Read on for a full recap, post-match reaction and much more.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (April 19, 2025) — Chattanooga Football Club won a third consecutive league match for the first time since joining MLS NEXT Pro after coming from behind to defeat Crown Legacy FC 2-1 on Saturday evening. Second half goals from substitute Peter Plougmand and Jesus Ibarra made the difference and saw the club extend its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Crown Legacy FC opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Magic Smalls finished into the top corner after a swift counter attack.
Head Coach Chris Nugent made one change at the half, bringing on Plougmand for Logan Brown, and changed the team's shape, switching largely from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3.
"Changing the numbers to give us three midfielders and a back four helped us progress well was a big factor for making those changes," said Nugent in his post-match press conference. "We needed another forward on to press a little more. I felt Crown Legacy were effective when they hit that long diagonal ball and the way we were set up in the first half didn't really allow us to press that way and we couldn't get tight enough to it, so that was the reason for the change."
The adjustments made an immediate impact and CFC was level by the 51st minute when Plougmand headed in Tate Robertson's excellent delivery.
Just seven minutes later, Ibarra scored what would ultimately prove to be the winner when he picked off Baye Coulibaly's errant pass inside Crown Legacy's own penalty area and finished superbly into the top corner for his first goal of the 2025 league campaign.
Nugent's side showed the character and grit that has been evident throughout the season and saw out the result for another precious three points in the league, which sees the club extend its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
"We need to continue doing what we're doing and getting better at it," continued Nugent. "We had an early preseason, so having a plan of what we were wanting to do week by week, the guys have broke the season down into thirds of how they want to attack each moment. We want to have the right players on at the right time and in the right system. Our guys are so flexible and adaptable, and that makes them special. The guys need to continue to challenge themselves daily. What each of them bring themselves is what will keep helping us grow."
Next up for CFC is a trip to Columbus, Ohio to face Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday, April 27th for a 3:00 p.m. EST kick-off at Historic Crew Stadium. The club's next home match is set for Saturday, May 3rd against Philadelphia Union II, with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. EST. Tickets are on sale now.
Noteworthy
- Chattanooga defeated Crown Legacy for the first time
- Chattanooga FC won three league matches in a row since joining MLS NEXT Pro
- CFC came from behind and won a match for the first time this season
- Since Chris Nugent took interim charge of the club at the end of the 2024 season, CFC is now 15 matches unbeaten (including 2025 preseason matches)
- Steeve Louis Jean made his first league start for Chattanooga FC
- Eldin Jakupović, Farid Sar-Sar, Milo Garvanian, Tate Robertson and Callum Watson all started in their sixth consecutive league match of the season and eighth competitive match of 2025 (other two in U.S. Open Cup)
- Peter Plougmand scored in consecutive matches after opening his account for the club last weekend at Carolina Core
Box Score
Chattanooga FC (5W-0L-1D, 17 pts.) - Crown Legacy FC (0W-2L-3D, 4 pts.)
Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Final score:
CFC: 2
CLFC: 1
Scoring summary:
21': Magic Smalls - CLFC
51': Peter Plougmand - CFC
58': Jesus Ibarra - CFC
Stats (CFC / CLFC):
xG (expected goals): 2.18 / 0.97
Possession: 47% / 53%
Shots: 12 / 11
Shots on goal: 4 / 4
Blocked shots: 3 / 5
Total passes: 324 / 404
Passing accuracy percentage: 77.8 / 81.7
Corners: 8 / 3
Total crosses: 8 / 4
Offsides: 3 / 1
Goalkeeper saves: 3 / 2
Clearances: 8 / 3
Fouls: 12 / 17
Discipline:
17' - Milo Garvanian - CFC (Caution)
61' - Jamie Smith - CLFC (Caution)
74' - Callum Watson - CFC (Caution)
90'+3 - Eldin Jakupović - CFC (Caution)
Line-ups:
CFC starters: Eldin Jakupović, Farid Sar-Sar (C), Nathan Koehler (Ethan Dudley 78'), Logan Brown (Peter Plougmand 46'), Milo Garvanian, Steeve Louis Jean (Nick Mendonca 63'), Callum Watson, Tate Robertson, Daniel Mangarov, Jesus Ibarra (Robert Screen 83'), Minjae Kwak (Keegan Ancelin 63')
Substitutes not used: Michael Barrueta, Darwin Ortiz, Colin Thomas, Markus Naglestad
Head Coach: Chris Nugent
CLFC starters: Isaac Walker, Mikah Thomas (Daniel Moore 68'), Jack Neeley (C), Yves Tcheuyap, Jamie Smith (Barzee Blama 78'), Aron John (Andrej Subotic 68'), Baye Coulibaly, Emmanuel Uchegbu, Magic Smalls (Jack Sarkos 46'), Dylan Sing, Rocket Ritarita (Brian Romero 29')
Substitutes not used: Nicholas Holliday, Ferna Ferreira
Head Coach: Gary Dicker
