Chandler Hoffman has played soccer since he was 5 years old and has experienced the opening of soccer seasons for more than two decades.
But Sunday’s beginning is so much more for the Oak Mountain High product. It is the first United Soccer League game ever for the new Birmingham Legion, which hosts the Bethlehem Steel FC at 4 p.m. on BBVA Compass Field at UAB in a game that can be seen locally on My68. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed because of a forecast of bad weather.
“This one means the most to me because it’s an opportunity to play professionally in the place that I grew up,” said Hoffman, the first player selected for the team. “It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often. This will be the only chance to play the first game for the Birmingham Legion and to be a part of that history and to hopefully make my mark on the game and create a memory that the club can continue to build on.”
Legion President and General Manager Jay Heaps has been involved in tennis most of his life. His father played the sport in college and he has embraced the sport since he could walk.
The 42-year-old played soccer collegiately and professionally before being head coach of Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and then taking the reins of Birmingham’s USL expansion club.
“It is a bigger undertaking than I had imagined, more fulfilling than I imagined, but also pretty exciting because everyone here has kind of a startup feel,” Heaps said. “Everyone that’s been hired from Day One and then as we add (staffers) has a real impact on what we’re doing. That’s a unique culture to have. Everyone in the office is impacting what the team is doing in the stadium and on the field.”
The plan is for gates to open about 2½ hours before the game begins. The plaza behind the grandstand will feature a festival environment with beverages, food and music.
“The game is what we want everyone to really fall in love with,” the GM said. “Every roll of the ball matters and I think that’s what’s great about soccer. I’m really excited that these fans walk in, experience the pregame plaza. And hopefully will be inspired by our team.”
Heaps said several teams in Major League Soccer, especially reigning MLS champion Atlanta United, reached out to the Legion, wanting to affiliate with the new club. While the offer was flattering, club owners opted to decline.
“We would rather build our own independent team (so) that when we sign players, we know they’re coming to Birmingham because they want to be in Birmingham, not on loan,” Heaps said. “All the players on loan from Atlanta United (would be) coming here and their real job is to get back to Atlanta.
“We want players that live in your communities, are in your schools, their kids are in your schools, their wives are working in your churches,” he continued. “We want to be a fabric of the community, not just in and out during our season.”
Hoffman, 28, was inspired by the notion of coming back home. That was a huge goal of his, he said, to not only be successful on the field but to continue to push soccer forward in the communities of Birmingham.
“Whether it be camps or clinics or working with local clubs, (I want to) help kind of build the next generation of talent and players in Birmingham,” he said, “and give kids something. They can go downtown and see a game and aspire to play at that level one day and to see it’s tangible and to see someone from their area or from their local school that has gone on to do it.”
Hoffman admits it’s a huge responsibility to be the face of a new pro sports operation. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’ve always been the type of person and player that enjoys the pressure,” he said. “Whenever there’s a penalty kick or there’s a big moment, I’ve always been the one that wants to step up. And whether I make it or not, I’ve always been the one that wants to deal with the repercussions and the consequences, or the glory, that comes with that. For me, (Sunday) is a huge opportunity. It’s a home opener and a first in the club’s history. And for me, there’s a lot of excitement about having the ability to score a goal and to give people a reason to come back and to enjoy seeing the Birmingham Legion arrive.”
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
