All the storylines, quotes and stats you need ahead of kick-off at Finley Stadium on Sunday night.
Chattanooga Football Club (7W-8L-8D, 6SOW, 35 pts - 8th in Eastern Conference) looks to bounce back after suffering a heavy defeat at Inter Miami CF II last matchweek. CFC hosts Atlanta United 2 (6W-11L-5D, 3SOW, 26 pts - 12th in East) on Sunday, September 1st at 7:00 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium in a crucial Southeast Division rivalry game as the club looks to qualify for the playoffs in its first-ever season in the league.
This will be the third and final meeting between the two sides in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Atlanta United 2 defeated CFC 1-0 thanks to a first-half penalty kick in Kennesaw on April 17th. In the second encounter, the teams drew 2-2, with CFC coming out on top in the shootout for the extra point (5-3) back on May 25th.
Coach's Corner
Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood previewed the third and final meeting of the season with Atlanta United 2.
"Every team in the league, top to bottom, are good," said Underwood. "This Eastern Conference is quite competitive. Every team's improved every week and I see the improvement from them, so we're looking to come out and focus on what we do and do the best things that we can.
"The attitude in training has been good. Everyone's been working hard on the things we know we need to work on, so we'll be prepared for Sunday. We want to improve in our goalscoring, and we've been giving up a lot more goals than we're used to, s we want to clean that up. We want to be better with the ball and make better decisions overall. We need a higher volume of chances and a higher quality within that volume."
Know the Opponent
Atlanta United 2 is coming off a pair of 4-1 defeats, both inflicted by two Southeast Division rivals in Orlando City B and Carolina Core FC. Before that, ATL UTD 2 was having a strong August; a pair of narrow home wins over New England Revolution II (3-2) and Toronto FC II (2-1) was followed by a shootout win at Inter Miami CF II.
Forward Karim Tmimi leads the club with seven goals on the season, while Erik Centeno and Matias Gallardo are joint assists leaders with four.
Atlanta United 2 is coached by Steve Cooke, who has been at the helm since February 2023.
Head-to-head, 2024 season (CFC/ATL)
Goals scored: 33/32
Goals from counter-attacks: 2/3
Goals conceded: 34/50
Shots conceded: 305/342
Shots on target: 110/105
Clear-cut chances: 19/11
Corner kicks: 81/127
Crosses from open play: 122/228
Goals from outside penalty area: 4/4
Headed goals: 7/6
Penalty kicks: 3/3
Converted penalty kicks: 2/3
Shots off the goal frame: 6/4
Goals by substitutes: 5/5
Passes from open play: 10,373/9,033
Successful passes from open play %: 86.45/87.42
Long passes from open play: 680/812
Off the field
Olivia Reeves Celebration
There will be a plethora of celebrations before, during and after the match on Sunday night. Hometown hero Olivia Reeves, who won the gold medal in weightlifting at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will be joined by City of Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly at the match.
Fireworks are back at Finley!
At the conclusion of the match on Sunday night, fans are encouraged to stay a few minutes after to enjoy a fireworks show at Finley Stadium. It's the perfect way to celebrate Labor Day weekend!
Worker Appreciation Night
CFC will be kicking off the Labor Day weekend by celebrating employees from all industries that have created Chattanooga's strength and prosperity. The theme night is presented by Southern Honda Powersports.
Match info
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tennessee
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m. ET, Sunday September 1
Broadcast: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Talent: Mark Schoenster
Audio stream: CFC on Mixlr | Talent: Gabriel Schray
Referees:
William Hale
Head Referee
Nick Goyette
Assistant Referee 1
Joseph Jeffers
Assistant Referee 2
Benjamin Meyer
4th Official
