just two players from USL Championship in the squad, joining Sacramento Republic defender Chibuike Ukaegbu. 21 players are based in MLS, while one player comes from the EFL Championship.

Sidelined for much of Legion FC’s 2024 campaign while recovering from a torn labrum in his hip, Corcoran made his season debut on August 23 at home against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. For the season, he logged 130 minutes over five appearances including a start in Birmingham’s finale against Oakland Roots SC where he provided the assist on a goal by Diba Nwegbo in a 5-0 victory.

“It was a big boost for me to end the season on a high note,” said Corcoran of his performance. “Now, I’m looking to build off of that by going into this camp to work on some leadership and continue to improve with such a big year for the national team coming up.”

Corcoran’s selection to the U-19 roster marks the second time this year that a Legion FC player received a U.S. MYNT call-up. Defender Ramiz Hamouda was a part of the U-16 training camp squad last May in Argentina.

U.S. U-19 MEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER – NOVEMBER TRAINING CAMP
GOALKEEPERS (2): Zackory Campagnolo (Colorado Rapids; Fort Myers, Fla.), Andrew Rick (Philadelphia Union; Berwyn, Pa.)

DEFENDERS (9): Andrew Baiera (New York City FC; Darien, Conn.), Stuart Hawkins (Seattle Sounders FC; Fox Island, Wash.), Jose Magana Jr. (LA Galaxy; Long Beach, Calif.), Harbor Miller (LA Galaxy; Brea, Calif.), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union; Hersey, Pa.), Jackson Platts (Orlando City SC; Jacksonville, Fla.), Owen Presthus (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Chibuike Ukaegbu (Sacramento Republic FC; Roseville, Calif.), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC; Dallas, Texas), Diego Garcia (FC Dallas; El Paso, Texas), Colin Guske (Orlando City SC; Saint Johns, Fla.), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Santiago Morales (Inter Miami CF; Weston, Fla.), CJ Olney Jr. (Philadelphia Union; Hillsborough, N.J.), David Vazquez (Philadelphia Union; Los Angeles, Calif.)

FORWARDS (6): Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; High Point, N.C.), Aidan Dausch (Coventry City/ENG; London, England), Caden Glover (St. Louis City SC; Columbia, Ill.), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake; Eagle Mountain, Utah), Mykhi Joyner (St. Louis City SC; Bloomington, Ill.), Jonathan Shore (New York City FC; New York, N.Y.)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced on Thursday that it has signed goalkeeper J.P. Philpot to a contract for the remainder of the 2024 USL Championship season, per the league’s emergency goalkeeper clause, pending league and federation approval.

The roster move comes after Legion FC goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel sustained an injury that will force him to miss upcoming matches.

Philpot joins Legion FC after spending the 2023-24 season with C.F. Motril in Spain’s Tercera Federación. Prior to that, he was in the academy of La Liga side Rayo Vallecano in 2023. A native of Greenville, North Carolina, the 21-year-old 6-foot-5 goalkeeper played his college soccer at the University of North Carolina from 2020 to 2022.

TRANSACTION
Birmingham Legion FC has signed J.P. Philpot as an emergency goalkeeper for the remainder of the 2024 season.

PLAYER BIO
Name: Jonathan Paul “J.P.” Philpot
Position: Goalkeeper
Jersey No.: 25
Height: 6’5
DOB: 10/4/2002 (21)
Hometown: Greenville, NC
Nationality: USA

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced today that it has signed forward Darwin Matheus for the rest of the 2024 season, as well as the 2025 season, pending league and federation approval. The transaction was completed prior to the 2024 USL Championship Roster Freeze on Monday.

“We are thrilled to add an attacking player like Darwin at the roster freeze deadline,” said Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps. “With his recent experience playing abroad and his success during his time in USL Championship, we are excited to get him on the field, as we also return some key players from injury.”

A dynamic left-footed winger from Venezuela, the 23-year-old Matheus joins Legion FC after spending the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons in the SuperSport HNL – the top league in Croatia – with NK Istra, where he scored three goals and tallied two assists in 25 total appearances with the club.

Birmingham marks Matheus’ second stop in America and in the USL Championship, having played for Atlanta United 2 for the 2021 and 2022 seasons – the club’s final two in the league. He made his mark in his first season stateside when he finished second on the club with six goals scored to go along with a pair of assists. He followed that with another solid season in 2022 with three goals and assists each.

Matheus began his professional career in 2018 at 17 years old with Zamora FC in the Venezuelan Primera Division. In 49 appearances across three seasons with his boyhood club, he tallied 11 goals and four assists.

TRANSACTION
Birmingham Legion FC has signed forward Darwin Matheus for the remainder of the 2024 season and for the 2025 season.

PLAYER BIO
Name: Darwin Matheus
Position: Forward
Jersey No.: 9
Height: 5’5
DOB: 4/9/2001 (23)
Hometown: Barinas, Venezuela
Nationality: Venezuela