After three straight weeks of bus trips and matches on the road, the leg-weary Chattanooga Football Club soccer players are back playing at home tonight.
The Atlanta Silverbacks will be there, too. Happily for the Chattanooga club, so will its fans.
After five consecutive away matches Chattanooga FC will face the Silverbacks in a key National Premier Soccer League Southeast Conference match at 7:30 at Finley Stadium.
Tonight is an important match for shaping the top half of the conference title race. CFC ranks second in the league in points with 15 but has accumulated that total in eight matches for a 1.88-points-per-match average, slightly ahead of New Orleans, which has 16 points in nine matches for a 1.78 average. Atlanta (1.56) ranks fourth in the league behind Inter Nashville FC (1.63).
It also helps that Chattanooga will play four of its final six matches at Finley, as well as a fifth at nearby Christian Heritage School in Dalton against the same Silverbacks they'll face tonight.
"Playing at home is great," midfielder Joao Costa said before Tuesday's training session. "It feels different here because of the fans and the atmosphere in the city. Everything is really different here, and it's been nice. You get to play for the fans, and what they do during the game is great."
Costa has two goals and a team-leading five assists this season, one year after scoring a team-high 11 goals for the Charlotte Eagles of the Premier Developmental League. He is tied with Felipe Oliveira (four goals, one assist) for the team lead in points with nine, while Charlie Clarke is tied with Oliveira for the team lead in goals.
But it's been Costa's addition that really has opened up the attack with his speed.
"Costa has had a big impact for us," CFC coach Bill Elliott said. "He's a rare talent in that not only is he very quick and fast, but he can move at that pace with the ball close to his foot. You see a lot of players fast or quick, but when they get going the ball gets away from them, and that's not the case with him. He keeps the ball tight with his dribble, and he's able to pick out the right moments to go for a goal or find a teammate or create opportunities for others."
Elliott admitted his players were ready to be back home after five straight on the road, adding that the team is "still tired."
"We've spent more time on a bus than I want to think about," Elliott said. "The games have come fast and furious and we're a tired group, but it's certainly better to be at home than travel again. We're excited about this stretch, and I hope at some point during it we'll get our legs back under us."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.