CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (June 1, 2024) — Chattanooga FC hosted New England Revolution II in a rainy affair, but a beautiful goal made up for the ugly weather in a 1-0 win for CFC that saw the Boys in Blue jump back to the top of the MLS NEXT Pro league table.
The first half saw an even amount of chances for both sides, with the heavy rain keeping the teams cautious in defense. The matchup was cagey, and the weather made it difficult for either side to get a hold of the ball. Each side threatened in the opposition's box, but it remained all square thanks to strong goalkeeping.
In the 29th minute, Jean Antoine made a split-second kick save to keep the game all square. Each side had two shots on target at the end of the first half, but nothing to separate them at the half.
The second half saw the Boys in Blue shut down New England defensively. In the 69th minute, Farid Sar-Sar had a sliding goalline clearance to keep Chattanooga in the game. The game remained just as tight as it started, until a red card for the away side flipped the game on its head.
In the 72nd minute, New England defender Tiago Suarez received his second yellow card and was dismissed from the game.
Eight minutes after the red card, CFC forward Mehdi Ouamri scored a stellar bicycle kick off of a set piece to give the Blues the lead late in the game. Jude Arthur headed the ball across the six-yard box after receiving the free-kick near midfield to assist the game winner.
The result sees CFC jump back to the top of the MLS NEXT Pro league table.
Chattanooga FC will travel away to Chicago Fire II next Friday, June 7, at 7:30 P.M. ET in their next match, as they aim to stay near the summit of the league table.
Notes:
- Three changes from last match (vs ATL UTD 2 on 5/25): Jesse Williams came in for Anatolie Prepelita on the backline, Alex McGrath started in place of Luis Garcia Sosa and Jalen James came in for Taylor Gray
- This was the first match of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season that Anatolie Prepelita did not feature
- Jesse Williams started for the first time since April 27th vs Carolina Core FC
- Jalen James started for the first time since April 24th vs Atlanta United 2
- Minjae Kwak made his CFC debut in the 79th minute
Quotes
Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood gave his reaction to the victory over New England.
"We have a lot of guys in the locker room who can make plays, and Mehdi made a play tonight," said Underwood. "Other guys made some good plays. We weren't at our best tonight, but we're still building and growing. At the end of the day, three points is three points regardless of what it looks like."
On changes made at half-time:
"We had some points we wanted to get across: how we were defending in certain parts of the field and what we were doing when we were getting in and around the goal and having better possession and quality in possession."
On Jean Antoine's performance and the team's defensive performance as a whole:
"That's the expectation and the standard, but I applaud them for doing it, because there's a difference than having a standard and reaching a standard. Some of those guys tonight reached that standard."
On Ouamri's bicycle kick:
"It's always nice to see an overhead kick, right? That's not the expectation, but we know that if he's in and around the box consistently then he has a chance to make some plays and to score some goals."
On Minjae Kwak's debut:
"I thought he was good. I've tried to sign Minjae for two years, and we finally got him. He was hurt at first, but I'm really excited to see what he can do and glad he got his time tonight."
On the supporters and any additional thoughts:
"The fans stuck it out through the rain and cheered us on regardless of how we were playing and the support is unbelievable. We say 'thank you' to them. It's about the players. Players coming and perform. At times, they may not do exactly how we draw things up, but they worked. That's the baseline. Show up to work and show up to do things."
Box Score:
Chattanooga FC (6W-2L-4D, 3SOW, 25 pts.) - New England Revolution II (3W-6L-2D, 2SOW, 13 pts.)
Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Attendance: 2,469
Weather conditions: Rain
Final score:
CFC: 1
NE: 0
Scoring summary:
80’: Ouamri - CFC
Stats (CFC/NE):
Possession: 51% / 49%
xG: 1.34 / 2.15
Shots: 11 / 17
Shots on goal: 4 / 5
Blocked shots: 2 / 6
Total passes: 493 / 386
Passing accuracy percentage: 84 / 78.5
Corners: 4 / 9
Total crosses: 3 / 7
Offsides: 1 / 1
Goalkeeper saves: 5 / 3
Clearances: 7 / 3
Fouls: 9 / 13
Discipline:
43’ - CFC: Garvanian (Caution)
62’ - NE: Suarez (Caution)
72’ - NE: Suarez (Second Caution: Dismissal)
86' - CFC: McGrath (Caution)
92’ - CFC: Ouamri (Caution)
Line-ups:
CFC starters: Jean Antoine, Milo Garvanian, Farid Sar-Sar, Duvan Viafara, Jesse Williams, Jude Arthur, Andres Jimenez Aranzazu (79’ - Minjae Kwak), Alex McGrath (C), Jalen James (46’ - Taylor Gray), Jesus Ibarra, Mehdi Ouamri
Substitutes not used: Jonathan Burke, Anatolie Prepelita, Joseph Perez, Robert Screen, Luis Garcia Sosa, Ethan Koren, Damian Rodriguez
Head Coach: Rod Underwood
NE starters: Max Weinstein, Hesron Barry, Tiago Suarez, Victor Souza (C), Damario McIntosh, Eric Klein, Maciel, Patrick Leal (75’ - Luka Borovic), Gevork Diarbian (75’ - Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi), Malcolm Fry (57’ - Braedon Smith), Andrej Bjelajac (57’ - Liam Butts)
Substitutes not used: Gabriel Chavez, Steban Lopera, Alex Parvu, Mason Sullivan, John David Gunn
Head coach: Richie Williams
