The Chattanooga Football Club never has been accused of shying from stout competition, hosting the Major League Soccer likes of Atlanta United and FC Dallas in recent years and welcoming Guatemalan powerhouse Comunicaciones FC several weeks ago.
Suddenly that seems like a cupcake lineup.
At 6 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium, CFC will face the toughest foe in its 11-year history when Real Betis of Spain's La Liga arrives for a friendly to remember. Real Betis this spring became the first team to defeat both Real Madrid and Barcelona on the road in more than 15 years, and its tune-up for Saturday's showdown consisted of a 5-2 thumping of D.C. United before 11,201 Wednesday night at Audi Field in Washington.
"This is another level," CFC coach Bill Elliott said. "You're talking about one of the top clubs in the world and not just in the country. We've played some of the top North American teams before, but when you start talking the whole world, playing against a team like this is another thing."
When asked if the Real Betis visit would be similar to Alabama or Clemson coming to Finley for a college football contest against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Elliott said, "No, because that would be a closer matchup of what you would expect talent-wise."
The CFC-Real Betis match headlines what should be a very busy Saturday evening in Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Red Wolves have a 7 p.m. match against Greenville Triumph SC on David Stanton Field at Chattanooga Christian School, while baseball's Chattanooga Lookouts will host the Birmingham Barons at AT&T Field at 7:15 p.m.
Saturday will mark the first time since April 6 that CFC, the Red Wolves and the Lookouts will have overlapping competitions in Chattanooga. Nearly 13,000 fans attended the combined events last time, with the Lookouts leading the way with an announced crowd of 5,008.
"I think this is good for Chattanooga," Lookouts president Rich Mozingo said. "I love when people get out to see live sporting events in Chattanooga, whether it's Mocs football or basketball or whatever it may be. You're going to have a great time at those events, and we're going to provide a great time for you here as well.
"We just need more people off the couches and doing things. Sporting events are a win for everybody."
The Lookouts had fireworks after Friday night's game and have them scheduled for Sunday night's 6:15 contest as well. The Red Wolves have scheduled a cornhole tournament this afternoon at The Tap House in St. Elmo and will have fireworks Saturday night after their USL League One match.
Yet there is no doubt which Chattanooga team has the most daunting assignment, with Real Betis pegged No. 40 in this week's Global Club Soccer Rankings. Atlanta United, the reigning MLS champion, is ranked 196th.
"The timing of this is perfect for us," CFC associate head coach Peter Fuller said. "We have six new players who have come in these last 10 days, and it's a great opportunity to throw them into the deep end of the pool to see who swims. This isn't a physics exam. We're playing soccer, so it's 11 guys against 11 guys.
"It is a level that none of our players will have played at, but this is to be embraced and not feared. This is awesome, and I've been pinching myself."
CFC lost 4-0 to Atlanta United in February 2017 and lost 2-0 to Comunicaciones in late March. CFC did, however, tie FC Dallas 1-1 in February 2018, but Elliott doesn't believe that outcome will carry much weight Saturday.
"I don't think that will scare them," Elliott said. "They might say, 'Dallas who?' We're hoping to play with three extra players and an extra goalkeeper and park a bus in front of the goal. We think that might slow them down a little bit.
"We just have to manage the game the best that we can. We have to be smart and take out time in situations to get a breather when we can. We're all going to be learning. This isn't a first for our club. It's just the biggest."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.