MADISON, Ala. — Greetings from Madison City Schools Stadium, where tonight the Chattanooga Football Club is making its first postseason appearance, in the National Premier Soccer League Final Four.
I'll be updating this page every few minutes, so stick around and hit the refresh button often.
Pregame
I'm in the press box, sitting next to Chattanooga FC director of communications Sheldon Grizzle, and we're about an hour from the start of CFC's semifinal against the Madison (Wis.) 56ers.
We're both using the wireless signal from the team bus, which is parked all the way on the other side of the field — that's a signal strength of at least 70 yards. That's impressive, certainly more impressive than the condition of the field.
There are some dead spots along the sidelines and inside the circle, probably from a fungus, but so far it doesn't seem to be hurting the level of play.
In the first semifinal, which is just wrapped up, the fourth-seeded Sacramento Gold won 4-1 — the last goal was an empty-netter — over top-seeded FC Sonic Lehigh Valley. Sacramento is a first-year team, while Sonic won the title in 2008.
8:40
Both teams are on the field warming up, CFC in its fancy practice outfits and the 56ers in their warm-up T-shirts.
Goalkeeper Richard Masters appears to be getting the start tonight for CFC. He hurt his knee in the regular-season finale and played in the second half of last Saturday's exhibition in Washington, D.C. Thomas Clark will start for defender Russell Courtney, who tore his ACL and MCL against DC United.
8:55
The teams are heading back to their locker rooms to change and make any final speeches or preparations before we kick off at 9.
CFC has a small contingent of fans here, not counting all the founders/board members. I'm certain that if the game started a few hours earlier, more of the CFC faithful would have made the trip. With the 9 p.m. kickoff, nobody who lives in Chattanooga is getting home before 1 a.m.
8:58
The CFC supporters roar as the team runs back out on the field, dressed in its all-white uniforms. The 56ers are wearing red jerseys and black shorts.
I see one CFC flag and I just heard at least one vuvuzela.
More folks in the CFC baby blue are showing up by the minute, so it should be a respectable crowd on hand. The CFC group makes up about half of the total attendance, which isn't a huge surprise.
9:04
CFC was presented with its Southeast Conference trophy, which looks pretty big. I saw the NPSL trophy when I came in and it is quite substantial. It's no Stanley Cup, but for an amateur soccer league it's darned impressive.
First half
The whistle has blown and we are under way, 7 minutes behind schedule.
CFC has scored first in every NPSL game but one this season and a fast start tonight for either side would be huge. CFC is the first to get a corner kick, 90 seconds in, and an Andy Stewart header is off.
Moments later, after a throw-in, Luis Miguel Salazar nearly scores from in close on the left side. The subsequent corner was easily denied by the 56ers.
...
We're more than 7 minutes in and both teams have had one pretty good scoring chance — the 56ers just had theirs, missing wide right on a shot.
Thomas Clarke just made a superb sliding stop of the ball on a fast break.
Overall, the 56ers have done a better job of possessing the ball, but the game remains scoreless 10 minutes in.
...
Richard Masters just made a tough save on a 20-yard shot by Werebetth Rocha, a Brazilian playing for the 56ers. It was a tough play because the ball appeared to bounce off his chest.
CFC quickly goes the other way and earns a pair of corner kicks. The second leads to a Phil Beene shot that's deflected and results in a third corner, which the 56ers boot away.
Still scoreless 17 minutes in.
...
Irvin Espinal on the break with the ball on the right side, shoots from well outside the box — no trouble for the 56ers keeper, who just lets it go by him and out of bounds. CFC does appear to be swinging the momentum its way by using the long ball to set up its break.
Do that long enough and something good typically happens.
Masters' knee doesn't appear to be giving him any trouble as we move into the 23rd minute.
...
Another break leads to a cross and a Salazar header, which sails wide. The 56ers' defense has been under much more stress and duress through the first 25 minutes.
A Josh Scott free kick from about 45 yards out goes well wide.
...
We've reached the game's first lull, which was bound to happen.
Since there's not a lot happening, I ask this question: What should CFC's nickname be?
Madison is the 56ers (don't know what that means), Sacramento is the Gold and the best name in the NPSL is the Brooklyn Italians. CFC needs a nickname, and I know the Times Free Press headline writers would agree.
End of lull: Masters makes a save off a free kick, and then makes another that he bobbled before grabbing the ball.
Andy Stewart with a good (and brave) sliding tackle in the box. Twelve more minutes until halftime and the momentum is now in the 56ers favor.
...
Hard collision between Stewart and Madison's Brian Bultman, and Stewart gets a yellow card in the 35th minute. The subsequent free kick leads to a corner, which the 56ers couldn't do anything with.
...
In the 43rd minute, a CFC player is taken down just outside the box. Salazar takes the kick, which bounces off the 56ers' wall. I didn't see the ref give anybody a yellow card.
Still scoreless in stoppage time.
Salazar somehow missed a volley from just in front of the goal. He looked astonished while on his knees taking some deep breaths afterward.
And that's the half -- CFC 0, 56ers 0.
Play resumes, as do my posts, in 15 minutes.
Halftime
My boss, TFP sports editor Jay Greeson, sent me an e-mail a little while ago saying CFC should be either the Bugs or the Beetles -- at least as long as Volkswagen is the title sponsor.
Thoughts???
Second half
CFC has the ball deep in 56ers territory early in the second half, and the CFC supporters are doing all they can to get their gang going.
Phil Beene nearly scored on a cross from the right side.
CFC keeps the pressure on -- and Thomas Clark scores on a header from the middle of the box. CFC leads 1-0 with 40 minutes left.
Still 1-0 with 35 minutes left -- having some posting issues -- sorry.
...
Masters with a phenomenal save on a header right in front of him following a free kick from right outside the box. That was his best save of the night, and he's had some good ones.
...
Salazar with another good shot, but it passes in front of the goal. He may be getting frustrated because he's had several very good scoring chances.
...
Clark nearly scores on another header, and it looked like Fynn Glover (could have been someone else in white) had a shot hit off the crossbar.
There's 25 minutes left in regulation.
...
Neither side with a good scoring chance lately, which suits CFC just fine. Most of the CFC supporters are on their feet, urging the team to hold on and play for the NPSL championship on Saturday night.
Should CFC win, I suspect at least 300 fans to be here about triple tonight's crowd.
There's 17 minutes left ...
...
Irvin Espinal out, Robbie Hill in at forward.
No defense feels pressure like one trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead in the closing minutes of a match. It's all about clearing and pushing forward at this point.
There's 14 minutes left, plus probably two minutes of stoppage time.
...
The 56ers' Royston Mgwayah with a good shot from long range, but it's too high. CFC pushes the other way but Salazar's shot is blocked by a fullback.
...
A lot of CFC subs have come in as coach Brian Crossman tries to keep fresh legs on the field.
The 56ers' Cody Banks gives the crowd a scare with a hard shot, but it also goes too high. On a counterattack, Glover doesn't put enough on his shot and it's an easy save.
...
A 56ers shot from the right wing hits the net on the side of the goal, but it looked for a moment like it had gone in.
Six minutes remaining in regulation as a counterattack leads to a phenomenal sliding goal by Robbie Hill. CFC leads 2-0 with a little more than 5 minutes left.
Ballgame.
See Friday's Times Free Press for more.
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
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