Read on for a full recap, post-match reaction and much more.
HIGH POINT, N.C. (April 13, 2025) — Chattanooga Football Club continued its unbeaten start in MLS NEXT Pro league play after a convincing 4-1 away win over Southeast Division rivals and fellow independent side Carolina Core FC thanks to goals from four different sources.
An early own goal from Carolina defender Ibrahim Covi opened the scoring for CFC in High Point. David Polanco headed in an equalizer for the hosts moment later, however, it was all Chattanooga FC after that.
Captain Farid Sar-Sar headed in his first goal for the club in the 34th minute from Tate Robertson's in-swinging free-kick.
Things went from bad to worse for Covi, who was shown a second yellow card in the 47th minute and was sent off.
Chattanooga took full control of its man advantage. Robertson went from provider to goalscorer six minutes later to give the Boys in Blue a two-goal cushion. Substitute Peter Plougmand then put the cherry on top with his first goal for the club. The Danish striker got on the end of a brilliant one-touch pass from Minjae Kwak and finished with conviction to put the result beyond any doubt.
"It's obviously a great result given how Core played last weekend," said Chattanooga FC Head Coach Chris Nugent. "I was really pleased with some of our attacking play. We caused them a lot of problems, which led to free-kicks, red cards and goalscoring chances. I do think we can increase our attacking incision a little bit. We showed great character. The guys kept a level head throughout the match, so I'm really pleased with that. This great start is a lot of credit to the staff and the players and the commitment they've shown since the start of January."
Nugent also touched on the contributions of each of the goalscorers, who all notched their first goals for the club in a competitive match.
"They've [Sar-Sar and Robertson] both been huge for us all season. They contribute in a lot of ways that don't always show up on the statsheet, so it's great for them both to score and get some recognition in that way. Peter [Plougmand] came in and has had to be patient to get some minutes, so to see him score on virtually his first touch is huge. There's a lot of excitement to see him play, so to see him rewarded for his hard work off the field is huge."
After five matches in league play, CFC is off to its best start in the club's professional era and since 2016 overall. The Boys in Blue now have a three-point cushion at the top of the Eastern Conference.
CFC will be back at Finley Stadium on Saturday, April 19th to face the other North Carolina-based team in the league, Crown Legacy FC (Charlotte), with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. EST. Tickets are on sale now.
Noteworthy
- Keegan Ancelin, Jesus Ibarra and Daniel Mangarov started as a front-three for the first time this season
- Jakupović, Sar-Sar, Garvanian, Robertson, Mendonca and Watson are the six players in Nugent's squad to have started all seven matches so far this season
- Sar-Sar, Robertson and Plougmand all scored their first goals for the club in official competition
- This was CFC's first win at Truist Point Stadium
- The result evens the historical head-to-head between the two clubs (2-2)
- The result is also the largest margin of victory of any match between the two clubs
Box Score
Carolina Core FC (1W-1D-2L, 1SOW, 5 pts.) - Chattanooga FC (4W-0D-1L, 1SOW, 14 pts.)
Truist Point Stadium | High Point, N.C.
Final score:
CCFC: 1
CFC: 4
Scoring summary:
13': Ibrahim Covi own goal - CFC
18': David Polanco - CCFC
34': Farid Sar-Sar - CFC
53': Tate Robertson - CFC
79': Peter Plougmand - CFC
Stats (CCFC / CFC):
xG (expected goals): 2.06 / 1.16
Possession: 51% / 49%
Shots: 17 / 10
Shots on goal: 4 / 4
Blocked shots: 8 / 2
Total passes: 466 / 475
Passing accuracy percentage: 88% / 88%
Corners: 7 / 3
Total crosses: 9 / 3
Offsides: 1 / 2
Goalkeeper saves: 1 / 3
Clearances: 2 / 8
Fouls: 18 / 9
Discipline:
11' - CCFC: Ibrahim Covi (Caution)
17' - CCFC: Juan Pablo Rodriguez (Caution)
25' - CFC: Nick Mendonca (Caution)
45'+4 - CCFC: Paul Leonardi (Caution)
47' - CCFC: Ibrahim Covi (Second caution and dismissal)
62' - CCFC: Alex Sutton (Caution)
62' - CFC: Nathan Koehler (Caution)
72' - CCFC: David Polanco (Caution)
84' - CCFC: Santiago Cambindo (Caution)
Line-ups:
CCFC starters: Alex Sutton, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Ibrahim Covi, Daniel Chica, Jathan Juarez, Paul Leonardi (Zion Scarlett 69'), Facundo Canete, Alenga Charles (Santiago Cambindo 78'), Jacob Evans (Derek Cuevas 78'), Drake Hadeed (Glory Nzingo 53'), David Polanco (Joshua Rodriguez 78')
Substitutes not used: Andrew Pannenberg, Aryeh Miller, Jonathan Bazaes, Anthony Sumo Jr.
Head Coach: Donovan Ricketts
CFC starters: Eldin Jakupović, Ethan Dudley, Nathan Koehler (Logan Brown 69'), Farid Sar-Sar (C), Milo Garvanian, Tate Robertson (Robert Screen 84'), Nick Mendonca (Steeve Louis Jean 78'), Callum Watson, Daniel Mangarov (Minjae Kwak 69'), Keegan Ancelin, Jesus Ibarra (Peter Plougmand 78')
Substitutes not used: Michael Barrueta, Darwin Ortiz, Markus Naglestad
Head Coach: Chris Nugent
