Boys in Blue open 2024 season on road at Chattanooga FC

HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville City Football Club unveiled its 2024 MLS NEXT Pro uniforms Thursday night, and now the Boys in Blue will begin their second season by visiting league newcomer Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium Saturday at 2 p.m.

Here are five things to know for Saturday’s match, airing live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

1. In their second MLS NEXT Pro season the Boys in Blue will look to build off its ninth-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2023 and push for the first playoff berth in team history. The matchup is the first of three between Huntsville and Chattanooga this year, with HCFC hosting CFC on April 20 and Aug. 10.
2. Huntsville City FC’s opening day roster is made up of returning players, new signings, and players from parent club Nashville SC as well as The Gold Mine, NSC’s youth academy. Four players return from the 2023 squad: defender Fernando Ciceron, and midfielders Izzy Johnston, Ollie Wright, and Jony Bolaños. HCFC also signed a number of new players this offseason: goalkeeper Simon Jillson, defenders Kessy Coulibaly, Tomás Ritondale, and Joel Sangwa, midfielders Patrick Amarh, Brennan Creek, and Sergi Oriol, and forwards Alexis Cerritos and Maximus Ekk. These new signings come with professional experience from a variety of leagues around the world, including the United States, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates.
3. Chattanooga FC is one of two new opponents Huntsville City FC will face this season as MLS Next Pro expands to 29 teams. Joining former NISA side Chattanooga is expansion club Carolina Core FC, who Huntsville will face for the first time on Friday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT in High Point, NC.
4. The club will wear its new secondary “To the Moon Kit” on the pitch for the first time this weekend. The “To the Moon Kit” and the primary “Countdown Kit” were unveiled at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Thursday. Both kits are inspired by the men and women who help to push the space industry forward in the Rocket City. The “Countdown Kit” will make its on-field debut on Friday, March 22 against Orlando City B at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium.
5. Huntsville City FC will host the first official watch party of the season on Saturday at Back Forty Beer Company (3254 Leeman Ferry Rd., Huntsville, AL 35801). The club will host additional watch parties for road games throughout this season.
   — Huntsville City FC