Atlanta Silverbacks prepare for U.S. Open Cup

Release from Atlanta Silverbacks’ media relations staff:

The scheduling gods didn’t make it easy on the Atlanta Silverbacks and Chattanooga FC ahead of their 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday. The Silverbacks made the long trip to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada over the weekend, while Chattanooga FC played back-to-back road games in New Orleans and Pensacola on Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, the teams might not be the most well rested going into Wednesday’s Cup tie, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Despite each side’s extensive road travels, it’s safe to say neither team will need any help getting up for Wednesday’s fixture. The winner of the game will go on to host Major League Soccer (MLS) side Real Salt Lake in the next round of the Cup, which is an exciting prospect for any lower-division side. In fact, the Silverbacks have never hosted a MLS team at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, making Wednesday’s game in Chattanooga a bigger game than it perhaps appears on paper.

The Silverbacks will play a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team in the Cup for a third straight season, having played against the Georgia Revolution each of the last two years. Playing against Chattanooga FC, however, is uncharted territory, as Wednesday will mark the first ever matchup between the Silverbacks first team and Chattanooga.

As far as momentum is concerned, both teams will enter the upcoming third-round Cup tie on the heels of a win. The Silverbacks grinded out a 2-1 win over FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium on Saturday, thanks to goals from forward Jaime Chavez and midfielder Kwadwo Poku. Chattanooga FC topped Pensacola City FC, 1-0, on Sunday to generate their own momentum going into Wednesday’s matchup. They did, however, fall to the New Orleans Jesters, 3-2, in the Big Easy on Saturday.

For the Silverbacks, the trip to Chattanooga ends a brutal stretch of road games that began back on May 10. Technical Director Eric Wynalda’s side lost two of their three NASL road games during that stretch, and hopes to end the road trip on a high note by topping Chattanooga. The team returns home for a pair of NASL home games on May 31 and June 7, and with a win on Wednesday, a home game against Real Salt Lake on June 14 would be added to that homestand.

With their win over FC Edmonton, the Silverbacks climbed one spot in the North American Soccer League (NASL) standings. The seventh-place Silverbacks sit even on points with the sixth-place Tampa Bay Rowdies through seven league games. The team’s nine points puts them within one result of the fourth-place Fort Lauderdale Strikers, with two home games at Silverbacks Park coming up to close out the 2014 Spring Season schedule.