Join us and the Lou City Tailgaters for all your pre-match festivity needs! Tailgating typically starts around four (4) hours prior to kickoff but you may find a few die-hards out there earlier. The tailgate is supporter run and supporter funded. We recommend BYOB and food contributions. If you do partake we ask that you contribute to the general fund. The main tailgate is located at the corner of N Preston St and E Witherspoon St in the Riverside Parking Cobalt Lot. The Coopers are joined here by several other SGs, so come say hello to everyone!

About 30-40 minutes prior to kickoff we’ll start the March to the Match. Join us as we march around the tailgate lot, up Preston St, and into the east entrance. Flags will be waving, smoke will be popping, and we’ll be chanting and singing the whole way!

After the match concludes, we have beers at Against the Grain which is conveniently located right outside the Slugger Field gate. Make sure you order a pint of the Coopers-inspired Ball Control! $0.50 from every pour (on home match days) of Ball Control goes to Shirley’s Way, a most excellent local charity helping families of those afflicted with cancer.

WHO ARE WE PLAYING, AGAIN?

Bethlehem, despite their record, aren’t a bad team. They aren’t great, but they aren’t bad, either. Nashville SC blog Club and Country has them ranked two spots higher than their present point total would suggest, based on their strength of schedule so far. That said, their only win was in their season opener against a slow-out-of-the-gate Richmond Kickers team. Their last game was two weeks ago, which is a little weird. Then again, being a MLS2 team is kind of weird.

Bethlehem has never, in its entire history, started the same eleven twice. Picking a lineup for them is a bad idea, so I’m not going to.  The Steel have some talented players to watch out for, of course, including fiery Irishman James Chambers, Cory Burke (maybe? He’s been getting time with the Union lately), Brandon Allen and Santi Moar. Oh, and Derrick Jones, who should start seeing more time with the MLS team and has gotten some attention from US national team coaches. Marcus Epps is leading the team in chances created with seven in five games.

The Steel have scored six goals in five games, and given up six. Of those six, four were against Richmond in the season opener. They like to keep the ball, but are just as at ease hitting you on the counter. James O’Connor is familiar enough with the Steel’s style of play now where Morados will be prepared for it.They do like to set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Burke or Allen at the top, and tend to play pretty narrow. FThe Steel, like a lot of 2 teams, will try to exploit individual matchups, while City will try to gameplan to prevent those kinds of 1v1 situations. The Steel have yet to keep a clean sheet, also.

Let’s blank them and score a bazillion goals on Saturday, shall we? VAMOS MORADOS, VAMOS A GANAR!