Chattanooga Football Club is Ready for Another "Summer of Soccer"

With the start of the World Cup less than one month away, the summer of soccer has already begun in earnest. The question will be, as always, can the increased coverage cause the sport to catch fire in the states.

The U.S. National team has had its struggles, but a good showing in group play could put soccer at the forefront later on this summer.

One area of the United States, however, has already had its “catch-fire” moment.

Chattanooga, Tennessee is a hotbed for American football. It’s a virtual mecca for fans of the Southeastern Conference.

There’s no shortage of baseball in this town either. The Chattanooga Lookouts Double-A Baseball Club has called our fine city home for over 100 years.

In 2009, however, professional soccer hit the scenic city with both barrels. The Chattanooga Football Club quickly solidified the largest fan base in National Premier Soccer League’s Southeast Division.

With crowds of over 2,000 for each of its home games, CFC quickly drew the attention of local media and sponsors.

“The Summer of Soccer” for Chattanooga, TN was 2009.

As successful as the team was in ’09, 4-3-1 in the club’s inaugural season, many fans and media are wondering what CFC will do for an encore.

The 2010 season is upon us. And with it are higher expectations for the play of the team and the growth of the sport in the fourth largest city in Tennessee.

Gone is the team’s leading scorer, Omar Cooke. Cooke won NCAA Division II, All-Southeast Region Honors following his ’09 season at Carson-Newman, and he was one of the NPSL’s leading scorers for CFC in ’09.

The loss of such an offensive threat makes finding a replacement extremely important to the success of this club. According to team officials, they may have done just that.

Chris Ochieng was the leading scorer for ’09 NAIA National Champion, Lindsey Wilson College. With 20 goals and 20 assists, Ochieng was an NAIA First Team All-American. Needless to say, CFC is expecting big things from the young Kenyan.

Another highly anticipated newcomer is Luis Salazar. The recent graduate of Berry College is a local product. Salazar was a record-setter at Dalton in his high school days and has had a good preseason for CFC.

Nick Chase, from Florida International University, is another of the newbies on this season’s team. Chase is described as a great ball-winner. The midfielder is a playmaker in every sense of the word.

Andy Stewart of London rounds out the newcomers to watch list. Stewart plays college ball at Milligan College and team officials say he is very composed and reads the play well from his central defender position.

Among the key returners for CFC is Chattanooga native Flynn Glover. Glover won All-Southeast Division honors for CFC in ’09. The midfielder also received Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors at Richmond last season.

Keeper Richard Masters, also from London, is one of the top returning players for CFC. Unfortunately for him, the club has four talented keepers that could make the position one of the strongest on the team.

As long as Masters keeps stopping goals, like he did for much of ’09, he shouldn’t have to worry about looking over his shoulder as the starter.

Overall, this team is so much deeper than it was last season. One club official told me that the team has 25 legitimate starters. That’s an awesome problem to have in any sport.

The one noticeable difference for me during the preseason was speed. This team is quicker, more athletic, and even more talented that last years 4-3-1 squad.

CFC didn’t wait long to prove that this team is better than last. The club defeated Atlanta FC for the first time on Saturday night in Atlanta. The team won 1-0, thanks to a stellar effort by Masters in goal.

The truest test of how good this club may be should come Memorial Day weekend when it hosts Atlas FC from Mexico, in an international friendly at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.

Atlas plays in Mexico’s Premiera Division, which is the top Mexican professional league. The Atlas FC U23 team will make a stop in Chattanooga before joining the professional club later in the month.

Atlas has been home to some of Mexico’s top talent in the past, and it’s likely that CFC will meet one of its toughest matches in this exhibition.

It will be a great way to kick-off yet another summer of soccer in Chattanooga.

Photo courtesy of chattanoogafc.com