It took only a few seconds for players and fans to realize what the referee’s whistle meant deep into stoppage time. Despite numerous protests from a half-dozen Michigan Stars players, including a goalkeeper who ran the length of the field to say what was on his mind, winger Markus Naglestad eventually got his chance to break the 1-1 deadlock. He put CFC up 2-1 over the Michigan Stars after his low left-leaning kick beat the keeper, and gave CFC’s 2,300 supporters a reason to celebrate the home opener.
CFC’s players were still celebrating their goal once the game ended, as the final whistle blew immediately after the Stars kicked off.
What could have been a normal postgame handshake turned into a pseudo-scrum, with players from both sides shoving and screaming at each other approximately 20 seconds after they came together. Even coach Peter Fuller had to be restrained while verbally defending his players.
“I’m not totally sure what went on, but I know there were some things said by people that shouldn’t have been said, probably some by us,” coach Fuller said. “Obviously, I felt as if I had to defend some of our guys, and it was completely out of order.”
It was an honestly fitting end to a night that began with Chattanooga FC fans pleading for a handball only a few minutes into the match. It was a scene reminiscent of the Legends Cup final against Detroit City. And just like their first home match, it took several minutes for either team to have a great look at the goal. Midfielder Juan Hernandez put on a great show at around the ten minute mark though, spinning and whirling through a trio of Michigan Stars defenders before laying off a pass to defender James Kasak.
Even though coach Fuller’s preferred formation is a 3-5-2, injuries have forced CFC to play with more of a 4-3-3 shape on offense, although they often went to their traditional alignment when not in possession. Defensively, these different shapes were solid, as Michigan really couldn’t find any good looks aside from long-range volleys that sailed far over the crossbar. Offensively, the preferred method of attack were longballs to forward Brian Bement.
Winger Cam “Bubbles” Woodfin seemed to have a good shot in the 28th minute. As he loaded up for a strike, the crowd swelled and was ready to explode as the ball left his foot, but a Stars defender used their body to block the shot, and CFC’s best chance was for naught. On most other attacks, the Stars used their strength to jostle CFC’s players out of position.
Michigan forward Kyle Nuel played mostly on the right wing, but he seemed comfortable drifting inside to play as more of an advanced playmaker. While he didn’t score in the first half, he was involved in several promising patterns during the first half, and was the only Stars player who seemed to figure out the CFC defense.
Whatever momentum the first half had previously came to a grinding halt when Sean Hoffstatter crashed into Stars goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva, who writhed on the ground for a few minutes but ended up being apparently alright. Chattanooga FC went into the half entangled in a still-scoreless draw.
“I felt like we handled their physicality the right way,” coach Fuller said. “It’s one thing to be physical, and another thing to be physical and stupid, and I don’t feel like we did that.”
The Michigan Stars finally broke through CFC’s stalwart defense in the 64th minute. Forward Alexander Satrustegui got the ball in the box and snaked his way around and through the defense. Once he finally found space to the right of keeper Phil D’Amico, he fired a shot to the far post and into the twine, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead.
It looked as if the visitor’s aggressive defense and timely fouls would spell another CFC defeat. But in the 80th minute, newcomer Brett Jones played a beautiful two-man game with Hernandez on the left wing. Jones slipped into space and blasted a ball across the goalkeeper’s face to tie the match at 1-1.
The teams went back and forth for the next ten minutes, and on CFC’s final charge in stoppage time, the men in blue finally got a handball call to go their way. Naglestad’s cold-blooded penalty kick sealed the win, even if players wouldn’t leave the field for several minutes because of the aforementioned scrum.
“I’m glad for Naglestad, because he needed it,” coach Fuller said. “And for Brett, it was tremendous. He’s a young kid who came to us on an amateur deal is trying to find his way in the pro game, so God bless him because he’s a good kid.”
“I felt like we played like a team who had lost two in a row and needed a win,” coach Fuller said.
You can contact the author at Joseph.A.Dycus@gmail.com .