Birmingham Legion FC
Image credit: Birmingham Legion
Rumors swirled, and then John Morrissey was first to report that Mark Briggs was leaving Legion to take an assistant's job with FC Dallas of MLS. The next day, Birmingham confirmed the departure and named club president Jay Heaps as the head coach (no interim tag applied). Legion's first six seasons saw the stability of one coach, and now we see two changes in nine months. Moving Heaps into the role will allow for some measure of continuity, as he's been the club president since the beginning - the players and staff are his. Initial thoughts from most fans had been that assistant Eric Avila should be given a chance, but I think that moving Heaps into the role avoids the feeling that Avila is being thrown into the fire. It's noteworthy that the Heaps announcement looked more like what you'd see after a coaching search - the club is selling the move to the fans as a well-considered decision.
The general reaction has been mixed, to say the least. Some fans have felt like Briggs leaving was almost a knockout blow for the club, but that's not very realistic. It's a gut punch, for sure. Players report to camp this week and will be showing up to play for a different head coach than they expected to play for. Arguably, the biggest key to running a team at this level is being able to deal with the gut punches that are inevitably going to come your way. The key player(s) that get injured, coaches moving on, changes in the front office, etc.
Most of these things happen to some degree every year. Legion fans will feel like they've seen more than their fair share. But I think it's time to also take a step back and give credit where it's due. Jay Heaps and the owners have done a good job setting the club up to survive the gut punches. Legion has developed players and sent them up to MLS and Europe (see: Junior Flemmings, Jonny Dean, Matthew Corcoran), and saw an assistant coach be hired into a head coaching job with great success (Khano Smith). Meanwhile, Ramiz Hamouda and Eric Avila hold the promise for the next people being developed to be ready to move up. In other words, Birmingham has continued to develop players and staff through the years, and that prepares them for most of the gut punches that will be coming their way. Anyone that's been around for awhile also probably knows that Avila is likely to be in charge for a game or two this season. Jay is known for being animated and fiery on the sidelines, and he'll draw some cards.
The foundation is there, and it's solid. The team needs to pull it back together for 2026 and get back into the playoffs. There's no reason to think that won't happen.
Dothan United
Image credit: Dothan United
Dothan United has also announced that Coach Carl Reynolds is stepping away after a hugely successful run with the Dragons for their first two seasons. He's been hired as the new associate head coach at Liberty University, moving from Gardner-Webb with head coach Scott Wells. Reynolds has been a winner everywhere that he's been, and is leaving behind some big shoes to fill.
Montgomery United
Image credit: Montgomery United
Montgomery has been busy over the past few weeks. They have announced that Gui Soares will be the new head coach for Summer of 2026. Soares had success in USL2 at Nona FC, and was the technical director at One Knoxville. He's the kind of hiring that speaks to the ambitions of the club.
Keeping that train of thought, Montgomery has also announced that they'll be placing the second team in USLA for the summer season. Previously, they've operated a second team informally, playing a slate of friendlies against various MLS Next, TLfC, and UPSL teams. This move strengthens the bridge between the youth program and the USL2 team.