Goodman: David Beckham spotlight is here for Birmingham Legion FC

Aug 22, 2023

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham watches from the sideline before an MLS soccer match against FC Dallas, Saturday, April 8, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)AP

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David Beckham's soccer team will be coming to Birmingham next week, but Inter Miami CF will take on Birmingham Legion FC without manager Phil Neville. The English soccer legend was fired on Thursday afternoon.

Birmingham Legion FC and Inter Miami CF square off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Protective Stadium in a quarterfinal match of the U.S. Open Cup. Get your tickets here. It's going to be a fun night for the city. How will the decision to fire Neville affect the game between Inter and Legion? For now, it increases the spotlight for an important fixture for both teams.

For Birmingham, this is the club's biggest match in its five-year history. For Miami, it's a notable moment, too. A win against Birmingham would put Inter into the semifinals of the Open Cup for the first time in the four-year history of the club. To do it without Neville would be a positive step forward after beginning the MLS season with just 15 points in 15 games.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an all-divisions, national tournament for pro soccer teams that runs concurrently with league schedules throughout the country. Inter Miami competes in first-division Major League Soccer, and Birmingham Legion is in second-division USL, but for the Open Cup everything is equal. Added brightness follows everything related to Beckham, and now that shine comes to Birmingham.

Despite Miami's form, a victory for Birmingham Legion FC against Beckham's club would make international news.

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Birmingham knocked off MLS club Charlotte FC in the Open Cup Round of 16 and is more than capable of getting past Miami in pursuit of the Cup. Legion set a club attendance record of nearly 13,000 against Charlotte and Protective Stadium will be rocking for Beckham's Inter.

The game is a flashpoint for pro sports in Birmingham, but, perhaps more importantly to your spouses, something else beckons. Will Beckham be in Birmingham with his team? It's possible, considering this is a major match for his club, but Beckham's schedule is busy these days. Inter Miami CF continues to pursue Lionel Messi, and now Beckham is looking for a new manager for his club.

It was no doubt a tough call for Beckham to fire his friend and former teammate, but the timing makes sense. Miami is currently at the bottom of the 15-team standings of the MLS Eastern Conference, and parting ways with Neville before an Open Cup match against Birmingham could provide a motivational boost to the team.

Expect to see Miami's best against Birmingham. For a team in last place in league play, a deep run in the Open Cup could salvage a season. A constant theme of the Open Cup in recent years has been the idea that MLS teams don't take the competition as seriously as the USL squads trying to punch up in weight. That might be true in the earlier rounds, but Charlotte played its best against Birmingham, and Miami will bring its A-squad, too.

Beckham's vision for Inter Miami remains ambitious despite these current struggles for his team. The world's most popular ambassador of international soccer, Beckham wants Inter Miami to be a power on the level with the best clubs in Europe. Luring Messi to Miami has been a longtime goal, but there is top-tier talent on the squad this season. Striker Josef Martínez became the fastest player in MLS history to 100 goals while playing for Atlanta United. Miami defender Deandre Yedlin was the only U.S. player to compete in the 2014 and 2022 World Cups.

Inter Miami gets the edge against Birmingham in overall talent, but Birmingham is loaded with great players featuring MLS experience. This Open Cup match will be a battle, and the sacking of Neville offers new intrigue for the game. Inter Miami and Birmingham Legion had a joint news conference scheduled for Thursday, but Inter's management backed out at the last moment. Now we know why. The hammer was about to fall on Neville, who was a legend for club and country in England, but couldn't make it work in MLS.

There is no shortage of hammers in Birmingham, and Inter Miami will learn all about that in a few days.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of "We Want Bama", a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

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