Chattanooga Football Club returns to Fort Finley to host the midweek finale to the NISA regular season against Club de Lyon on Wednesday.
With first place secured, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly will present head coach and sporting director Rod Underwood and team captains the 2023 NISA League Cup trophy in front of the fans ahead of kick-off.
The match allows Underwood and his team a final chance to experiment and improve before their home NISA semi-final on November 5th against a to-be-determined opponent.
There has been a lot to celebrate this season for CFC.
Off the field, the club has celebrated 15 years of being Chattanooga’s team, supporting the community and providing entertaining soccer at Fort Finley.
The club is celebrating this landmark with throwback ticket pricing, offering $5 tickets for Wednesday’s game, the same price that it took to see the original boys in blue during their inaugural season.
On the field, Underwood and his staff have put together perhaps the greatest NISA team of all time. Amassing 49 points from 23 games, the boys in blue are a point away from the highest NISA point tally ever.
While first place is secured for the club, there's another intriguing storyline to follow on Wednesday night. Forward Markus Naglestad is currently tied in the race for the golden boot. With 14 goals scored in 22 games, he needs one more goal to break the tie with Michigan Stars forward Leon Maric, who currently edges ahead of Nagelstad by having more assists than the Norwegian.
Visiting Club de Lyon of Daytona, Florida have had a mixed debut season. With 23 points from 23 games (W6 D5 L12), the debutants just missed out on the playoffs. Troubles off the field prevented the club from reaching its full potential.
On paper, the visitors only have pride to play for at Fort Finley on Wednesday night, but that won’t stop them from wanting to ruin the party in Chattanooga.
Oddly, Club de Lyon is the only team that Chattanooga FC has yet to beat this season. The clubs have just one previous encounter. The June spectacle ended in a draw after a Naglestad free-kick salvaged a point deep in stoppage time.
Although Club de Lyon will miss out on the playoffs, it will be important for the boys in blue to earn three points and prove that they can beat any team.
Tickets are available now at ChattanoogaFC.com/TICKETS.