Krehl strikes out Miami as CFC earns ballpark win
- Philip Farrell
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- It took Alex Krehl just three minutes after coming on to write his name in the history books, scoring the first ever soccer goal in what one hopes will be the long history of Erlanger Park. Whether that history will feature much soccer - time will tell, but on the basis of Saturday night, it might be possible.
A bumper crowd of 6,107, a club record for a regular season game, had flocked to the state-of-the-art new home of the Chattanooga Lookouts for the festive 4th July event. With fireworks on the way after full-time, the stadium was thronged with families and casuals, as well as the die-hards and soccer fanatics. And while the fireworks on the field were few-and-far-between in this game, 23-year-old Krehl ensured there was just about enough to send fans home happy.
The win wasn’t guaranteed. While Chattanooga came in as favorites, enjoying a healthy gap to last-place Miami, it was the visitors who had the lion’s share of possession and opportunities in the first 45 minutes. Eldin Jakupović in the CFC goal was in for a busier night than he might have expected.
It was a great rearguard effort from Chattanooga in that first half as Ameziane Sid Mohand, Yves Tcheuyap, Damien Barker John, and Tate Robertson all made tackles and blocks to deny Miami. There were further misses from Rondell White and Matteo Saja. At the other end, CFC captain Alex McGrath had a pair of chances, one of which was superbly stopped by Miami’s Matias Marin. Robertson went close on the cusp of halftime when he had a freekick (earned himself) just outside the box. The Miami wall did its job and Robertson’s follow-up shot went wide.
Miami ended the half with twice as many shots, three times as many shots on target, and five times as many touches in the opposition box. But it was still 0-0.
After the spirited defensive display from his teammates in the first 45, Jakupović then stepped up with a masterclass of goalkeeping in the second period. He denied Matías Acevedo twice on the night and made a world-class diving save off a brilliant shot from Zidane Cadet. In addition to his shotspotting, it was the Swiss international’s overall presence, voice and dictation to his defense that made him really stand out. He earned four saves and 15 recoveries all evening.
Chattanooga lost Sid Mohand to an injury after half-an-hour. He was replaced by playmaker Daniel Mangarov. Mangarov has had a quieter season than his blistering debut in 2025 but has stepped up with four assists this term, and on Saturday he delivered again. Krehl, recently returned from a knock, came off the bench a little over the hour mark. A corner from Mangarov three minutes into Krehl’s game, found the striker who had lost his mark in the middle of the box, rushing in and scoring with something of a flailing volley a yard out from the goal-line. A striker’s goal, an opportunist’s goal, a poacher’s goal.
Given the surroundings, perhaps it was a pinch-hitter’s goal or a designated hitter’s goal. It was Krehl’s tenth of the season and cements his claim to become Chattanooga’s first reliably consistent goalscorer and talismanic striker since the days of Mehdi Ouamri in 2024. He leads the club now in goals scored for 2026 and is the joint-second top goalscorer across all of MLS Next Pro, level with Zachary Zengue (Columbus) and Marcus Caldeira (Minnesota) and two behind Atlanta’s Arif Kovac.
The evening’s attendance was announced to rapturous applause from the 6k+ crowd, delighted to enjoy fireworks and go home with a win. CFC are now five games unbeaten and are in joint-third, level with the Red Bulls and New England, who have games in-hand. Miami remains rooted at rock-bottom.
Erlanger Park may be new, but is saturated in history. Built amidst the rusting and crumbling ruins of Chattanooga’s Foundry District, the stadium is breathing new life into the area and into those rusted structures, many of which have been incorporated into its build and design, giving new purpose to these grand, old sentinels of American industry. The concourse is adorned with the stories of the history of the Lookouts and other teams such as the Stars and the Choo-Choos, a history going back to 1885. Chattanooga FC made their own history on Saturday, thanks to Krehl but also Jakupović. The match re-emphasized his importance to this side, leading from the rear, inspiring those on the field and off it, and proving that goalkeepers can win games just as much as forwards can.
What the evening also, once again, emphasized was that CFC is certainly Chattanooga’s team. The club has withstood a lot from other angles of the professional American game, putting its very existence under threat in recent years. But the crowd tonight and the obvious close relationship with the Lookouts (with their long roots in the city), not to mention the recent construction of an impressive new headquarters, emphasizes how the club has prevailed. As Erlanger Park salutes history, the future looks bright.
BOX SCORE
Chattanooga FC v Inter Miami CF II
MLS Next Pro
Venue: Erlanger Park | Chattanooga, TN
Attendance: 6,107
Final Score: Chattanooga 1-0 Miami
Referee: Lauren Aldrich (NC)
Scoring summary:
71’: A. Krehl (CFC)
Discipline:
10’: M. De Paula (MIA)
48’: Y. Tcheuyap (CFC)
67’: Z. Cadet (MIA)
Man of the Match: Eldin Jakupović (CFC) - Made four good saves including one that was world class. Still has the agility of a 22-year-old to go with his 40-odd years of wisdom and experience. Integral to CFC getting results.
LINE UPS
Chattanooga FC (4-3-3): Eldin Jakupović; Anthony Sorenson, Mattias Hanchard (Nathan Koehler 86'), Farid Sar-Sar, Yves Tcheuyap; Steeve Louis Jean, Tate Robertson (Luke Husakiwsky 86'), Alex McGrath (Alexis Arrúa 68'); Ameziane Sid Mohand (Daniel Mangarov 30'), Damien Barker John, Yuval Cohen (Alex Krehl 68')
Substitutes not used: Griffin Huff, Colin Thomas, Darwin Ortiz, Keegan Ancelin
Head Coach: Richard Dixon
Inter Miami CF II (4-3-3): Matias Marin; Sloan Morrison, Tyler Hall (C), Daniel Sumalla, Rondell White; Diego Rey (Alejandro Flores 72'), Matteo De Paula (Naej Desravins 62'), Ian Urkidi; Matías Acevedo (Jerremy Ortela 81'), Nash Dearmin (Idoh Zelter-Zubida 62'), Mateo Saja (Zidane Cadet 62')
Substitutes not used: Sean Gormley, Matthias Vieux, Lesther Garcia, Alex Padilla
Head Coach: Daniel Godoy
NEXT GAMES
• Sunday 12th July, 17:00 (ET): Carolina Core FC v Chattanooga FC, Truist Point Stadium, High Point, NC (MLS Next Pro)
• Saturday 11th July, 19:00 (ET): Atlanta United 2 v Inter Miami CF II, Turner Soccer Complex, Athens, GA (MLS Next Pro)
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