Atlanta United 2 v Chattanooga game rescheduled
Result influential in who claims fourth place
Chattanooga FC announced today that its away tie with Atlanta United 2, originally played on September 24 but postponed, will be concluded on Thursday 2nd October.
The game at Fifth Third Stadium was postponed as heavy rains battered the region. After 71 minutes of play, a visibly waterlogged field was deemed unplayable by referee Abdou Ndiaye.
Chattanooga was leading 1-0 when the game was halted, thanks to an 11th minute Daniel Mangarov goal. With three points gained that night, they were staring at fourth spot in the table by night’s end. As it was they marched on the New York where they beat NYCFC II 1-0 on Sunday and currently sit in fifth place, one point off Huntsville City but with this game at Atlanta still in-hand.
Fourth place is important as the finishing top four in the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference will host their first playoff game at home. Given CFC’s large crowds at Finley Stadium, a key feature of their operating model and club culture, few teams in the league have as much to gain as they do in playing at home.
Should Chattanooga see out this game with the win, they’ll leapfrog Huntsville prior to playing Atlanta United 2 (again) at home this Sunday in the final game of the regular season. A further win there at Finley Stadium will seal a home playoff spot that seemed so unlikely only two months ago.
The resumed game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET behind closed doors at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta United Training Ground. It will be broadcast for free on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Makes me feel like we're back in the NPSL or NISA.
The ground crew made no effort to clear the water from the field (the Chattahooligans briefly chanted "We'll squeege the field for a beer"), and we felt like they were doing everything they could to avoid playing the last 18 1/2 minutes (Nixon tapes, anyone?) on slow turf because they needed to score to keep their playoff hopes alive. When it looked like they were going to restart it, the clock read 69:30, so they were trying to get an extra two minutes beyond that. Now we find out that they're playing the end in a closed venue--and yes, some of us were hoping to drive down for it.
I'm sure we will be particularly biting with our chants on Sunday...