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The Birmingham Legion closed out the home portion of its 2026 season with a Fan Appreciation Day at Dunnavant Valley Fields, and the feeling was mutual from the fans who filled the bleachers.
With the Magic City Brigade and Puente 12, the two primary soccer supporter groups, beating drums in the south end zone, the game reportedly drew 3,746, including an estimated 625 whose tickets were unscanned.
The contest with Loudoun United FC was a scoreless draw, netting each team a point in the USL Championship standings. As there won’t be a postseason for the Legion this year, all eyes are on what is in store for the 2027 calendar.
Jonathan Nelson is the recently hired president of the Legion. He’s been a fixture on the Birmingham sports scene, having been with the minor league Birmingham Barons for 32 years, 20 years as president and general manager.
Nelson said he’s joining the club at an opportune time, sandwiched between this past summer’s World Cup and next year’s Women’s World Cup. He compares the excitement of the Legion with the feeling of the Barons’ move from the Hoover Met to Birmingham’s Regions Field.
“When the Barons moved downtown, you saw a shift in overall confidence in what people thought Birmingham can be in taking steps forward and making downtown more of a destination,” he said. “I think that’s where our organization, the Legion, is right now. We’re in that position to be a contributor to that and to help people believe and see another entertainment, sports entertainment option here in town, one that would go from March until the end of October.”
Nelson acknowledged that time frame crossing with college baseball, football and basketball.
“But there’s plenty of room in the sandbox for all the teams and organizations to play,” he said. “I think that most importantly is we all being able to provide the best possible experiences and really satisfy what this community wants, and that is their appetite for sports, sports entertainment.”
The team began the 2026 season with its first 11 home games at Protective Stadium downtown. Four of the final seven were at Dunnavant Valley Fields. The team president said the squad is committed to the greater Birmingham community “tenfold.” But he wasn’t tipping his hand as to how the Legion will manifest that commitment.
“When it comes to the vision moving forward, rest assured, 1,000%, we are in Birmingham and look forward to disclosing and finalizing details, whether it be for 2027 or whether it be for many years to come,” Nelson said. “That’ll come in due time. We’re not at a point where we can disclose or announce such things.
“At the same time, we’re working diligently. We’re wrapping up, obviously, the 2026 season right now. What I’m trying to do is learn everything about it and trying to shake hands and do my best politician act as possible of kiss baby, shake hands and, more than anything, learn the operation and continue to develop relationships and get feedback.
“This is an organization that we want to continue to grow and again satisfy the needs of our core supporters of the community and find ways to be an active community partner.”
Fans Weigh In
Homewood’s Matt Willette and Julian Hensarling attended Sunday’s game with their sons, 10-year-old son Evan Willette and 11-year-old Asher Hensarling .
“I’ve only been a season ticket holder just for one year, but we usually go to close to 10 games a year or so,” the elder Willette said. “I played soccer my whole life since I’ve been 3 years old up until a little bit into college and coached my kids in soccer, so always a fan.”
Chris Winfrey joked that his wife, Lauren, doesn’t know what offsides is, even though he played through junior college and the oldest of their two sons plays in their home in Springville.
“We came before they came from West Campus Field at UAB,” he said. “We don’t get to a lot of games. This might be our fifth or sixth game. We try and follow them, watch them on TV as much as we can. It’s great for the city. I love it.”
As a former player, Winfrey said the playing surface matters to him. If he had his druthers, he said, the Legion would continue to play at Dunnavant Valley Fields.
“I like grass field better and I just think the environment’s a lot more intimate here,” he said. “I think it’s better for the kids. Protective Stadium has so many seats. This is a soccer setting. The other stadium’s just not quite as (much), in my opinion. When they first started, the stadium at West Campus Field at UAB was perfect. They would fill that up and they could fill it (PNC Field) up now.”
Except for one game in 2021 at Legion Field, the team played home games its first few seasons on the UAB campus. Protective, part of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, became the Legion’s primary home in 2022; four of the team’s final seven home games were at Dunnavant Valley Fields.
During Sunday’s game, Magic City Brigade President Kevin Anderson of Vestavia Hills led a cheer about a playing venue: “If you hate the BJCC, clap your hands.” When asked where he wants the Legion to play in the future, his response was, “Literally anywhere but Protective.
“Certainly, speaking for myself, I hated going to Protective Stadium,” he said. “I hated dealing with all the nonsense there — the prices, the fact that it was routinely like 20 degrees hotter down there than it was anywhere else. No shade, no cover. It was just not a great place. And my wife stopped going because it was hot.
“I’m happy if we ended up back at the UAB stadium,” Anderson said. “I understand there were complications with that. If they just do it here (at Dunnavant). I’ve had more fun here than I did at Protective.”
Ian Peters stood near the Brigade while holding his 3-month-old daughter, Parker. He said he’s been supporting soccer in Birmingham back to the amateur Birmingham Hammers days.
“I think being able to come down here at the training facility, it’s been a blast,” he said. “Having all these people come out, no matter where we’re at, has been an absolute blast.
The Fultondale resident said he would love it if the Legion could play in his back yard.
“That’d be great,” he mused. “If they played in Birmingham, that’d be great. Yeah, Birmingham’d be great, but just somewhere that’s our own is the important thing.”
