It was an extremely eventful weekend for the Huntsville City Football Club (HCFC) as the newly formed club kicked off their inaugural season with a dramatic win on Sunday in their first official match. This landmark moment occurred just a few days after the public got their first look at some of the uniforms for the team and the sponsor, Renasant Bank, to go along with it.

HCFC earned two points in the Eastern division standings along with a victory in their MLS NEXT Pro debut on Sunday as they faced off against Crown Legacy FC in their home of Matthews, North Carolina. After two regulation goals from striker Azaad Liadi, regulation time concluded in a 2-2 tie, which meant it was time for penalty kicks as a result of the MLS NEXT Pro rules.

The rule book states that if a match ends in a tie after 90 minutes, the contest will transition to penalties with each team alternating uncontested shots on the opposing goalkeeper from inside the penalty box until one team fails to score. Each team traded goals until Adem Sipic scored in the top frame of the sixth round, while goalkeeper Ben Martino made a kick save to secure the club’s first win.

After the match, Head Coach Jack Collison spoke to the media about the excitement of winning the first match in club history and the unique circumstances of the win.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going into it,” said Collison. “We practiced penalties over the past few weeks just in case. There was a lot of excitement and tension at the end with both sides having a 16 year old step up and obviously for us it’s great to get the win and the extra bonus point that could be massive at the end of the season.”

Liadi scored the first goal in HCFC history just eight minutes into the match after beating two defenders and sending a powerful shot into the corner above the keeper’s head. The match was back and forth as Crown Legacy, who is also playing their inaugural season, tied things up at the 20 minute mark and in the closing seconds of stoppage time.

Sunday’s match marked the beginning of seven consecutive road matches and a bye week before the grand opening of Joe Davis Stadium at 7 p.m. CT on May 19, which is a repeat matchup against Crown Legacy FC, whose parent club is the Charlotte Football Club.

For all of these matches on the road, the players will be sporting the freshly unveiled ‘First Launch Kit,’ the secondary set of uniforms for the club’s first season. The ‘First Launch Kit’, which is inspired by Huntsville’s rich history in the space industry, is mainly white to represent the space suits worn by astronauts who explored space using rockets researched and designed at the Marshall Space Center in Huntsville.

The HCFC crest is featured prominently on the front of the kit, with its shooting star and checkered pattern inspired by rockets. In order to celebrate the connection between HCFC and its parent club, Nashville Soccer Club, the kit also features the Nashville SC “N” monogram and soundwaves on the back of the neck above the player’s name.

Renasant Bank will replicate its journey with Nashville SC in a brand new partnership with Huntsville City FC. The leading regional financial services institution, who debuted its partnership with Nashville SC and Major League Soccer in 2020, will now take the pitch in MLS NEXT Pro with Huntsville City FC, as its logo appears on the front of the kit similarly to Nashville SC

Additionally, Renasant Bank was announced with the kit as the club’s first ever uniform sponsorship. The financial service institution will replicate its journey with Nashville SC in a brand new partnership with Huntsville City FC.

“We believe our fans will love the beautiful design and the unique features that recognize our City’s space and rocket heritage,” said Chad Emerson, Managing Director of Business Operations for HCFC. “We’re also especially grateful for Renasant Bank, a major partner of Nashville SC, and now a key partner in our very own journey in MLS NEXT Pro.”

Fans can watch the upcoming matches with MLS Season Pass in the Apple TV app. To watch the match with other supporters, there was an official watch party Sunday at Yellowhammer Brewing’s tap room, the club’s official pub partner.

With the amount of fans who packed into Yellowhammer, the watch party will most likely be repeated for the rest of the stretch of away matches. Those interested can bond over their love of Huntsville soccer at the bar as they watch the matches on the brewery’s big screen television and anticipate the club’s first home match.