HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The first-ever season for Huntsville City FC came to an end on Sunday afternoon at home in a 2-2 tie to Chicago Fire II, then Chicago got the extra point in a 4-2 shootout win.

The loss, paired with wins from New York City FC II and Philadelphia Union II, eliminated the Boys in Blue from playoff contention, officially ending what head coach Jack Collison called a “roller coaster” inaugural season.

Huntsville didn’t get its first regulation win until its home opener which was the eighth game of the season. Then they went on a run to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs, but then they struggled this past month, their last regulation win coming on August 19, to fall below that playoff line.

While Collison is disappointed his team didn’t reach their goal of making it to the playoffs, he said he’s still proud of his team’s fight and is happy with the foundation they’ve built here in Huntsville.

“I think when we review and reflect, there’s going to be lots of positives that we can take from it, some of the individual performances and individual growth as well within the group as well has been really fun to watch,” Collison said. “The building and the preparation starts for 2024, we don’t want to be in a position where we fall short again so for me and my staff, it’s important that we get together and dissect what we have learned and try to find areas where we can improve and of course embrace the moments where we have done well and have performed well and try to lean on that for future experiences. We’ve just scratched the surface, we’ve just started uncovering something that I think can be really special.”

Huntsville finished its first season wit h38 points, nine wins, 12 losses and seven ties.