Head Coach and Sporting Director Rod Underwood and midfielder Alex McGrath preview the inaugural "Blastoff Battle" taking place from February 16-18 in Huntsville.
After a rain-filled preseason fixture with USL League One side, One Knox, that ultimately ended early due to poor conditions, Chattanooga Football Club look to get back on track when they travel to Huntsville, Ala. for the inaugural Huntsville City "Blastoff Battle” this weekend.
Chattanooga FC will play two matches during the invitational in preparation for the club's inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season. Their first fixture will be against USL League One side South Georgia Tormenta FC on Friday, Feb 16th, at 4:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. ET.
CFC will close out their weekend with a match against the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAB) Chargers on Sunday, Feb. 18th, at 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET.
Head Coach and Sporting Director Rod Underwood previewed CFC’s upcoming trip to Huntsville and talked about his approach to the preseason tournament.
"We’re just focusing on us, trying to find the right players, trying to find the right mix,” said Underwood. "Our goal is to get our guys minutes and to get our guys together, and that’s what we’re really interested in on the weekend."
Coach Underwood went on to talk about what a successful weekend would look like for CFC.
“It’s as multitude of things,” said Underwood. “Hopefully some of the guys we have on trial will perform up to the level we think they can and we sign them. Number two, we show our football. We show that what we worked on in the last week and a half, two weeks, is clear on the field. I would say thirdly, we win.”
He went on to talk about the brand of football CFC plays and what the fans should expect to see when the squad takes the field this weekend.
“Our football is possession; it’s non-negotiable possession, meaning that, we just don’t change. It’s irrelevant who we play, even more so in preseason. It’s about getting the principles right, getting the guys comfortable.”
CFC midfielder Alex McGrath also spoke about this weekend's matches and what they mean for the club.
“This weekend is a good challenge, the fact we have the two games. I said to the lads at the end of training that it's a good opportunity to make sure you’re still earning your place. I think we’ve got good competition which always pushes that, so it’ll be an interesting weekend."
McGrath talked about the atmosphere he expects in Huntsville and how it’ll be to play in front of fans for the first time this season.
"As a player you obviously always want to play in front of as many fans as possible, and thankfully we always have that here at Finley. It’ll be good to go somewhere else that’s hopefully like that."
Fans can explore all ticketing options for the Blastoff Battle here.
