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published on 05/24/2010
Chattanooga Football Club Battles Atlanta FC To A 1-0 Victory in Season Opener
By
Sheldon Grizzle
Chattanooga Football Club
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Chattanooga Football Club came out on top, 1-0, in a tough physical match against Atlanta Football Club Saturday night in Atlanta. One hundred Chattanooga FC fans traveled for the season opener, hoping for a victory and they were not disappointed. A few key saves by both goalies kept the game scoreless in the first half. “The first half was fast-paced and fairly evenly matched,” said Chattanooga FC’s Twitter reporter, Chris Cooper. “It seemed like Atlanta had more possession of the ball, but we had much better scoring chances.”
In the 52nd minute, newcomer to Chattanooga, Chris Ochieng, stole the ball from Atlanta’s keeper and dropped it back to Tim Sparks who walked the ball into the net for the go-ahead goal. Cooper went on to say how much fun it was watching all the new faces in Chattanooga’s line-up. “Chris and Luis [Salazar] played very well together up front. They are going to be a tough duo for opponents this season.”
Playing a man down after getting a red card in the 77th minute, Atlanta FC kept working hard to find the equalizing goal. With just seconds left in extra time, defender Russell Courtney was forced to make a great play in the penalty box to deny two Atlanta FC players the tying goal. “After we were up 1-0, we started playing softer and letting them come to us,” Courtney observed. ”No matter what, we must continue attacking their goal.”
“A win on the road is always a good thing,” remarked Jimmy Weekley, Chattanooga FC Assistant Coach. “This game was good for us; it exposed some weaknesses that will help shape how we prepare for our game against FC Atlas.”
Chattanooga FC’s next game is against FC Atlas, from Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 29th at 7PM. The game will be at Finley Stadium. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the gate. Tickets are available at Clumpies Ice Cream Co, Niedlovs Breadworks, El Meson Restaurants, Carniceria Loa, and Esperanza Bakeries.
For more information, visit www.chattanoogafc.com
About Chattanooga Football Club
Chattanooga FC is a member team of the National Premier Soccer League, Southeast Region. Chattanooga FC brings top quality soccer, premier player development and community involvement to the Chattanooga region. In only its first season in 2009, Chattanooga FC had the highest average attendance in the nation for the NPSL. The NPSL is sanctioned by the USASA as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and FIFA, the world’s governing body for soccer.
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