One of the biggest events in the history of soccer in Chattanooga takes place tonight at Finley Stadium. The Chattanooga Football Club is hosting the Under-23 team from Fútbol Club Atlas of Guadalajara, Mexico.
"This has got to be the biggest day, I think," Chattanooga FC co-founder Tim Kelly said. "I'm not a historian of soccer in Chattanooga, but this is clearly a banner day."
The game is a critical moment in the young club's history for multiple reasons. Can CFC, a second-year amateur club, compete with the U23 squad from one of the oldest teams in the Mexican Premier Division? Perhaps more importantly, will a large crowd show up for the international friendly, and can CFC smoothly handle an event of this size?
"Clearly this is the biggest game we've produced thus far, and it really is an exercise in event production as much as anything else," Kelly said.
The CFC players don't know quite what to expect from their Atlas opponents, but they're excited to find out. Chattanooga FC opened its season last Saturday with a 1-0 win at Atlanta FC.
"I'm a little nervous, to be honest," CFC goalkeeper Richard Masters said. "That's a major team for us to have to face. ... I think we're just going to go into it as ready as we can be and play our hearts out."
Tonight's game isn't part of a larger United States tour for Atlas. The team arrived in Chattanooga on Friday, participated in a few scheduled events, including dinner with the CFC players, will play the game tonight and then fly back to Guadalajara on Sunday.
It's just like a regular road game, Kelly said, only it's CFC's first "involving jet fuel."
Finley Stadium, which opened in 1997, has hosted a few notable soccer games.
In November 1997, the U.S. women's soccer team - then in its glory days with players such as Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain - beat Sweden 3-1 in front of an announced crowd of more than 13,000.
FC Atlas vs. Chattanooga FCWhen: Tonight at 7 (Gates open at 5:30)Where: Finley StadiumWhat: The under-23 team from the pro club FC Atlas of Guadalajara, Mexico, will take on Chattanooga FC in a "friendly."Tickets: Admission is $15 (free for ages 6-under), and parking costs $2. Tickets go on sale at 2 p.m.
The following year, Finley hosted two games in the U.S. Open Cup, which featured teams from all levels of U.S. pro soccer. A crowd of 3,757 saw four Major League Soccer teams in action.
Chattanooga FC is hoping for a crowd of at least 4,000, which CFC officials have said is the break-even mark. The club averaged more than 2,000 fans a game last season, with a high of 3,014.
CFC defender Russell Courtney said the players are eager to play well against the best team most of them have ever faced.
"The big crowd is a great bonus, but I think the team would like to have a great showing," Courtney said. "Regardless of if the outcome is a win or a loss, I think we'll be satisfied if we play well. I do think if we play well the results will speak for themselves, and we'll battle well if we play together like we know we can."