Chattanooga FC’s International Moves
- Philip Farrell
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- League of Ireland (LOI) Premier Division outfit Drogheda United announced the loan signing this week of Chattanooga Football Club forward Keegan Ancelin. The LOI operates a Spring to Fall season, the same as MLS Next Pro, and the 23-year old will join for the rest of the ongoing 2026 campaign.
The move represents yet another important milestone in CFC’s journey as a professional club, doing things that professional clubs do, such as operating in the international transfer market.
Ancelin
Hailing from Jacksonville, Keegan Ancelin was signed by Chattanooga in January 2025 out of the University of West Florida. His first season in 2025 saw him score three goals in 28 appearances, while adding three assists. Life at Finley Stadium started blisteringly as Ancelin looked the best of a new crop of players for CFC’s second season in MLS Next Pro. He got three goals and two assists across the opening four games, and looked a possible replacement for Mehdi Ouamri up front. The goalscoring momentum wasn’t maintained, however, and he began to be played out on the wing by then Head Coach Chris Nugent and was also restricted to substitute appearances by season’s end.
So far in 2026, Ancelin has made 13 appearances in all competitions, starting only two. This lack of game-time and a consistent starting berth will have influenced his decision to move to Ireland. He managed one goal and provided one assist. His last strike came in late March when, as a substitute, he netted the first of two CFC goals in the 87th minute to rally a 2-0 win over Columbus Crew 2 at home.
His first goal for CFC came at Inter Miami II in March 2025, just 121 seconds into his debut when he got to the end of an Alex McGrath pass to poke or backpass it into the goal. A few weeks later he scored a great poacher’s goal at Atlanta United 2 in a 2-2 draw. His finest hour for the club, though, was on April 5 when he came off the bench to assist Daniel Mangarov and then score his own in a brilliant 2-0 win at home against Orlando City B. His goal, in particular, was a neat bit of skill; controlling the ball well in the box, despite being marked and on the move before firing a lovely finish in. Another important contribution is when he drew the penalty for the go-ahead goal in a 4-2 away win at Crown Legacy in September.
In total, he made 41 appearances across all competitions during his 18-month spell registering four goals and four assists.
What kind of player are Drogheda getting? I’d describe Ancelin as an exceptionally hard working and likeable player (two traits that should endear him to LOI fans) capable of contributing big goals and good wing-play, if given the chance. The atmosphere at LOI games is very different to that of MLS Next Pro, so I’d advise him to pack his thickest skin for the journey. I believe he can succeed there.
Drogheda
Drogheda (pronounced draw·huh·duh, spoken fast) is a medium-sized town located on Ireland’s east coast, roughly an hour's drive north from the capital, Dublin. Drogheda United FC were formed in 1975 following the merger of two older local sides; Drogheda United (1919) and Drogheda FC (1962). While the former played regional soccer (non-league), the latter joined the LOI in 1963, with the town being ever present since. United Park has been its home stadium since 1927. Known as the Drogs, it has been a yo-yo club for much of its existence, bouncing between the Premier Division and First Division. Its Golden Years were in the 2000s, when it was Premier Division champion (2007), Cup champion (2005), and had a series of European campaigns between 2006 and 2009, including reaching the Second Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League in 2008, narrowly defeated by Dynamo Kyiv.
The club’s most recent silverware was the 2024 FAI Cup and it has been in the Premier Division every season since 2021. Last season it finished in sixth place and at the time of writing sits eighth in the ten team division.
Ancelin will be joining a growing contingent of Americans plying their trade in Drogheda. The club also has goalkeeper Luke Dennison, once of the San Francisco Glens; former Seattle Sounders 2/Tacoma Defiance defender Leo Burney; Jason Bucknor who played with LA Galaxy II/Ventura County, forward Michael Cardo; and Owen Lambe who played with LA Galaxy II and Orange County SC. Irish players at the club with former US lower league experience are Mark Doyle (Rhode Island and One Knoxville) and Ethan O’Brien (Indy Eleven and Huntsville City).
I suppose, if an American soccer fan were looking for an Irish club to root for, this would be the one.
