Birmingham will compete in 34 matches across a 34-week regular season
BIRMINGHAM, AL (Dec 18, 2023) – The USL Championship announced Legion FC’s full 2024 schedule today, with the club set to compete in 34 matches across a 34-week regular season.
The Legion will kick off the 2024 regular season away at the Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex on Saturday, March 9 versus the USL Championship title winners, Phoenix Rising FC. The Three Sparks will have its Home Opener at Protective Stadium on Sunday, April 7 against Loudoun United FC.
Birmingham will play the other 11 teams in the Eastern Conference twice each, once at home and once away. Legion will play all 12 Western Conference teams one time each – six matches at home and six matches away.
The USL also announced today that Rio Grande Valley FC has ceased operations. Founded in 2015 as a development team for MLS club Houston Dynamo FC, RGV FC was granted permission in 2021 to remain in the USL Championship, provided it continued to meet all league and federation requirements. To maintain two 12-team conferences Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa will move to the Western Conference this season.
Per the aforementioned in 2024, Birmingham will face its dreaded rivals Memphis 901 FC only once this season on Saturday, April 27 at Protective Stadium. The Three Sparks will also go up against Rhode Island FC led by Head Coach Khano Smith for the first time on Wednesday, July 17 at Protective Stadium and make the return trip to Rhode Island on Saturday, August 3.
The 2024 USL Championship season will mark the first in the league’s new historic four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, through which USL Championship contests will air on network television for the first time. More details on the 2024 national broadcast schedule and broadcast partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs, which will kick off on the weekend of November 1-3, 2024. The USL Championship Playoffs will remain in a single-elimination format and a fixed bracket format. The postseason will culminate in the 2024 USL Championship Final on CBS on a to-be-determined between Nov. 21 and Nov. 25, 2023.
