Birmingham soccer community rejoicing return of hometown hero Chandler Hoffman as first Legion player
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Birmingham Legion F.C. rocked the local Magic City soccer community on Monday with the announcement that their first player to join the USL team will be hometown hero Chandler Hoffman.
According to the Legion, Hoffman has signed a pre-contract that will see him officially join Legion FC on January 1, 2019 in a multi-year agreement. He will continue playing with his current USL club, Real Monarchs SLC, for the balance of the 2018 campaign.
Hoffman is considered Birmingham’s most accomplished soccer player. A product of the Birmingham United Soccer Association (BUSA) youth soccer program, he won numerous state club titles with BUSA and two high state championships with Oak Mountain High School.
During his college career at UCLA, Hoffman was named Hermann Trophy semifinalist, an NSCAA Third-Team All-American, and a First-Team Pac-12 selection. This led to his being the first Alabamian ever selected in the first round MLS SuperDraft (13th overall pick).
In 2014, Hoffman won an MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy. He has twice been named to the USL All-League First Team (2014, 2017), is the fastest player in modern history to tally 50 USL regular-season goals, and sits third in the USL’s modern era with 59 goals in 119 professional appearances. He was the USL Mid-Season MVP in 2016 and 2017 and finished as an MVP finalist in 2017.
The Birmingham’s soccer community reaction Hoffman’s return has been overwhelming positive.
“BUSA is thrilled to see Chandler come home to the Legion FC,” Andrew Brower, Director of BUSA in a statement to Bham Now.
“I have known Chandler since he was 9 or 10 years old, and even had the honor of teaching him in 7th grade. It is wonderful to see a player from Birmingham have the opportunity make a career out of the game he loves, and even cooler to see him be the first signing for our new Legion FC Franchise. He will be a pillar of excellence for the organization and a great framework to build upon for the future. We are excited to see him play and his BUSA family will watch with honor!”
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Meet Birmingham Legion’s first player Chandler Hoffman
Celebrate the signing of the Legion’s first player Chandler Hoffman on Thursday, August 2, 4:00 at Iron City.
The Legion will formally introduce Hoffman to the media and public. Here are the details.
