NEW: Legion FC parts ways with coach Tommy Soehn after 6 seasons

After more than six seasons in charge of the club, Tommy Soehn is officially out as head coach of Birmingham Legion FC.

Soehn was hired for the team’s inaugural season in 2019 and led the Legion to playoff appearances in each of his first five seasons. During his tenure, the club had:

• 90-37-80 overall record
• 2-5 in the USL Championship playoffs
• 7 US Open Cup wins (2023 quarterfinal appearance)

Soehn posted a statement to social media Wednesday morning.

“Found out this morning that I no longer will be coaching the Birmingham Legion. Wanted to thank all the staff I was able to work beside over the last 6 years. Your hard work, dedication and loyalty will always be cherished. It was a pleasure working with each and every one of you… I also want to thank all the players, past and present, for their dedication each and everyday, through the good times and bad. To all the fans, thank you for accepting me and my family into this city that we have grown to love… Soccer and the Legion have grown so much through my time here and I hope it will continue. Thanks for the memories.”

Tommy Soehn

First Team Assistant Coach Eric Avila will serve as interim head coach, beginning with this Sunday’s match against El Paso Locomotive FC. That game is set to kick off at 4PM at Protective Stadium and it will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision and one that was not taken lightly, because Tommy played a pivotal role in building the foundation of this club. However, results and performances have not progressed, and we felt a change was necessary at this time to move the club forward. We thank Tommy for his hard work and dedication to our organization and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”

Jay Heaps, Legion FC Chief Soccer Officer and CEO

While the success for a new team in the league was an accomplishment in itself, there had been clear growing frustrations from the fanbase in recent years. The Legion have never made it past the conference semifinals in the playoffs.

The start of the 2025 season did not help those frustrations as the Legion has already been eliminated from the US Open Cup and the team is winless in its first four league matches.

In two home matches this season, the Legion has reported an average attendance of 3,243. That’s down more than 30 percent from last season according to USL Tactics attendance tracker.

What was your favorite memory from the Soehn era in Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!