Chattanooga Football Club has embarked on a new chapter this year by competing in MLS NEXT Pro for the first time.
Joining a new league always presents challenges and brings an adaptation period along with it, however, Rod Underwood and his team have relished the challenge and adapted well.
At the time of writing, CFC sits in third place out of 15 clubs in the Eastern Conference as the season has reached its midway point.
ChattanoogaFC.com takes a deep dive into some of the underlying numbers and statistics that have defined the season so far, and takes a look at some of the league accolades the players and team has been recognized for.
All statistics are valid as of June 25, 2024.
Team Statistics
845 - CFC has made the second most passes to the final third in all of MLS NEXT Pro (845) with the league average being 670.69.
468.7 - Underwood's side are third in the league for most accurate passes per match with 468.7. CFC has the most passes in MLS NEXT Pro (8190), with the league average at 5720.9. The team has the third-highest accurate pass percentage in MLS NEXT Pro with 86.8 with the league average at 83.55.
387 - The team has taken the third most touches in the opposition box in the league and are second in the Eastern Conference in this category.
87 - CFC has completed the third most through passes in MLS NEXT Pro (87) with the league average being 67.21.
71.51 - The club are second in the Eastern Conference in progressive passes per 90 minutes (71.51). The league average is 64.32. A progressive pass is a forward pass that attempts to advance a team significantly closer to the opponent’s goal.
57 - Chattanooga FC are first in the league in blocked shots with 57 - with the league average at 36.14 - and have the highest blocked shots per 90 as well with 3.47.
56.9% - CFC has the second highest average possession in all of MLS NEXT Pro and the highest in the Eastern Conference.
53 - The club are tied for second in the league with the most key passes in MLS NEXT Pro with 53. The league average is 38.21. A key pass is a pass that immediately creates a clear goalscoring opportunity for a teammate.
28 - CFC sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points and are only one point behind first-place Philadelphia Union.
19.52 - CFC averages 19.52 touches in the penalty area per 90 minutes, which is first in the Eastern Conference. The league average is 16.46.
16.2 - CFC has the highest passes per minute of possession (passing rate) with 16.2. The league average is 13.67.
12.1 - Underwood's side are first in the league in interceptions per match with 12.1.
9.85 - CFC is first in the league in deep completions per 90 (9.85). The league average is 6.72. Deep completions are non-cross passes within 20 meters of the opponent’s goal.
9.3 - CFC has the fifth-lowest PPDA (passes per defensive action) in the league (9.3) and second-lowest in the Eastern Conference. PPDA is a metric that measures a team's effectiveness at high pressing. The lower the number, the better. Only events in a team's top 60% of the attacking zone are taken into account.
5.7 - CFC are fourth in the Eastern Conference in challenge intensity (5.7; league average is 5.15)—challenge intensity is a WyScout metric that measures how many defensive actions (defensive duels, loose ball duels, interceptions, tackles) a team is doing per minute of opponent ball possession.
4 - The club are tied for third overall and first in the Eastern Conference for most clean sheets in MLS NEXT Pro with four.
3.22 - CFC has the second highest smart passes per 90 minutes in all of MLS NEXT Pro (3.22)—the league average is 2.14. A smart pass is a WyScout metric that measures a creative and penetrative pass that attempts to break the opposition's defensive lines to gain a significant advantage in attack.
Player Statistics
77.36 - Anatolie Prepelita has the highest aerial duel success percentage in MLS NEXT Pro (77.36).
63.64 - Andres Jimenez Aranzazu has the third highest accurate through pass percentage in MLS NEXT Pro (63.64).
59 - Mehdi Ouamri has the fifth-most touches in the opposition penalty area (59).
29 - Jesus Ibarra is tied for first in the league in deep completions (non-cross passes within 20 meters of the opponent’s goal) with 29. Ibarra has the second highest deep completions per 90 minutes in the league (2.79).
27 - Captain Alex McGrath is tied for fifth in most chances created in MLS NEXT Pro (27).
18 - Jean Antoine has the fifth most “leaving line” stats in MLS NEXT Pro (18). Leaving line is defined by WyScout as an attempt from the part of the goalkeeper to actively play a high cross or a long aerial pass in the air, either to claim or to punch the ball. Antoine has the fifth most “leaving line” per 90 minutes in the league (1.64).
8 - McGrath is tied for the third-most combined goals and assists in MLS NEXT Pro (8) and is only two behind first place (10).
6 - Mehdi Ouamri is tied for fourth for most goals scored in the league so far with six. Chicago's David Poreba leads the league with nine.
5 - According to FotMob, whose data is calculated based on stats provided by Opta, Taylor Gray is tied for most assists in MLS NEXT Pro (five).
4 - Colombian veteran Carlos Rivas is tied for second for highest shots per 90 minutes in MLS NEXT Pro (4.0).
3 - Jean Antoine is tied for the second most clean sheets in the league and tied for first in the Eastern Conference (three).
2.4 - Anatolie Prepelita is tied for the sixth most interceptions per 90 minutes in the league (2.4).
1.7 - Farid Sar-Sar has the second highest blocks per 90 minutes in the league and is first in the Eastern Conference (1.7).
1.43 - Luis Garcia Sosa has the second highest smart passes per 90 minutes in MLS NEXT Pro (1.43).
1.1 - Jon Burke has the fourth lowest conceded goals per 90 minutes in MLS the league (1.1) and the fifth highest saves per 90 minutes (3.67).
0.94 - Jalen James has the fourth-highest goals per 90 minutes in MLS NEXT Pro (0.94), and the third-highest in the Eastern Conference.
0.49 - Burke has the highest prevented goals per 90 minutes in the league (0.49)
League honors won so far
Goal of the Matchweek
- Jesus Ibarra (Matchweek 2)
- Mehdi Ouamri (Matchweek 12)
Team of the Matchweek
- Chattanooga FC (Matchweek 5)
Team of the Month
- Chattanooga FC (April)
