Chattanooga FC hosts Philadelphia Union II for the first time on Saturday, May 3rd with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium.
Chattanooga FC looks to bounce back, after suffering its first defeat of 2025 last weekend at Historic Crew Stadium against Columbus Crew 2, when it hosts 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Cup finalist Philadelphia Union II for the first time.
After posting a 5-1-1 record (17 points), Chattanooga was recognized for its strong start to the season by being named MLS NEXT Pro April Team of the Month. Head Coach Chris Nugent gave his reaction to the achievement.
"I'm most proud of the different types of performances that we've shown," said Nugent. "All have been difficult games but for various reasons, so to see how the team has adapted and been resilient in different moments is huge. That's a part of our identity—that we can find different ways of winning games and being competitive. The guys have shown that with different line-ups, different players in roles at different times, so that flexibility and adaptability and the continuity of it has been really pleasing to see."
Saturday's match will only be the second time the two sides have met. Philadelphia got the better of CFC in a 3-1 win at Subaru Park on July 11th, 2024.
The sides will meet once more in 2025 with Philadelphia set to host Chattanooga on July 12th.
What they're saying
Defender Nathan Koehler and Head Coach Chris Nugent both gave their thoughts on the challenge that Philadelphia will pose.
"They have quite a few good, young players," said Koehler. "But we need to remember what the positives have been for us so far. We need to apply those to a young, technical team that we know will try and play. We had so many goalscoring chances even in the latest game we lost, so we just need to take what went well from that game and apply it on Saturday."
They're very aggressive and direct," said Nugent. "They attempt to win the ball as quick as possible, which puts you under a lot of pressure. If you don't find the right pass at the right time it can be difficult to break through them. When they're in possession they've got good ideas and have a great willingness to get forward and into the box, and that's what makes them quite successful. They've had some good results consistently because of who they've been. They're very well organized and have a good understanding of what they want to do through the academy to the first team, so their timing of the press is very good, so it makes it a great challenge. They've also have quality individual players just like most teams in the league."
New face
The club announced the signing of defender Mike Bleeker this week. Bleeker joins CFC fresh off a standout season helping the University of Vermont Catamounts lift the school's first-ever NCAA Division I trophy.
"We're excited for Michael to join the squad," said Nugent. "He’s coming from performing well in a competitive program, with a lot of experience on strong teams. He has shown good positional awareness, is difficult to beat in 1v1s and is comfortable playing forward. He will add even more competition to the team."
Know the Opponent
Philadelphia Union II is coached by Ryan Richter, who joined the club in the off-season having had various coaching roles within the organization since 2018, including as a former assistant coach for the first team.
Philadelphia Union II brings momentum into the match following two convincing home victories against Atlanta United 2 (5-1) and New York City FC II (4-1). Richter's side is one of only two teams remaining the league yet to be beaten this season (the other is MNUFC2 in the Western Conference).
Players to watch include Cavan Sullivan, CJ Olney, Nick Pariano, Sal Olivas and Stas Korzeniowski. Midfielder David Vasquez has played the most minutes this season and is a reliable presence for Richter.
Match info
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday May 3
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | Talent: Jake Griffith
Audio Webcast: CFC on Mixlr | Talent: Gabriel Schray
Team uniforms for Saturday's match
Referees:
Kaitlyn Trowbridge
Head Referee
Aaron Riley
Assistant Referee 1
James Duling
Assistant Referee 2
Aleksandar Zhelyazkov
4th Official