The Move
While it is unusual to see Chattanooga send a player on loan anywhere and certainly abroad, there are good reasons why it is Drogheda United that Ancelin is moving to. The Irish club is owned by the Trivela Group, an American sports investment firm specializing in the multi-club ownership (MCO) model. Trivela selectively targets undervalued clubs in small markets where it is believed a strategic injection of data, operational capital, and squad pipelines will generate a competitive edge. Trivela currently owns Drogheda United, Walsall FC (England), Silkeborg IF (Denmark), and Trivela FC (Togo).
What does this have to do with Chattanooga FC? Primary Owner and Chairman Davis Grizzard’s Sage Hill Investors, LLC are among the largest investors in Trivela Pathway LP and Trivela co-founder Benjamin Boycott is a Board Member at CFC. These business ties are also at the heart of both Drogheda and Chattanooga being sponsored by NoFo Brew, whose founders have also invested in Trivela.
MCO is not without its critics. While it leads to small-market clubs like Drogheda accessing important funding, corporate and marketing resources, and players; it can lead to problems when playing in Europe. After the Drogs won the FAI Cup in 2024, they were unable to take their place in the 2025-26 Europa Conference League, due to Silkeborg having also qualified. A more notorious example of the same problem in the same season was when Crystal Palace was denied entry into the Europa League because Lyon, who had also qualified, were owned by John Textor who held a 43% stake in Palace.
For Keegan Ancelin, the move could open significant doors in the European game that can be difficult for American players to access. While Drogheda are unlikely to be playing in UEFA competitions soon, a good spell with them could lead to opportunities with LOI clubs that do qualify for Europe. Or, there’s the chance of moving to Walsall and playing in England, the holy grail for many a footballer. It's an intriguing move and potentially a career-changing one if successful.
What They Said
"Keegan has been a valuable contributor to our success over the past two seasons, and we believe he has tremendous upside in his game," said Chattanooga FC Sporting Director Sebastian Giraldo. "This loan to Drogheda United is an excellent opportunity for him to continue his development while competing in Ireland's Premier Division. This is also a landmark moment for Chattanooga FC, as it is our first-ever outgoing and international loan. It reflects the progress we've made in creating meaningful pathways for our athletes and building strong relationships domestically and internationally. We will continue to push the boundaries of our operations to match our ambitions in the short and long term. Opportunities like this are an important part of developing our athletes while continuing to elevate our sporting project."
The Context
As Giraldo says, the move is a significant one as it represents the first outgoing and international loan in CFC history and comes on the heels of other important milestones.
In January 2024, ahead of its first season in MLS Next Pro, the club signed English midfielder Callum Watson from Canadian Premier League outfit Halifax Wanderers. While Watson wasn't the first CFC signing with prior experience abroad, he was the first incoming international transfer in club history. That development has continued with the signings earlier this season of defender Junior Flores (Club Atlético Colón) and forward Alexis Arrúa (Racing Club) from Argentina, as well as midfielders Kenneth Tsokli and Francis Amoateng coming from Ghana's Right to Dream Academy.
In July 2025, the club signed midfielder Gavin Turner on loan from D.C. United. Turner was the first MLS loan signing in club history.
The above are important developments in the professional trajectory of CFC and a sign of the club’s growing activity in the transfer market and the international game. All were incoming players, however, and Ancelin represents (to my knowledge) the first direct transfer of a CFC player to a foreign club. Other former Finley favorites currently plying their trade abroad include:
Mehdi Ouamri (TS Galaxy FC, South Africa)
Andrés Jiménez Aranzazu (Ponce FC, Puerto Rico - a foreign association according to FIFA rules)
Sebastian Capozucchi (Virtus Rosarno, Italy)
Duván Viáfara (Tigres FC, Colombia)
Jesse Williams (AC Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago)
Ancelin moves to the Emerald Isle as the Drogs head into the FAI Cup 2nd round, where they take on Lucan United at home on Friday 17th July. He won’t be available for selection until he receives international clearance.
Chattanooga’s MLS Next Pro campaign continues at home on Saturday when they host Orlando City B. Full coverage of that game will be provided by the National Soccer Network.
The best of luck to Keegan Ancelin. Go n-éirí leat!
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