After seven seasons with Birmingham Legion, Matt van Oekel has decided to hang up the gloves.

The veteran goalkeeper — the last player standing from the Three Sparks’ inaugural 2019 season — announced his decision via the club’s social media pages.

In a minute-long video featuring a reel of various career moments, he confirmed both his retirement and that he will be staying on as Legion’s head goalkeeping coach, a position he has held simultaneously to his playing role these past seven years.

“All good things come to an end,” van Oekel said in the video. “And today is the day that I announce my retirement from professional football.

“Thank you,” he continued. “You guys have been in my corner from that day that I signed late in 2018 and made myself and my family feel extremely welcomed from the first moment. From the first jersey unveiling to every match, hearing ‘MVO’ when I run down, that second half or that first half, no matter which it is. Just all your support and kindness, interactions that we’ve had, they’ll be memories that I’ll remember the rest of my career.

“I think there’s always going to be mixed emotions. Doing something for as long as I have, it’s what you know. So stepping into the next realm, starting my next adventure as the goalkeeper coach for the Birmingham Legion is extremely exciting.”

Van Oekel originally signed with Birmingham Legion in December 2018, one of the club’s first ever signings. Alongside fellow goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg, he was one of two players from that inaugural class still on the roster in 2025.

Despite joining at already 33 years of age, van Oekel quickly established himself as Legion’s starting goalkeeper. He went on to feature on 173 occasions while keeping 49 clean sheets for the Black and Gold, trailing only Prosper Kasim’s 178 appearances on the club’s all-time list. Given goalkeepers tend to play the full 90 minutes, it should come as no surprise he recorded far and away more on-field minutes (15,527) for the Three Sparks than any of his peers.

Van Oekel captained the club on 27 occasions and also managed a rare feat for a goalkeeper when he added an assist to his stat sheet five years ago. In Birmingham’s “Legion at Legion” game vs Memphis 901 in May 2021, the goalkeeper found Neco Brett with a long ball over the top for the game’s only goal, resulting in a 1-0 win over the Three Sparks’ rivals.

MVO retires not just a Legion legend, but a stalwart of the league. He is one of just four goalkeepers to record 50+ shutouts in the USL Championship and his 520 saves in 181 regular season appearances have him third on the league’s all-time list.

With a professional career spanning 18 years, van Oekel made 339 appearances, played over 30,000 minutes and kept 90 clean sheets. He was notably NASL Goalkeeper of the Year and NASL Golden Glove in 2016 while playing for FC Edmonton.

Van Oekel will remain at Legion as the full-time Head Goalkeeper Coach, joining fellow class of 2019 player Eric Avila in Jay Heaps’ backroom staff. The transition should be straightforward for the 39-year-old, who has been the goalkeeper coach ever since his arrival at the club.

“I knew Matt’s style a little bit, and when we came into preseason that first year and I saw how he liked to train, I was like, “man, I’m gonna love being here,” Spangenberg recalled of MVO’s coaching. “Even if he [was] number one, I really, really like[d] this type of training and it [was] gonna help me be a good player.”

As Birmingham Legion looks to rebound from consecutive disappointing seasons, keeping van Oekel’s know-how and presence at the club will undoubtedly prove beneficial to the team.

“Matt has been more than a player for this club. He has been a leader, a mentor, and a daily example of professionalism,” Heaps, Legion CEO and head coach, said. “His presence helped shape the standards of this organization. We are proud of everything he accomplished as a player and excited to have him continue his legacy with us in a full-time coaching role.”

Following van Oekel’s departure, Birmingham Legion currently only have one rostered goalkeeper, rookie Trevor McMullen, on the team. One other shot stopper, Daniel Gagliardi, is currently trying out with the club.

The Three Sparks will likely look to bring in at least one additional goalkeeper, and no matter who that is, there are few better options than Matt van Oekel to train them to take over his mantle.

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