MATCH INFO:
Birmingham Legion FC vs Charlotte FC
Wednesday, May 23
7:00pm CT Kickoff
Protective Stadium – Birmingham, AL
Get Tickets HERE!
Live Stream HERE
For the first time in club history, Birmingham Legion FC will face a Major League Soccer team in a competitive match. The game will kickoff on Wednesday, May 24 at 7:00pm. The setting is the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a 109-year-old knockout tournament that nearly every soccer club in the country competes in, from first division MLS to amateur clubs in the fifth division of US soccer.
Last year USL Championship’s Sacramento Republic FC made it all the way to the final, knocking out three MLS teams on its way there. Sacramento’s efforts brought national attention to the USLC. Legion FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are the only USLC teams left in the competition, and they will each try to topple an MLS team in the round of 16.
“[This] game is the most important,” said Legion FC’s Anderson Asiedu on facing Charlotte in the Open Cup. “We put everything behind us and then we go to war.”
Asiedu and his teammates will take to the pitch looking to make a statement on the national stage.
“We want to prove ourselves,” said Asiedu. “We are the underdogs. We want to show them we are here to compete as well. Every game is a different game, it doesn’t matter what side they are. It doesn’t matter what side we are. It’s who wants it the most, who wants to commit, who wants to do the little things to win.”
Birmingham comes into this game as a massive underdog, but it is a side with massive potential in the attack.
Legion FC Goalscoring Leaderboard (all competitions):
1. Enzo Martinez: Six goals, three assists
2. Juan Agudelo: Five goals
3. Tyler Pasher: Three goals, two assists
4. Neco Brett: Three goals, one assist
5. Prosper Kasim: One goal, five assists
Martinez, Agudelo, Pasher, Brett, and Kasim are all stars in their own ways. Martinez is a USL Championship legend, and Legion’s 2022 Team MVP. Agudelo is a former MLS and USMNT international — he was the youngest to ever score for the national team in 2010 at the age of 17. Pasher has some of the best acceleration and dribbling in the USL Championship, and had 36 appearances in MLS in 2021/22 with six goals and three assists. Brett is the fifth top scorer in USLC history, and the top scorer in Legion FC history. Kasim has been creating lots of chances for Birmingham this season and is a local legend — a veteran from the club’s inaugural 2019 season and the scorer of its first ever goal and home goal.
You’ve got the story lines — come cheer on the Boys in Black against Charlotte FC in this historic game. You can buy your ticket here.
OPPONENT INFO
Charlotte FC: 5W – 6L – 3D / 19 Goals Scored – 25 Goals Allowed / 9 Points / 9th in MLS Eastern Conference
This year is Charlotte’s second season in MLS. The young club, formed in 2022, sits in 9th place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. In its last Open Cup match, Charlotte triumphed 1-0 over MLS side and 2022 Open Cup champions Orlando City SC.
Leading Charlotte’s attack is Argentinian forward no. 9 Enzo Copetti, with four goals to his name. Followed by him are Polish internationals no. 11 Karol Świderski (three goals, two assists) and no. 7 Kamil Jóźwiak (two goals, three assists).
If you cannot make the game tomorrow, the match will be streamed on the Bleacher Report app and YouTube channel here.
For this match’s UAB Medicine injury report, forward Neco Brett is unavailable for selection due to a hamstring strain.
For all club news and updates fans are encouraged 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, and sync our 2023 schedule to your calendar HERE.
