By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Birmingham will host an international soccer match in the spring. The U-S men's national team will play against Guatemala at Legion Field in March. It will be a second round qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup and will be televised nationally on March 30th. It will be the first of five home games for the men's national team. Alabama Sports Foundation C-E-O Gene Hallman credits former U-S Olympic coach Bruce Arena for bringing the match to Birmingham. He says Arena supported the city as a World Cup qualifier host because Arena's 1996 Olympic men's team played two games at Legion Field.