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Semi-pro soccer is coming to LaGrange. Legends FC will play in the UPSL that consists of over 350 teams from across the United States. 

“UPSL is trying to adapt the European model of having a professional or semi-pro soccer club in every town,” said John Fuller, one of the founders of Legends FC. “We are super excited, and there are plenty of players here that need an opportunity.”

The UPSL is considered the fourth tier of soccer in the United States. 

The current plan is to host some home games in Callaway Stadium with others being played up the road at the Opelika Sportsplex. The regular season opponents will be from Atlanta, Macon and Birmingham. One of the major foes will be Atlanta United’s developmental program. 

“The closest these kids would have to go is Atlanta, Dalton or Birmingham,” Fuller said. 

The next big step is the brand reveal which is scheduled for Oct. 7 and then tryouts are a month later in early November. The roster will consist of 25-30 players. Practice is set for early February with games beginning in March 2023. 

The team will end up mostly consisting of players right out of high school and those in college. The area has a lot of quality talent looking for a chance to play at a higher level.

“We have a large hispanic population that play in the Sunday League, and all they do is play themselves so this would give them the opportunity to come try out and possibly make the team to take their skills from a local area to a regional level and give them some exposure.”

The plan is to canvas the area from Newnan to Auburn to find talent looking for a shot at a higher level of soccer. 

Getting community support will be one of the major factors testing the vitality of the project.

“To have community support would be huge for the team,” Fuller said. “As we build the program, the beginning stages for us are going to have a lot of ups and downs. Success for us would be community support and growth as a team.”