This Saturday, professional soccer will arrive in Dalton.
Georgia FC, a team in the National Independent Soccer Association based in Atlanta, will play a regular season match on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Dalton Stadium, which is situated at 1275 Cross Plains Trail, near to Heritage Point Park.
Georgia FC, which debuted in NISA this season, takes on Michigan Stars FC on Saturday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 17 and under, and the gates open at 1 p.m.
This season, Dalton will host a number of games that Georgia FC, which typically plays its regular season games in Atlanta, will play. Additionally, a game is set for July 24 at 7 p.m. in Dalton Stadium. Michigan is 4-0 on the season, while Georgia is 1-2-1.
Daser, referred to as “Coach K” in the community, is the former director of soccer at Dalton State College and the founder and CEO of the North Georgia Soccer Academy in Dalton.
Some well-known players from Dalton High School and Daser’s North Georgia Soccer Academy are also on the team.
Cristian Zaragoza and Fabian Rodriguez, two former Dalton standouts, are on the Georgia FC squad. Rodriguez was previously with Chattanooga FC, a NISA team, before they moved to MLS Next Pro this season.
NISA plays professional soccer in America in the third division of the league. Zaragoza was formerly a member of the USL League One Chattanooga Red Wolves lineup.
Victor Valencia, a Rome High alumnus, and Hugo Martinez, who just committed to play collegiately for Dalton State, are two other players that trained with Daser for NGSA who are currently on the Georgia FC squad.
Apart from his involvement in local youth soccer, Daser worked for a while as a professional scout for Chattanooga FC and later assisted in the founding of Georgia FC.
In an effort to establish a professional team to Dalton permanently, he lobbied for Georgia FC to play games there.
