The way the Chattanooga Football Club’s match unfolded Wednesday against the Atlanta Silverbacks changed the expectations of the club.
A year ago, the Chattanooga side was humbled in a 5-0 defeat against the same opponent in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. CFC was determined to put forth a better showing this time around — while also preserving the legs of some veteran players with two more matches on the schedule this week and the National Premier Soccer League schedule still ahead of the team.
A brief CFC lead turned into a tie on a questionable call, and in overtime it turned into a 2-1 victory for the Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League. In two weeks, they’ll travel to face the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in the fourth round of the nation’s longest-running tournament.
But for a moment, CFC (5-1) had reason to celebrate. A perfectly-placed cross by Jose Ferraz turned into a perfectly placed kick into the upper corner of the net by Luke Winter, which gave CFC a 1-0 lead in the 87th minut.
It was hardly a minute later when a foul was called against CFC in the penalty box. Shaka Bangura converted the penalty kick, which led to a tie and overtime.