The Chattanooga Football Club is getting one more match at Finley Stadium this season.
It just isn't under the circumstances the National Premier Soccer League team originally hoped for.
Chattanooga FC, which had its postseason end last Tuesday in the first round of the Southeast Conference playoffs, is hosting the Asheville (N.C.) Soccer Club tonight at 7:30 in the first installment of the Blue Ridge Derby between the two programs. Tickets cost $9.
This season was the first since 2013 that CFC didn't advance past the first round of the playoffs. as it fell 2-1 to Inter Nashville in Chattanooga. Asheville SC's season also ended last week, in a 1-0 loss to Atlanta.
"We're really fortunate to have one more match to send the 2017 team off and thank them for their hard work this season," CFC general manager Sean McDaniel said in a news release. "We're really looking forward to building up this rivalry into something that fans will enjoy for years to come."
The event is more of a tradition in European soccer, where teams from neighboring regions compete on an annual basis. The winner of the match will win the Blue Ridge Derby Keg, a hand-painted quarter keg sporting both teams' logos.
The keg will be displayed in the winner's home bar - the Chattanooga Brewing Company or Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville - until the next derby.
"There's definitely some pride on the line for the players. They want to raise the keg in celebration and give the fans a great performance," CFC coach Bill Elliott said in the release. "They'll be ready to play, that's for certain."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.