Briggs is Going to FC Dallas, but What is Next for Birmingham Legion FC?
Reports were made public Sunday Evening by John Morrissey that “Briggs is expected to join the staff at FC Dallas, where he’ll serve under former New Mexico United manager Eric Quill.”
While this news did not come as a shock, as it was the reason for my ominous post on Twitter and BlueSky (that I later deleted), the move is one that many in Birmingham are a bit rattled by. Coming off of the worst season in club history, many fans feel that Briggs does not “deserve” the move to an MLS Club. Many of those same fans are also stunned that a USL Championship coach would leave a team with less than a month until preseason to take a “step down” to be an assistant.
USL Championship to MLS
There is a long history of successful USL Championship head coaches leaving to go to MLS to be assistants, so much so that I will likely miss some along the way.
In an article written by Nicholas Murray in 2016 on the USL website, it was outlining the moves that MLS teams were making in on top USL coaches.
While this article points out coaches like Onalfo, Cabrera, and Schmetzer making moves for USL coaches to MLS head coaching jobs, it still lays down the framework in which we are working. Onalfo and Cabrera both flamed out at the MLS level, Cabrera falling back down to earth where he was recently let go by El Paso Locomotive FC. Brian Schmetzer is the only coach of those three who is still around, and he is still the head coach for the Seattle Sounders.
That being said, 1/3 was not good enough for MLS clubs to see the risk of somebody coming in from the USL and immediately getting that coveted MLS Head Coaching role. Even Schmetzer deserves a slight asterisk as he was the head coach for Seattle when they were in the USL First Division from 2002-2008, and was brought back as the head coach after 2016, despite being the assistant coach for Seattle from 2009-2015.
After USL PRO turned into the USL Championship, the pathway from USL Head Coach to MLS Head Coach shut down. The only way to break into MLS was through being an assistant first.
The Pathway
Our first look is at Troy Lesesne, who was named the 2020 Coach of the Year at New Mexico United. In November of 2021, it was announced that Lesense was choosing to “step down” as New Mexico’s head coach. In January of 2022, he was announced to be New York Red Bulls assistant coach.
The coach to follow Lesesne was Zach Prince, who took over the coaching duties in the offseason going into 2022. However, in June of 2023, it was announced that Zach Prince was departing New Mexico United to join (you guessed it) Head Coach of the New York Red Bulls, Troy Lesesne.
While a coach leaving mid-season to join an MLS club as an assistant is jarring, the bigger part of this conversation is who Prince was joining. Lesense was now the head coach in New York after the departure of Gerhard Struber. This is why USL coaches leave head coaching jobs to be assistants at the MLS level. It is the only way to get the foot in the door (barring one exception).
Even for a guy like Prince who never became an MLS head coach, those shiny letters “M L S” can get you a job in the United States forever. Prince moves on from DC United (where he followed Lesesne) and has since taken over the Greenville Triumph and Liberty as their General Manager and Technical Director.
Juan Guerra might be the best example of USL Championship Coaches leaving for the Assistant Coach gig, despite success. Guerra was transferred from Phoenix to the Houston Dynamo, despite just winning the USL Championship only weeks earlier. Guerra took over Brendan Burke’s job, as Burke departed Colorado Springs via transfer to the Dynamo. Burke left to take over Hartford Athletic, eventually leading them to a Jägermeister Cup Title.
The “Exceptions”
We have seen some exceptions to the rules. Alan Koch joined FC Cincinnati in 2016 from the Vancouver Whitecaps organization and took them to the dizzying heights of US Open Cup semi finals in 2017, and breaking the USL points record at an incredible 77 points.
Because of this success Koch was given an extension through 2020 to be their first MLS manager, but did not see it out as the 2019 FC Cincinnati squad may be one of the worst teams ever seen in MLS history.
The other example is Eric Quill, who made the leap straight from New Mexico United to FC Dallas after being the best team in the Western Conference in 2024. This is, of course, who Mark Briggs is join in Dallas as the assistant coach. Even Quill deserves an asterisk for his promotion. Quill was the head coach for North Texas SC (coached young Matthew Corcoran, Ronaldo Damus, and Richardo Pepe), the “2 Team” for FC Dallas. After his time at North Texas, he moved to the Columbus Crew to be the assistant coach for Wilfried Nancy. Quill had “cut his teeth” at the MLS level, so Dallas felt comfortable in asking the bright, young coaching start to return.
Is There Hope?
