Ahead of Chattanooga FC's match against Atlanta United 2 on Saturday, August 8, the club hosted a special ceremony to officially induct Juan Hernandez into its Hall of Legends.
The date of August 8 holds special significance to the club as it was on that day in 2015 when 18,227 fans attended the NPSL National Championship and broke the country's amateur soccer attendance record.
Hernandez retired from playing in 2023 and made an indelible impact on Chattanooga FC during his eight seasons with the club.
The Madrid native is the club's second all-time assists leader (24) and second all-time appearance maker (127 matches).
Hernandez is the lone member of the Class of 2026, following on from co-founder Sheldon Grizzle (2025) and the inaugural class of 2024, which included co-founder Thomas Clark, former head coach Bill Elliott and all-time appearance maker Zeca Ferraz.
Ferraz, Clark and Grizzle all gave remarks before Hernandez's plaque was unveiled.
Hernandez has continued his legacy with the club beyond his playing days. In 2025 he led CFC to a Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) national semifinal. And this year he led the CFC Youth 09/10G Elite team to Chattanooga's first-ever national championship in girls' youth soccer.
"It's an honor to be sharing this wall with wonderful people," said Hernandez. "People that welcomed me since day one. People that led this culture, this city, this community and connected the sport of soccer with a team, with a community in a way that I could never believe."
