BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced on Thursday it had signed veteran defender Phanuel Kavita to a new multi-year contract ahead of the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Kavita joins fellow veterans Enzo Martinez and Tyler Pasher in inking a new multi-year deal with Legion for the new season. The 31-year-old center back will enter his fifth season with Legion in the new year having made 126 appearances and logged 11,131 minutes for the club since his arrival for the 2021 season.

"We are excited to re-sign these key players as we look to the 2025 season and beyond,” said Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps. “These three players have been core members on our team and important signings as we continue to build the rest of the roster.”

Kavita is coming off a notable campaign for Legion that saw him score his first goal for the club in a thrilling 2-1 victory at Detroit City FC midway through the season. The year also saw Kavita earn a call-up by the Rwanda Men's National Team for a pair of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last November, his first at the senior international level.

One of the USL Championship’s longtime stalwarts, Kavita ranks sixth in league history with 20,876 minutes in the league’s regular season and tied for 18th with 241 regular season appearances. He also ranks fourth in Legion history with 124 regular season appearances and 10,921 minutes of action, while also recording 350 clearances and 99 interceptions for the side.