WPSL: CFC overcome Fire and Heat

CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- Chattanooga Football Club ended its WPSL season with a win on Thursday evening as bottom-of-the-table Atlanta Fire United were dispatched 2-1 at Finley Stadium. It was a fine comeback victory over a plucky Fire who came determined to try and win a first game of the season and earn some much needed pride.

A lightning delay had affected kick-off and the crowd was understandably small for a hot, humid, and potentially electric (in a bad way) evening. The game, scheduled for 6pm, eventually kicked off at 6:40.

CFC Head Coach stuck with her tried-and-true athletes with her starting XI picks. Stalwarts like Ashton Blair, Kasie Vigil, Kei Yoneda, and Annick Manga Zouma were selected ahead of any fringe players who might have hoped for a rare start in the season’s final game. Clearly, Harispuru was taking nothing for granted, even against the bottom club, as she aimed for a strong end to the year.

Significant news for CFC was that this week goalkeeper Blair had signed a professional contract with Portuguese side Real Sport Clube. The club, once a home to Nani and Renato Veiga, were recently promoted to the II Divisão Nacional (Second Tier) in May.

On the other side, AFU Head Coach Mirza Musafic had also gone with a routine XI that had begun to gather more respectable results in recent games. There was no sign of top scorer Weslee Istone-Haupt in the squad, she hasn’t played since June 10th. One name that CFC fans might recall in the lineup was that of Sophia Martelli. In June of last season, fans here were treated to an unusual spectacle of Martelli and her father, Dominic who was Head Coach at the time, getting sent off together. One wondered if today, without her father around, she could conspire with her sister Rose to repeat the trick. At left-back one of either Abigail Stassi or Evelyn Johnson started. The WPSL’s match sheet said Johnson #2 but there was a #9 on the field. I believe this is usually Stassi’s number. As the official sheet said Johnson, I put her in the box score below but apologies to Stassi if this is wrong.

The ‘first quarter’ (to use new soccer parlance, apparently) saw the Fire pressing more. Chattanooga didn’t start looking like the favorites or the side higher in the table. A nice, early through ball from Sophia Martelli was looking for the quick run of Kasey Sitko, but Blair was on-hand to easily gather.

Just shy of twenty minutes, a long ball on the right-wing for the Fire found Maia Brock. Her shot was saved by Blair but bobbled out to Caroline Rivera Micheo running into the box. The Puerto Rico youth international demonstrated class and composure when she fired a shot into a largely empty net to give her side a somewhat deserved 1-0 lead.

In that first period, CFC was not functioning going forward. Despite the efforts of Manga Zouma and Kasie Vigil, most through balls simply weren’t connecting and ghost runners seemed more common than live ones. On 35 minutes, defender Kei Yoneda made an excellent last-ditch tackle in the box to block a shot from Brock. There was a brief moment of worry when Yoneda stayed down after the challenge, but thankfully she soon got up. A few minutes later, more pressure in the CFC box by the Fire ended in a shot from substitute Mary Brown that sailed wide.

However, after the first hydration break, Chattanooga appeared renewed and would come to dominate the game. After the game, Harispuru put this down to the side adapting to a  new formation and the effect of the heat. The water break, it seemed, worked.

They say scoring at the cusp of half-time is the best time to do so. In the 44th minute, Manga Zouma added to her tally for the season, notching a beautiful finish after an excellent through ball from Kallie West. It was a deserved equalizer for CFC after they’d begun drawing themselves back into the game toward the end of the half. It was also a deserved goal for Manga Zouma, her third on the season.

CFC had a pair of close chances immediately after the restart. It wasn’t all one way traffic though, as some decent link up from Brown and Martelli on the other end, required a heroic effort by Karen Sodeyama to stop it dead.

Chattanooga took the lead on 48 minutes when a throw-in from Kayden Mounce dumbfounded Emma Pethel. Manga Zouma was there to dribble down the left and send a pass to the center of the box that found Tori Soutuyo dead-center. The Chattanooga-native was ready to slam it home and give her side a deserved and well-fought lead.

A minute later, West fed a smart through ball to a running Manga Zouma who could only tip it into Ashlynn Valentine’s hands. AFU began playing good ball again. On 53 mins, a great one-footed save by Ashton Blair denied Brown and three minutes later Brown found herself running at the CFC defense, yards from the box, only to slip and lose a great chance.

16-year-old academy product Ayanna Hamler came on for CFC, to a round of cheers, not least from her family in Section 105. She had a good game, linking up with Manga Zouma, Soutuyo and Kloe Reeves.

Full-time and a win for Chattanooga FC, its fourth of the eight-game regular season, ensuring a 50% win-rate for Harispuru in her first term as Head Coach. They claimed points in more than half their games but finished with an irritating -1 goal difference. That will sting a defense that was one of the best in the league. Clearly the lack of goalscoring at the other end has hurt CFC in 2026.

For Atlanta Fire, there’s a lot of questions to be asked and answered after a difficult season. They’re an excellent academy but as the WPSL continues to become more competitive with the likes of UFA, TN Tempo, and Decatur setting a mark, as well as traditional powerhouses like CFC and Nashville Rhythm in the mix, it will only become harder to compete. They end the year dead last, just one point earned from their eight matches.

Thus ends WPSL at Finley Stadium for another year. I’ll be writing up an end of season review in the coming week. Thanks for reading and thanks to the club and Head Coach Harispuru for always giving time to the National Soccer Network.

The final WPSL table after full-time.

Box Score

Chattanooga FC v Atlanta Fire United

WPSL

Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN

Final Score: Chattanooga 2-1 Atlanta Fire

Scoring summary:

19’: C. Rivera Micheo (AFU)

44’: A. Manga Zouma (CFC)

48’: T. Soutuyo (CFC)

Player of the Match: Annick Lolita Manga Zouma (CFC) - CFC’s most potent attacking threat in 2026. Continued the form that made her a standout toward the end of 2025. Deserving of her goal today and also had a great assist and she finishes with three goals on the season. Has immense technical skill and a level of footwork above many others in this league. An absolutely essential part of this team.

Starting XIs

Chattanooga FC: Ashton Blair; Tori Soutuyo, Karen Sodeyama, Kei Yoneda, Kasie Vigil (C), Kayden Mounce; Ximena Jauregui, Kallie West, Reika Yuba; Annick Manga Zouma, Kloe Reeves

Substitutes: Saylor Schalk, Yaretzi Pena, Ayana Hamler, Charlotte Reynolds, Kyleigh Hall, Lillian Gardner

Head Coach: Majo Harispuru

Atlanta Fire United: Ashlynn Valentine; Evelyn Johnson, Rose Martelli, Sophia Dommert, Emma Pethel; Gracie Tyrrell (C), Maya Pringle; Caroline Rivera Micheo; Kasey Sitko, Madelyn Allen, Sophia Martelli

Substitutes: Amara Akoh, Ariel Bolton, Baileigh Robinson, Damarys Mendez, Elena Snyder, Maia Brock, Mary Brown

Head Coach: Mirza Musafic