On a blindingly sunny morning earlier this spring, some of the state’s finest soccer players dart up and down the field at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex in Vestavia Hills. Clad in white or yellow shirts and cleats in every color of the rainbow, about 50 guys are giving it their all, each vying for a spot on the Birmingham Hammers.
It’s the second of two open tryouts as coaches craft a lineup for their debut with the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League, or NPSL, on April 30. Fans in Birmingham’s growing soccer scene — and the players, of course — hope competing at a higher level against teams like Nashville and Memphis will draw even more Alabamians to games.
Hammers head coach Joel Person says he’s looking for well-rounded players.
“We are looking at their tactical awareness, their technical ability on the ball, their overall athleticism,” he says. “And of course intangibles like their work rate and all that.”
Rachel Osier Lindley,WBHM
Players scrimmage at tryouts for the Birmingham Hammers in April.
Person says that after a successful exhibition season last year, they’re now poised to take on teams from New Orleans to Chattanooga.
Pachinno Roberts agrees. He’s in his senior year at UAB, studying exercise science, and he’s been playing soccer his whole life.
“I love Birmingham. So I decided to come out and give it a try,” he says.
Roberts is something of a renaissance man. Besides soccer, he also plays piano and drums. But on this day, the defender been scrimmaging all morning.
“The players out here are pretty good, the competition’s hot, the intensity’s hot and that’s what I like,” he says. “I want to play for a team that really tries hard. It seems like that’s what’s out here.”
That passion has helped the Hammers ascend quickly in the soccer world. The team was founded in 2013 by college friends, Morgan Copes and John Killian. They wanted to bring professional soccer to the Magic City.
Rachel Osier Lindley,WBHM
Players at Birmingham Hammers tryouts. Many of these young athletes also play for Alabama college soccer teams.
As a fan and Hammers hopeful, Roberts says the enthusiasm around the young team is infectious, and that’s what makes him want to be a part of it.
“Whenever I’m around the town I hear people saying, ‘Yeah, we went to go see a Hammers game!’ So the community is behind it,” says Roberts.
A.J. Adcock, a forward, thinks the excitement will continue to grow. “We had a huge base, a huge fan turnout for last year for an exhibition season.” He says this year could be a game-changer for the Hammers, now that they’re competing in the NPSL.
He and the other players and coaches hope success on the field will make soccer a more significant part of Alabama sports culture.
Adcock says, “Everybody loves a winner and I think that’s why football has been so big … because Alabama and Auburn have just demolished people around the country. And hopefully the Hammers will be on the same boat.”
After the tryouts, Coach Joel Person lets players know when they’ll hear results. And he’s not holding back on his expectations.
Hammers’s Head Coach Joel Person address hopeful players after tryouts.
“We’re going to set our goals pretty high and we want to make the playoffs, and when you get to the playoffs anything can happen,” he says. “In the last year, even though it was an exhibition season, we were competitive right away. So there’s no reason that we can’t, even though it’s our first season, hope to compete with the best that we play.”
As for Roberts, the UAB student and Hammers hopeful? He made the team and will take the field in Vestavia Hills for an exhibition match against the Sandy Springs Football Club on Saturday.