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Damian Rodriguez had a very different experience on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium than he is used to.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old former Dalton High School football superstar was a deciding factor in Chattanooga Football Club’s stunning 3-3 draw against Atlanta United FC in Major League Soccer in the pre-season game.<\/p>\n
In the 44th minute, he set up the exhibition equalizer and final goal, faking a right-flank defender, speeding into the box and sending a pass to Alex McGrath through the legs of an incoming sliding tackler to score. Earned. come close.<\/p>\n
It was Rodriguez’s second assist in a 45-minute substitution, coming against Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan, who has played for the United States in two World Cups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such an amazing experience playing Atlanta United,\u201d Rodriguez said. It felt surreal and wonderful that they wanted a game and a picture and an autograph for their fans to recognize me later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atlanta only dropped one regular starter in the first half. Thiago’s Armada became the first active MLS player to reach a World Cup final last month. Armada, 21, was called up by three-time World Cup winners Argentina to replace an injured player just before the start of the tournament in Qatar.<\/p>\n
Saturday’s final results were special for CFC, which started as an amateur club in 2009 and switched to professional status in 2020. The National Independent Football Association had won 13-1 on aggregate in his three previous meetings with Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Fans flooded Finley Stadium with Saturday’s attendance of 7,513, the seventh-highest in CFC history and the largest since the club’s 4-0 loss to Atlanta in the 2017 preseason match when 12,484 were on hand. was.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur club is ambitious,\u201d said CFC second-year coach Rod Underwood. \u201cIf we had the chance to host a team of this level, we would love to put on a show for the city. but this club is one of the top 3 I have ever been to.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was a great example of why Chattanooga is a special place for football.\u201d<\/p>\n
CFC were on tiptoe against a majority of Atlanta’s starting eleven in the first half \u2014 both first units were replaced by younger players after scoreless seconds \u2014 Underwood and CFC’s players said their club’s I was hesitant to say that I was close to the same level as my opponent.<\/p>\n
Atlanta won the MLS Cup for the second season in 2018 and was the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champion in 2019.<\/p>\n
\nDamien Rodriguez made a stunning discovery on Alex McGrath for the Equalizer. CFC have been playing well with Atlanta United, scoring his three goals in Brad Guzman. 44′. 3-All. pic.twitter.com\/HktaQugohK<\/a><\/p>\n