It could have been just another minor-league sports team in Birmingham.

That’s what people need to understand here at this important crossroads of timing and potential for the city.

Birmingham Legion FC could have taken the quick money and the easy road and been the reserve squad for Atlanta United of Major League Soccer. They had that opportunity. MLS franchises have populated the second division of American soccer, the USL Championship, with their own farm teams, and Atlanta wanted Birmingham to be theirs because Atlanta is smart and Atlanta wanted to envelop a potential rival market.

Birmingham Legion’s owners, local businessmen who understand the history of this town, didn’t sell out. They believed their city deserved a chance at something more. They believed in Birmingham’s people, and the city’s future.

Legion FC believes it can grow into something special and revolutionary for Birmingham, move into MLS after establishing a large grassroots fanbase and become Birmingham’s first-ever major league pro franchise.

Birmingham Legion FC has lofty goals for their franchise and this town, and that dream begins this weekend.

Legion FC, Birmingham’s new professional, independent soccer team, kicks off its inaugural season at 4 p.m. on Sunday at its very own soccer-specific stadium on University Boulevard in Birmingham’s Southside. I have toured the new digs, and they are intimate and amazing. Games are going to be electric. Good People Brewing Company has a large outdoor bar behind the field’s east goal, and that’s just one of the stadium’s amenities.

A block party on the stadium’s concourse — with live music, food trucks and more — begins at 2 p.m on Sunday. Here’s a link for ticket information. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, but in the interest of fan safety (and in the interest of not wanting to play their first match in a driving thunderstorm) Legion FC moved their game with Bethlehem Steel FC back a day.

No one wants rain on their wedding day.

To represent Legion FC’s commitment to a grassroots movement, the team’s first signing was Chandler Hoffman, who starred locally at Oak Mountain High School before playing at UCLA and being drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS. Hoffman has scored 40 goals over the last three years for his previous clubs.

He’s a big-time talent, and just one of eight players on the team with MLS experience. The team’s president, Jay Heaps, played in MLS for 11 years and was the head coach of the New England Revolution for six. The team’s coach, Tom Soehn, won an MLS championship as the head coach of D.C. United, and was the director of soccer operations for the Vancouver Whitecaps. The team’s vice president for corporate sponsorship, Doug Hicks, is a front-office veteran for MLS clubs.

You don’t hire those people, and bring them and their families to Birmingham, for small-time dreams.

“Obviously, I think the goal of ownership long term is to be able to play in MLS, and that starts now at the grassroots with building a following and a fanbase,” Hoffman said. “And to be able to support something from literally the first game is something that doesn’t come around very often.”

The team chose the name Legion FC as a tribute to the city’s history and Legion Field. Legion FC will never play at Legion Field (thank heavens), but the new soccer stadium on Birmingham’s Southside has a bit of the Old Gray Lady’s spirit.

Above the new soccer stadium’s press box is a curious sign: “Fútbol Capital of the South!” Long-time residents of the city understand its symbolism. For many years, Legion Field proudly had a painted sign on its upper deck declaring the stadium the “Football Capital of the South!”

How ambitious is this new club? It’s literally painted on the walls of their new stadium.

The South is supporting soccer in huge numbers. That fact is undeniable. Just look around. Nashville FC is playing in the USL Championship this season alongside Birmingham before moving to MLS next year. FC Cincinnati, by the sheer willpower of their fanbase, grew out of the USL and began playing in MLS this season. In its first season, Atlanta United broke the season attendance record of MLS. They had even more fans last season, and won the league.

That is the goal of Birmingham Legion FC, and that goal starts now. Birmingham has an opportunity to create its own destiny.

Said Taylor Twellman, a former member of the U.S. Men’s National Team, and current ESPN soccer analyst: “I think, even though Birmingham is what it is on the ratings of college football, I think you’re underestimating the undercurrent of soccer that is there. And with the stadium, and the right brand and competitiveness — look what Cincinnati did in USL. Cincinnati had, what, five failed franchises or teams before FC Cincinnati. So, who’s to say Birmingham doesn’t draw 7,500 to 15,000 fans week in and week out. And you just don’t know. And I think what I would tell people is expect the unexpected. Because even though you’re in college football country, you’re going to be shocked at how many soccer fans and young people show up from Birmingham.”

Birmingham had a chance many years ago at landing an NFL franchise. Politics ruined that opportunity. MLB is never coming to Birmingham, and the NBA probably never is either. MLS is still growing. There are 27 teams (if you count expansion clubs Austin FC, Miami Inter CF and Nashville) in a league that has room for a few more.

This is it, Birmingham. This is your shot to help rewrite this city’s story.

“It’s just so cool to see downtown is a place where the city is growing, and it’s coming alive,” said Hoffman, the star forward who grew up in Oak Mountain. “The energy is here. The fans have the ability to create some noise now and make it something that’s not just recognized locally, but on a national scale.”

Said Heaps, the team’s president: “If Birmingham fans support us, then the sky is the limit. Fans can control that narrative.”

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