Atlanta United will play game in Birmingham

A statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, stands as a symbol of Birmingham's history as an iron-producing industrial city. The statue was created to represent the city at the St. Louis World's Fair. (Kerri Westenberg/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Credit: Kerri Westenberg

Credit: Kerri Westenberg

A statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, stands as a symbol of Birmingham's history as an iron-producing industrial city. The statue was created to represent the city at the St. Louis World's Fair. (Kerri Westenberg/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Atlanta United will play an exhibition match at Birmingham on Feb. 8, with kick off at 4:30 p.m.

The Five Stripes will open training camp for its 2020 season Jan. 11.

The Birmingham Legion play in the USL Championship. Their games are at BBVA Field. Former Atlanta United player Anderson Asiedu played for the Legion last season.

“This will be the biggest soccer event in Birmingham since the 1996 Olympics and the U.S. Women’s National Team game in 2015,” Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps said in a statement from the club. “Atlanta United has ranked in the top 10 in the world for attendance and have proven to be a top-tier MLS Club. We are honored they are coming to the Magic City to play us on our home field.”

Atlanta United's first game of the year will be in the Champions League at Motagua in a window from Feb. 18-20.

Vice President Carlos Bocanegra said that the team will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico to prepare for the Champions League. That trip would likely happen in the dates between Birmingham and Honduras.

Alabama will be fourth state in the Southeast in which Atlanta United has played exhibition games, joining South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.