The ninth year of the Chattanooga Football Club began like no other.
Playing its first friendly ever against a Major League Soccer opponent, the annual National Premier Soccer League power fell 4-0 to Atlanta United on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 12,484 at Finley Stadium.
Chattanooga FC players won't begin practicing for their NPSL season until early May, but they will do so with quite the experience from which to grow.
"This gives us a little bit of a head start," CFC coach Bill Elliott said after the friendly. "It gives our guys an understanding of what the next level is, and it also gives our guys an early chance to evaluate themselves in terms of fitness and preparation. These guys are motivated guys who did not come into this stadium to lose, and this will motivate them to really prepare for May.
"It's not only the result but the crowd and environment, because this was like a recharging of batteries, and where this can make a difference is how they prepare for May."
Kyle Zobeck was CFC's goalie Saturday, but he has signed to play this season with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. Zobeck believes having played an MLS team will only serve as a positive for CFC in the months ahead.
"This is something for them to build on, and I think it's something for them to be proud of," he said. "It's a moment that they will remember and be able to carry through their preseason and the rest of their season."
Given that CFC had never faced a team of such stature, Elliott did not really know what to expect as far as the outcome. He was asked afterward if he entered the match with a particular goal differential in mind.
"To be honest, I actually think it was four," Elliott said. "I thought we would have done incredible if we could keep them to two or maybe even get a goal. I thought that keeping them within a four-goal range still probably meant that we had done pretty well considering the circumstances, and we did."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.