I believe so. This news has shades of 2024 FC Tulsa, where Tulsa announced the transfer of Head Coach Gavin Blair to New England Revolution to be the assistant coach in Foxborough. The word transfer is important here, as New England did have to pay Tulsa to bring in Blair, ensuring that the loss of a bright, young coach was not a complete and total loss.
This example may scare Birmingham Legion fans as 2024 FC Tulsa was far from stellar, finishing 10th in the West on only 38 points. However, the following offseason, the club announced that rookie head coach Luke Spencer would be taking the reins in Oklahoma. Come the end of 2025, Luke Spencer would be named Coach of the Month multiple times and FC Tulsa would host the USL Championship Final.
Who Is Available?
Would it be funny if I listed Wilfried Nancy as a little clickbait?
Of course, the chances of Nancy coming to Birmingham to rebuild his legacy is about 0.00001%, but there is a chance…
In all seriousness, there are options still available. While sources are saying that Jay Heaps will be taking control of coaching duties until a coach is found, I believe that the proper replacement is in-house.
Eric Avila just recently received his A Coaching license and has been a steady fixture of this club. He bagged Legion’s first ever assist in club history, he has been an assistant ever since he hung up the boots, and has been with Birmingham through every high and low. In addition, Avila is highly regarded around the coaching circles in the USL. Many of the coaches I have spoken to have seen him as a serious prospect as a future star in coaching. Plus, Eric has shown a lot of love to this city. He has been here since 2019. Besides Matt VanOekel and Jay Heaps, nobody else can say that at this point. Even if it is as an interim for 2026, I believe that it is a no-brainer.
Benny Feilhaber may seem like a name resting on 44 USMNT appearances, but Feilhaber made a serious splash in Oakland in 2025. After taking over in June for Gavin Glinton (yet another New Mexico United coach mentioned), Oakland stabilized and showed real potential despite not having the best talent on the pitch. While yes, Peter Wilson did win Golden Boot and players like Panos Armenakas were in the squad, Feilhaber brought in a defensive solidity that was not present under Glinton. Why was Feilhaber not retained if he was “so good”? Well, the most highly sought after coach, Ryan Martin, was available and the Roots went out and got their guy.
John Bradford is another highly respected coach that is available. Bradford took North Carolina FC and won USL League One, brought up much of that League One talent and became serious Eastern Conference title contenders in an extremely competitive league. Why is Bradford available? Because North Carolina FC has decided to shut shop as they “apply for Division One Status.” Bradford is a bright mind who is available and would make good with the pieces that are currently rostered in Birmingham.
Yes, Bob Lilley is available. The most successful coach in terms of wins in US Soccer history is an option. While the defensive mastermind is an option, it was shown that Rob Vincent was able to take Lilley’s team and do “Lilley-ball” better than Lilley. Also, he was put on administrative leave… Maybe not the best choice.
Mark Briggs’ Legacy in Birmingham
What a complicated question. What truly is Briggs’ legacy in Birmingham? While Briggs did not bring his success from Sacramento with him to the 205, I personally found him as a breath of fresh air. While Tommy Soehn was very gracious with his time, it was clear he did not enjoy the “media scrum” and did not dive into topics with much detail.
Meanwhile, Legion fans got a glimpse into the locker room they had never seen before with Briggs. Mark would take tactical questions and run with them for 5-10 minutes. He would publicly hold players accountable, which fans adored. However, as the season wore on and results never came, many felt his “accountability” was more using players as human speed bumps.
I did not feel this way, but it is understandable on why many fans grew tired of the same talking points every single week, hearing about “ruthlessness” and not having “passion” or “a fire” just felt like buzzwords.
The roster construction midway through the season was lackluster at best. For the flaws of Soehn, there were no questions that Coach Beers had an eye for talent. Of the players that Briggs brought in, only 5 of the 12 returners see themselves returning to The Magic City. It saw players like Kobe Hernadez-Foster move to make way for Edwin Laszo and Maliek Howell. The latter only making 3 appearances for the club, and the former may be one of the most criticized players in club history.
It also saw players like Jake Rufe lose his spot and home in Birmingham, despite embodying everything Briggs said he valued. Versatility, grittiness, ruthlessness, and playing for the shirt. Enzo Martinez leaving the 205 was a shock as well, but it personally feels less egregious than moving on from the former Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year.
Mark Briggs coming to Birmingham was a necessary swing, and while it does feel like a miss, it was still needed. Tommy Soehn’s time had run out in Birmingham and a move needed to be made. There were other coaches that were available at the time, the club made a big splash. Unfortunately, it appears that they will need to make one more going into 2026.
Hammering Down 
Leave a comment