Chattanooga Football Club midfielder Luis Trude, center, gets caught between the New York Cosmos B's Travis Pittman, right, and Daniel Evuy during Saturday's National Premier Soccer League title match at Finley Stadium. New York won 3-2 in overtime, dealing CFC its fourth runner-up finish in six seasons.The Southeast Conference of the National Premier Soccer League announced its schedule Tuesday, with two new teams set to enter the league.
The Chattanooga Football Club, which finished 17-3-1 and reached the national final last season, starts league play on May 14 on the road against the Birmingham Hammers, an addition to the Southeast Conference.
Chattanooga FC opens home play on May 21 against Nashville FC at 7:30 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
In addition to the Hammers, Memphis City FC has joined the league.
Other matches could be added to the schedule closer to its beginning. CFC played in both the U.S. Open Cup and the Steinbrecher Cup competition in 2015.
The club averaged more than 3,000 fans per match last year.
"It's a family-friendly environment, and it's the best way to spend a Saturday night during the summer in Chattanooga," general manager Sean McDaniel said in a release. "Each season our attendance numbers go up as more and more fans discover how electric Finley Stadium becomes on match day."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/gene henleytfp.