PREVIEW | Chattanooga FC vs. Silverbacks

The Atlanta Silverbacks will make a short trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, as they enter the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fray against Chattanooga FC.

It is a trip that the Silverbacks are all too familiar with. The two teams met in the third round of the tournament last year, with Atlanta walking away with a 5-0 victory. While familiarity is nice, complacency could lead to an upset. So the Silverbacks will need to be careful in their approach. Chattanooga, the only remaining team in the tournament from the National Premier Soccer League, has been a dangerous team so far this season.

Chattanooga currently sits atop their conference, which includes the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves and Georgia Revolution, in the NPSL. The team is undefeated in league play, including a 1-0 win over the Silverbacks Reserves side.

The Silverbacks should expect some tired legs from Chattanooga, though. The game on Wednesday will be their third in seven days. Luckily for them, it will be their second consecutive game at Finley Stadium.

If all goes right, Wednesday’s matchup should see chances for many Silverbacks who haven’t played much. Players like Alex Harlley, Ferrety Sousa, Christopher Christian, and Fabrice Gautrat may get an opportunity to shine as the majority of the first team rests and recuperates after coming back from Canada on Monday.

While Chattanooga has been no slouch during their season, Atlanta coach Gary Smith could see this as an opportunity for tactical experimentation. It will be interesting to see whom Smith decides to bring along on the trip.

Atlanta fans should be excited about this year’s U.S. Open Cup, if the 2014 version was any indication. The Silverbacks made a wonderful run last year. After the initial 5-0 win over Chattanooga FC, Atlanta defeated Real Salt Lake in a 2-1 thriller at Silverbacks Park. The team then traveled to Colorado to take on the Rapids for one of the most confusing games of the tournament. By the time the game was over, seven players had been ejected.

Unfortunately, the Silverbacks’ run ended the following round after a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire.

Fans will expect the Silverbacks to once again put on a great display through the tournament.

It won’t be easy, though. The winner of the match on Wednesday will fly to Harrison, N.J., to take on the New York Red Bulls on June 16. The Red Bulls are having a fantastic season, as they sit third in the MLS Eastern Conference.

With the U.S. Open Cup, the American equivalent of England’s FA Cup, being the only way for the NASL to gain entry into the prestigious CONCACAF Champions League, Smith’s Silverbacks side cannot afford to take the tournament lightly. A win against Chattanooga FC on Wednesday would get the ball rolling for a team in one of the oldest American tournaments.