The Chattanooga Football Club will host a preseason friendly against Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC on Jan. 28 at Finley Stadium.
It will be the second time Atlanta United has faced Chattanooga FC with fans in the stands at Finley. The first time was in 2017, when Atlanta was playing another team for the first time ahead of its debut season — and won 4-0 — and CFC was still an amateur club in the National Premier Soccer League.
Now a pro club in the National Independent Soccer Association, CFC also faced Atlanta this past April in a U.S. Open Cup third-round match at Kennesaw State, with the 2018 MLS Cup champions winning 6-0. According to CFC's release Friday announcing the upcoming match, the clubs also played a 2021 preseason friendly that was not open to the public, with Atlanta winning 3-1.
"This is a massive preseason test for our guys," CFC coach Rod Underwood said in the release. "I think there's a lot of mutual respect between the two sides. We've seen them before in the U.S. Open Cup and I know this next matchup will be just as challenging. It will be a good measuring stick for our team."
CFC finished 14-3-7 against NISA competition this year to earn the No. 2 seed for the playoffs, receiving a first-round bye and winning one match before losing in the semifinals to the Michigan Stars, who went on to win the championship. CFC also won one match in the U.S. Open Cup before the loss to Atlanta.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday on the club's website, ChattanoogaFC.com, with reserved seats beginning at $10 for youth and $20 for adults. The match is included as part of CFC's annual pass package.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with CFC's release noting there will be pregame events announced later.
"We have so much respect for the entire Atlanta United organization," Jeremy Alumbaugh, the CEO of CFC, said in the release. "We appreciate them making the trip to Finley Stadium. This is yet another opportunity for us to demonstrate why Chattanooga is such a strong hub for soccer. The atmosphere will be absolutely electric. We know Atlanta will travel well, so we need Chattanooga to really come out for this one."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.