CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 15, 2024) — Chattanooga Football Club announced today that goalkeeper Jean Antoine will take part in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Goalie Wars competition during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, July 23rd at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Antoine is one of only four goalkeepers selected from MLS NEXT Pro to take part in the competition, which will be broadcast nationally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish.
The following four goalkeepers were selected by the league to participate in the competition:
- Jean Antoine - Chattanooga FC
- Michael Collodi - North Texas SC
- Stas Lapkes - Columbus Crew 2
- Chituru Odunze - Crown Legacy FC
The quartet will compete for a one-of-a-kind, custom championship belt.
The players will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, defending their own net while trying to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking or drop-kicking the ball; it’s a back-and-forth battle for three :90-second rounds as the goalkeepers test their shot-stopping abilities and goal-scoring touch.
Last year, Crown Legacy FC’s Isaac Walker emerged victorious, besting eventual 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS NEXT Pro Champion Damian Las (Austin FC II), and will be on-hand at this year’s event to help crown the next Goalie Wars champion along with other special guests.
The cult classic from 2001, Goalie Wars, made its official return to MLS at the 2023 All-Star Skills Challenge, featuring four goalkeepers from MLS NEXT Pro - and is back again in 2024 with four new MLS NEXT Pro keepers competing.
Last year’s Goalie Wars was the highest engaged of all MLS All-Star content on MLS social media.
Tickets for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T are on-sale now for $25 and can be purchased here. MLS and LIGA MX will compete on behalf of Adaptive Sports Connection and Special Olympics Ohio resulting in $25,000 donations to their respective charities.
ABOUT GOALIE WARS
After a rousing success last year, the fan-favorite Goalie Wars competition returns to MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T in 2024. Throughout Tuesday’s event four MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, defending their own net while trying to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking or drop-kicking the ball. It will be a back-and-forth battle for three :90-second rounds as the goalkeepers test their shot-stopping abilities and goal-scoring touch.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA FOOTBALL CLUB
Founded in 2009 by Chattanoogans, the club became one of the most storied teams in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and played in six national championships as an amateur men’s team. The men’s team turned professional in 2020 and joined MLS NEXT Pro in 2023 as an independent team. The CFC Women compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) as an amateur team in the summer. CFC still holds the amateur soccer attendance record for 18,227 fans who watched the NPSL final in Finley Stadium in 2015. www.chattanoogafc.com
ABOUT MLS NEXT Pro
Launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT to MLS first teams. MLS NEXT Pro continues to grow the game through innovation and diversity, bringing professional soccer to new communities and creating opportunities both on and off the field. MLS NEXT Pro will celebrate its third season in 2024 with 29 teams, 27 MLS-affiliated and two independent, Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC. Additional MLS-affiliated and independent clubs will join in the years ahead, including Cleveland and Jacksonville Armada FC. The majority of MLS NEXT Pro’s matches are broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV as part of the groundbreaking partnership between Apple and MLS. For more information about MLS NEXT Pro, visit mlsnextpro.com.
