CFC Only Pro Soccer Team in America Undefeated in League Play

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Chattanooga FC are now the only unbeaten professional soccer team in America in league play.
That’s across all pro leagues.
Let’s hope News 12’s Brian Armstrong doesn’t jinx them talking about their undefeated streak.

Said CFC player Jesus Ibarra: “We treat every game like a final. So, I mean, you don’t ever want to lose a final. And since we’re the team to be, I assume everyone plays us like it’s a final as well.”

Chattanooga FC stands atop the NISA League tables, the only American professional soccer team to not lose a game this season.

Said Ibarra: “We’re the team to beat, so it feels amazing. I mean, you don’t really see that often. All the guys, we all feel great about it. We’re very competitive. We do not want to lose. We don’t even want to tie, but at least we don’t lose a point.”

Chattanooga’s historic unbeaten run will face another90 minutes challenge from La Force. Chattanooga dominated three nothing earlier in the season, but that last result means nothing.

Said head coach Rod Underwood: “Because we’ve achieved nothing. I mean, everything is about achieving everything. That’s what it comes down to. In this league if you play teams two, three, four times, you’ve achieved nothing.”

In most other soccer leagues, the winner of the league table wins the league. But in the US, there’s a playoff system. So, despite the unbeaten record, Chattanooga is in place for the number one seed .Not a clinch title yet.

Said Underwood: “I think it’s two things. It’s for the coaches to make sure that we manage the right minutes and make sure that guys are not quite there yet physically. Then we make sure we give them a break, but also make sure that, look, we want to win every game. Every athlete wants to win every game. And there’s difference in wanting to win every game and doing the effort to win every game.”

Underwood understands the playoff system, but it’s certainly different from the rest of the world.

Said

Underwood: Everybody outside thinks it’s crazy for a playoff system, and I get it right. I’m not opposed to it because it’s whatever it is, but I love to play 32 games, and the last man standing with the best record wins, of course, but this is what this is what we have. So we have to just do what we have, and that’s fine”