Chattanooga FC dropped out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a defeat to defending champions and MLS side Atlanta United. This was Chattanooga’s first Open Cup match against an MLS club. The boys in blue worked hard against one of the best teams in the nation but ended up with an unflattering scoreline against brutally clinical opponents.

Atlanta didn’t generate massively dangerous chances according to my NISA xG model (2.6 xG to CFC’s 0.23)- they are just a class above, as you would expect from an MLS side. That extra space that would be fine to concede to a NISA opponent was clinically punished. KG’s tendency to work off his line, which once again works great in NISA, was exposed by the nation’s best.

The bright spot for me (and the fans that voted for man of the match) was Richard Dixon and his role in the middle of the park. He bossed it up and made some great tackles. I also loved when Damian Rodriguez came on- I was sitting opposite the Chattahooligans and right in front of where Damian was dribbling around and having a blast. So great to watch. Roddy Green looked hungry for goals when he came on, Ian Cerro and Taylor Gray had some good moments, KG kept the score in check- all of the team worked hard and it was great to watch despite the end result.

I didn’t spend too much time on this because it’s a busy week and it’s not a result that’s great to dwell on, but I will say on no uncertain terms that the guys at CFC should be so proud of their performance, and double proud for the previous performance that got them to this point. What a great team to support.

Next up is Flower City Union at home- frankly we haven’t had an easy game yet this season, but FCU is a team we should be able to dominate. I’m excited to see if we keep the Christmas Tree Formation against weaker opposition like this.

For a more event based recap, check out the club website– but as always, I appreciate you reading and all your support!