The home opener for Chattanooga Football Club was just bumped up by about a week and a half.
The club found out Wednesday that it would host a second-round match of the U.S. Open Cup, the nation's longest running soccer tournament. Chattanooga FC will face the Ocala (Fla.) Stampede of the Premier Development League on May 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
The local club wasn't supposed to have its first home match until May 23 against New Orleans. The season begins on May 9 on the road against the Georgia Revolution.
CFC officials also found out that the May 13 winner would travel to face the Wilmington (N.C.) Hammerheads of the U.S. Pro League in the next round. CFC defeated the Hammerheads 3-1 last season, the first time a National Premier Soccer League team had defeated a professional club in the history of the Open Cup.
"This is such a prestigious national tournament," CFC general manager Sean McDaniel said Wednesday. "To be in it multiple times is a great honor; it's a testimony to the level of play that we have. It's basically a coin toss to choose who gets to host, so we're honored to have the opportunity to host again."
Chattanooga FC finished 15-3-2 in 2014, losing in the NPSL national final. The Stampede were 9-1-4 in the PDL. They were the Southeast Division and Southern Conference champions and lost in the national semifinals.
CFC has bolstered its roster depth, preparing for an early-season schedule that could include as many as seven matches in the first three weeks.
"We haven't had to add much, but we have bulked up our roster for so many games in a short period of time," McDaniel said. "We found players we think are the same level, if not slightly better, so we can play soccer all summer."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.