Chattanooga FC sealed a 1-0 win over Inter Miami CF II in front of a club record regular season crowd of 6,107 at Erlanger Park in an historic Saturday night in the Scenic City.
Forward Alex Krehl scored his 10th goal of the season to keep the momentum rolling for CFC.
Captain Alex McGrath had an early chance for CFC but it was broken up inside the box. In the 26th minute, Yves Tcheuyap made an excellent tackle to stop Miami's charge forward.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes, sending Saturday night's match into halftime level at 0-0.
Rondell White nearly opened the scoring for the visitors in the 53rd minute, but his shot flew high over the crossbar.
After checking into the match in the 68th minute, Krehl made a difference just three minutes later with a volley off of Daniel Mangarov's curling corner kick to find the back of the net just as fireworks in the area started to explode. With his 10th of the season, Krehl joins Zach Zengue (Columbus) and Marcus Caldeira (Minnesota) in a three-way tie for second-most goals in the league.
Miami's Zidane Cadet had a chance in the 81st, but Chattanooga FC goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović stayed strong between the posts to keep CFC's lead.
Chattanooga squashed Miami's remaining handful of chances to secure three points at home with a 1-0 win at the end of the night.
"It was a good experience for the guys to perform in front of a crowd like that," said Chattanooga FC Interim Head Coach Richard Dixon. "It was a great and intimate atmosphere, and it was super loud, which is why I lost my voice. The guys enjoyed it and to get the win and enjoy the fireworks afterwards was special and topped the night off."
Chattanooga FC will now hit the road to face fellow independent side Carolina Core FC on July 12 before returning to Finley Stadium to host Orlando City B on July 18. CFC will welcome the Creative Discovery Museum and host its second post-match Dance Party on the Pitch. Tickets are available now at CFCTIX.com.