Funny story: I was actually thiiiiiiiis close to buying a season ticket package to Rocket City United games. Seriously. For $50, they offered two passes to all home games, a free parking pass, and admission for two to the NPSL Final Four. If CFC wins the division (as they should) it would actually have been a good deal. But for various reasons, I didn’t buy it. However, I’m sure a lot of Rocket City fans jumped at the chance. Suckers!
We’re over halfway through the season and RCU has yet to win at home. In fact, their last home win was a June 5th, 2010 victory over then-last-place Atlanta FC. One more fact: that was their ONLY on-the-field win all last season (their 3-0 forfeiture overturned an earlier loss to Birmingham). Suffice it to say, Rocket City has fallen quite a bit from their 2009 undefeated-at-home / championship campaign. Enter: the Chattanooga Football Club.
Needing a boost after the surprising road defeat to Jacksonville United FC the week before, CFC came in and played their characteristic game of good hustle, terrific goalie play, and wear ‘em down pressure. And as was the case in previous home matches, RCU played a fine seventy minute game, yet surrendered late goals and coughed up the win in satisfying (to the 100-or-so CFC fans, anyway) fashion.
Of course, I don’t want to give the impression that our win was completely due to RCU’s home curse. Late in the game, the CFC offense was just humming along. Man-of-the-Match, Michael Brooks, played truly exceptional ball, and broke the game open on what had to be the most mature and patient goal in CFC history. (Trust me, Ochieng‘s setup was the kind of old school “you can’t guard everybody, somebody’s open” ball handling your great granddaddy used to play.)
So after the win (and a small side-trip to Pittsburgh for that oldest-soccer-tournament-in-the-new-world business), we return home for the RCU rematch, ready to spring into the divisional lead. With Atlanta’s 1-point advantage propped up by their extra game played, a victory this Saturday would put us back in the driver’s seat and all but eliminate RCU and the Knoxville Force from contention. Meanwhile, the Force will certainly have their hands full with the Georgia Revolution. Although with the match occurring in Knoxville, our fellow Tennesseans might actually help us out by stealing some points away from the competition. Yes, It’s shaping up to be a fine season, folks. Assuming you passed on the RCU ticket package, that is.
prediction for tonigh RCU 2 : 1 CFC . . . you would have really lost out on the season ticket package not needing to attend the playoff at the end of the year.