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Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mark Briggs named head coach of Birmingham Legion FC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham Legion FC has found a new head coach. Mark Briggs was named Legion FC's head coach Wednesday. He replaces Tom Soehn, who was fired April 9. Briggs is only the second coach in the club's history. Briggs' coaching debut with the Legion will be Saturday, when the team faces the Tampa Bay Rowdies. From there, the team will come back home for a match against Rhode Island FC on May 14. 'I'm so grateful to Legion FC for giving me this opportunity,' Briggs said in a statement. ''In meeting with staff and ownership, I love the direction and I love the vision. It's a fantastic club that has top facilities. And then you look at the roster and you understand that there is a lot that can be achieved here. I look forward to building something here in Birmingham.' Briggs, who grew up outside Birmingham, England, was the head coach of Sacaramento Republic FC from 2019-24, where he took the club to the USL Championship playoffs four times and reached the Western Conference Final in 2023. In 2022, Republic FC qualified for the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In 170 games with Sacramento, Briggs' had a record of 74-49-47. Following the 2024 season, Briggs and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Before leading Republic FC, Briggs was the head coach of Real Monarchs from 2017-18, where he was named USL Coach of the Year during his first year with the team. 'We are thrilled to welcome Mark as the next head coach of Birmingham Legion FC,' Birmingham Legion FC CEO and Chief Soccer Officer Jay Heaps said in a statement. 'He is a proven winner with extensive USL experience and is known for building strong team culture, developing players and driving success on the pitch. We are excited about the future of Legion FC under Mark's direction.' WATCH: BWWB holds news conference opposing bill that would restructure board Since firing Soehn, Legion FC has gone 2-0-1, winning contests at Protective Stadium against El Paso Locomotive FC and Chattanooga Red Wolves FC. Eric Avila, who was serving as Birmingham interim head coach, is reassuming the first team assistant coach role. 'We want to create a culture where everybody who works for this football club plays an important role in our success,' Briggs said. 'It's about treating people the right way and making people feel special in what they do, then it's about implementing a vision that can be bought into.'I think coaching is the best job in the world and I'm grateful that this club believes in me. I want to repay that belief by creating a culture and getting results. We want to win games, so the importance to the details that allow you to win games have to be understood and valued.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Birmingham Legion FC fires head coach Tom Soehn
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The first head coach in Birmingham Legion FC history was fired Wednesday. The club made the announcement of Tom Soehn's dismissal after Legion FC failed to win in its four contests in its 2025 USL Championship slate, holding a record of 0-2-2. Soehn, who took the head coaching job in August 2018, led the club to 90 wins and 37 draws in 207 matches. 'This was an incredibly difficult decision and one that was not taken lightly, because Tommy played a pivotal role in building the foundation of this club,' said Legion FC Chief Soccer Officer and CEO Jay Heaps in a statement. 'However, results and performances have not progressed, and we felt a change was necessary at this time to move the club forward. We thank Tommy for his hard work and dedication to our organization and wish him and his family the best moving forward.' Most of the families applying for Alabama's new school vouchers have kids in non-public schools Legion FC made the USL Championship Playoffs every season from 2019-23. Soehn's accomplishments with Birmingham include reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and defeating Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer in Protective Stadium the same year. The club, however, started its current struggling trend in 2024 when it went 13-6-15 in USL Championship play. Eric Avila, who was serving as the club's first team assistant coach, is now Birmingham's interim coach. Avila joined the Legion FC coaching staff in 2022 and was a head coach in MLS Next in 2021. Avila competed in 34 contests for Legion FC in 2019. Avila's first match in that capacity will be Sunday against El Paso Locomotive LC, which is set to start at 4 p.m. in Protective Stadium. The club stated it is conducting a national search to find its next head coach. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USMNT Star Chris Richards Becomes New Investor in Birmingham Legion FC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- No matter where his soccer journey has taken him, Chris Richards has always kept his hometown close to his heart. That love for Birmingham will now showcase itself in a much larger way. Richards and Birmingham Legion FC announced on Thursday that the Crystal Palace and United States Men's National Team star defender has joined the ownership group of the USL Championship side and Alabama's first professional soccer club. "This means everything to me," Richards said of investing in Legion FC. "It's the city I was raised in and the city that made me, so to be able to give back to it and the people who formed this soccer community around it means the world to me." Richards' involvement is the latest bit of good news in what has been quite the momentum-building offseason for Legion FC. It all comes to a head for The Black and Gold when it opens its 2025 campaign in March. Fans can join in on the excitement now with affordable season packages and single-game tickets available at "We are truly excited to welcome Chris to the Birmingham Legion FC ownership group," said club President and General Manager Jay Heaps. "This is a significant moment for the city of Birmingham and Legion FC as Chris will help us continue to grow the game of soccer in his hometown. Chris has shown that there is a pathway to the professional ranks at the highest levels from Birmingham, and, with his involvement, we look forward to Legion FC helping even more local players realize that dream." Having attended Legion FC matches in past summers when he visited his family during the offseason, Richards has seen firsthand that there is a growing appetite for soccer in The Magic City. And continuing to cultivate that culture played a huge role in his decision to become more involved with the club. "We've had a lot of players (from Birmingham) become successful," explained the 24-year-old Richards, who has received 23 caps and scored a goal for the USMNT. "Now with the Legion, we have a professional circuit for local talent. Being able to grow that and have kids around Birmingham and Alabama see that this is a proven model is something that's really important to me." Born in Birmingham on March 28, 2000, Richards fell in love with soccer by coming up through the youth ranks with Hoover SC. After a successful stint at Hoover High School, he garnered the attention of FC Dallas, which led to him signing an academy contract in 2017 and his first professional contract a year later. It quickly became evident that Richards' talent on the pitch was destined for an even greater level of competition as he signed with Bayern Munich, where he would make appearances for the European giants in both the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League from 2020-22. The six-foot-two Richards has since become a fixture for Crystal Palace both on the backline and in the midfield. He still returns to the U.S. often for international duty and is set to feature for the USMNT when it jointly hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Now, as he begins this new journey as an integral part of his hometown club, Richards has even more reason to travel stateside and is excited for what's to come. "What interested me is the plan that the ownership group has," Richards said. "It's not just to grow the club, but to grow the game in the city and throughout the southeast. I think Birmingham is a big step in that, and hopefully, with my help and the help of the other investors, we can make Birmingham Legion a really big name in USL." Legion FC opens the new season at Protective Stadium on Saturday, March 8, against Loudoun United FC. The club will be celebrating all things Birmingham during the match as part of 205 Night. Festivities include games, giveaways, appearances by local mascots, plus a special video message from Richards. Be a part of the fun by purchasing the 205 Ticket Package, which includes a VIP Club Seat, food voucher, and a commemorative 205 Legion FC branded t-shirt developed & designed with the club's partner Mountain High Outfitters. Media Contact:Trey Mongrue225-247-7136tmongrue@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Birmingham Legion FC Sign in to access your portfolio
