Taylor would have been so proud. Just like his dad, Taylor would have been beaming with pride.

He was so excited about Birmingham’s potential, and its future, and its energy, and all this city has to offer. To see it all on display on Sunday for the inaugural match of Birmingham’s new pro soccer team would have been a lifelong memory for him.

Now he is a part of everyone’s memory of that special day.

Taylor, my oldest son, died on Jan. 14. His 23rd birthday would have been Jan.17, and his present this year was a season ticket for Birmingham Legion FC. The new pro soccer team’s inaugural match was on Sunday at the amazing BBVA Compass Field on UAB’s campus, and Legion FC honored Taylor’s memory with a moment of silence before kickoff.

I’ve written hundreds of columns throughout my career, and thousands and thousands of stories, but I’ve never really made anything personal. I needed to write this, though. I needed to express my appreciation to everyone for these past few months, and at the same time emphasize the great power of sports. That gets lost sometimes, but the games can be so powerful in so many different ways.

We cheer together, and we grieve together, and we work together, and we grow together, and we complain together and we dream together. And sometimes there’s beer. That’s sports. That’s life.

The most important thing is that we are together.

A moment of silence for season-ticket holder Taylor Goodman before the first match of Birmingham Legion FC's inaugural season.

When Birmingham Legion FC approached me about the tribute to Taylor, who was a season-ticket holder, I was hesitant at first to share my family’s grief and pain at a sporting event. That was the wrong perspective. It was a beautiful memory, and I hope it inspired some of the fans in attendance. There have been a lot of dark days over the last few months, but Sunday wasn’t one of them.

The match, a 2-0 loss for Legion FC to Bethlehem Steel FC, was an announced “standing-room only” sellout of over 5,800 fans. Pretty impressive under any scenario, but considering the match was moved from Saturday to Sunday at the last minute because of weather concerns — and all at the start of spring break — and it sold out anyway, speaks to the city’s passion for this club.

The stadium opened two hours before the match for a pregame block party, and the club’s new jerseys sold out in about 30 minutes. There were food trucks and music and Rodney Scott’s BBQ even gave away free whole hog pulled pork. Birmingham Legion FC’s supporters’ group, the Magic City Brigade, created a world-class soccer environment the entire match with their myriad chants and songs. I mean, these cats had a chant or a song for everything.

For example, you know how soccer players might have a tendency to fake or embellish a foul for a strategic advantage? Well, the Magic City Brigade had a chant for that.

“You’re going home in a UAB ambulance,” they chanted whenever an opponent took a dive from minimal contact.

The view from the supporters' group Magic City Brigade before the first match of Birmingham Legion FC's inaugural season.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin appeared to be having the most fun of all.

“I’m glad to see our young people don’t have to leave now for soccer elsewhere,” Woodfin said. “We have pro soccer right here. I’ll be here next week. This is exciting, and I’ll be back next week.”

Young people love soccer. That much was obvious after the first match. With classes back in session after spring break, Legion FC’s second match on Saturday night will be a can’t-miss event.

Taylor would have loved everything about all of this, of course, but most of all he would have gravitated towards the sense of community and togetherness the Legion FC atmosphere creates. These days, kids from Birmingham are proud of being from Birmingham. “We March As One,” read the Magic City Brigade’s hand-painted pregame banner — “tifo,” as the kids call it — that covered their entire section of the stands.

Legion FC plays at BBVA Compass Field at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Ottawa Fury FC. Get there early.

Now, because I’m AL.com’s sports columnist, and I can’t go an entire column without some analysis and opinion, here are a few critical thoughts and observations on Legion FC’s first match.

-- It was a 2-0 loss for Legion FC, but there were some positive signs for this upcoming season. The run of play favored the home team for most of the match, but the first goal just never came. After that, lack of match fitness and unfamiliarity with teammates contributed to some of the breakdowns in the defensive third.

-- There is offensive talent on the team beyond forward Chandler Hoffman, and that’s a good thing. It appears opponents are going to shadow Hoffman throughout matches, so there will be plenty of opportunities this season for his teammates to play off of that pressure. Hoffman had two shots against Bethlehem Steel FC, which featured some talented young defenders.

-- On those talented Bethlehem Steel FC defenders...it was obvious from the very beginning of the match how critically important the academy systems have become to MLS teams. Bethlehem Steel FC is a Division II affiliate of the Philadelphia Union of MLS, which means Bethlehem Steel FC is like a farm team. Philadelphia Union’s academy system feeds into the farm team, and that academy has produced some studs.

Central defender Ben Ofeimu, an 18-year-old who is 6-4 and 200 pounds, covered Hoffman throughout the match, and pretty much shut down Legion FC’s hometown star. Ofeimu, who is from Michigan originally, was in Philadelphia’s academy system from 2015-2018.

If Birmingham Legion FC hasn’t already started thinking about creating an academy system in town, well then time’s a wastin. Unlike Bethlehem Steel FC, Birmingham Legion FC is an independent soccer club with aspirations of moving up to MLS. Developing talent will be a key to that goal, and there is great value in developing that talent from the local area.

-- Beer lines were entirely too long and too slow, I was informed by several people. Let’s speed it up, y’all. Is this a Good People Brewing Company problem or a Legion FC problem?

-- Nic Gulas, chant and song leader of the Magic City Brigade, is the real MVP.

-- Can I suggest the bones of two new chants, Nic? One: “Ham-town.” That’s it. Just thousands of people shouting “Ham-town.” We do pork here better than most. And, obviously, “It’s nice to have you in Birmingham.”

-- It was great to see former UAB men’s soccer coach Mike Getman in the press box as the team’s television color analyst. All Birmingham Legion FC matches are televised locally on my68.

-- Does Prosper Kasim have a right foot? Legion FC’s No.10, Kasim missed a golden opportunity to score in the second half with Legion FC down 1-0. It appeared like he was too unsure of his right foot to get off a shot attempt in time. Kasim did well creating space and the chance for an unobstructed shot on goal, but then the moment passed because he tried to maneuver himself into position for a shot with his off-ball foot.

-- Kasim manufactured several chances for his teammates throughout the match, and he is clearly talented. It will be fun watching him create offense this season with Hoffman, forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen and attacking midfielder Daniel Johnson. Each player brings a different skill set to the offense, and all will improve with some game fitness. The construction of the roster and the near flawless, detail-oriented, game-day atmosphere makes it clear team president Jay Heaps knows what he’s doing. This infant club is in good hands, and off to a nice start.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.