The sequence of events that transformed Birmingham, Alabama, into a full-on, gushing-mad, what-are-my-eyes-watching soccer town went like this:

It started when Birmingham Legion FC’s talented Tyler Pasher was karate kicked in midair by an opponent like he was sparring in the gym back at Cobra Kai. This was around the 65th minute of Legion’s 1-0 loss to Inter Miami CF on Wednesday night at Protective Stadium. It was a nasty foul, and should have been a red card, and everyone seemed to see it except the refs.

Pasher had just beaten his man, and so Inter Miami’s young Ian Fray kicked his leg out to the side and flipped Pasher onto his head. To Fray’s surprise, this made Pasher quite an angry fellow.

Fray came away from the entanglement with a limp, or so he feigned, and he began hobbling towards the Inter Miami sideline. In pursuit of Fray was Pasher, who had a look in his eye like he had just been cut off in traffic by a kid making TikToks behind the wheel.

Uh-oh.

Pasher, to his credit, kept his hands by his side while giving Fray the business. Fray turned to face Pasher and pushed him away. Pasher went backwards for a moment, but then went back in for more of his one-way conversation. Fray then shoved Pasher even harder. As Pasher was turning to find the sideline official, Fray reacted to his own shove by flopping onto the ground like a wet dishrag.

If Inter Miami owner David Beckham was watching the game from afar, then certainly he must have been hoping that future Inter Miami player Lionel Messi was not. In a day like no other for American soccer, the great Leo Messi announced he was heading to Inter Miami and MLS while Inter Miami was in Birmingham for the quarterfinals of the Open Cup. In this little corner of the world, the international Messi news delivered a backdrop for Birmingham’s big day that raised the social awareness of Birmingham’s team that much more.

There were plenty of Messi jerseys inside Protective Stadium for the game, but they weren’t impressed with Fray’s sudden theater either. In that moment, it was like Fray triggered an entire stadium full of Pasher’s best friends. A record crowd of 18,418 attended the U.S. Open Cup match between Birmingham Legion and Inter Miami, and most of them lost their voices when Fray chose cynicism over soccer.

When was the exact moment that Birmingham became a soccer town? It came during a loss. It was when Fray finally got up off the turf and limped to the bench while engaging and taunting a record crowd of furious fans. Respect the game, they were saying, or something to that effect but probably in more colorful language than can be reported here.

It felt like an international soccer game. It sounded like a war in cleats. Legion’s fans even took it a little too far when a couple water bottles and cups of ice were tossed onto the field.

Give me more of that, please. Legion might have lost the game, but Birmingham won some respect from anyone who watched that game. That was a crowd worthy of big things. That was a stadium that deserves more dramatic nights from its first-rate hometown club.

Like most soccer fans in America, I’m beyond excited that Messi is going to be playing for Inter Miami and MLS. I’m happy for Miami and for Beckham, whose unwavering persistence in building a soccer club in Miami should now earn him a civic award. That Messi turned down the Saudis’ sports-washed billions to choose American soccer says something about his character.

But when do you know soccer has arrived in this country? I’ll offer this perspective. It’s not when the indomitable Messi agrees to a monster deal with Beckham’s Inter Miami. It’s when the second-division team in Alabama pushes Messi’s chosen club to the flopping, feigning, time-wasting brink in the Open Cup.

On the day Inter Miami landed Messi, Birmingham Legion was the better side for most of the game. Birmingham outshot Miami 11 to 10, Pasher was the game’s best field player and Birmingham dominated the run of play for long stretches of the match. There was a clear missed handball in the box committed by Inter Miami’s Serhiy Kryvtsov on a shot by Prosper Kasim and Legion’s Enzo Martinez had several excellent shots on goal saved by Miami’s brilliant goalkeeper, Drake Callender.

Miami knew it was lucky to have the lead when Nicolás Stefanelli scored in the 56th minute, and so Miami then did what all teams do on the road when they find a lead. Miami packed it in and began wasting time and killed Legion’s momentum. A full 10 minutes was tacked onto the game, but Legion could never beat Callender for the equalizer.

Callender, Miami’s goalkeeper, was the best player on the field, and he’s ultimately the reason Miami won the game. It wasn’t the ref, and it wasn’t the time wasting.

The funny thing about big-time soccer? Callender was just called up to the United States Men’s National Team. He’ll be representing the U.S. in the CONCACAF Nations League on June 15 in Las Vegas. Many — but not all — of those Legion fans who wanted Callender to lose so badly in Birmingham will now be cheering for him against Mexico.

Protective Stadium remained packed until the final whistle against Inter Miami and then the record crowd gave Legion a standing ovation. I saw tears in the stands. I saw angry faces turn into smiles. I witnessed a city fall in love with its club.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.