Match Preview: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC v New York Cosmos

Philip Farrell
1 day ago
5 min read

Red Wolves’ Jordan Ayimbila in action against Sarasota Paradise on Wednesday. Photo credit - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Communications

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

Match: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC v New York Cosmos

USL League One

Date: Saturday, August 22nd, 2026. 19:00 (Eastern)

Venue: CHI Memorial Stadium Stadium, East Ridge, TN. Capacity: 2,500

How to watch: ESPN+

Tickets: https://www.chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com/tickets/

EAST RIDGE, TN --- The Chattanooga Red Wolves face a tricky, potential banana skin tonight as the New York Cosmos visits CHI Memorial Stadium. While hosting a side sitting last in the table might seem like a walk in the park, there’s more to this fixture than meets the eye.

The Red Wolves (P:19 W:10 D:1 L:8 GF:35 GA:29 GD:+6 PTS:31 in the league) sit in 8th, the last playoff spot, and still hold several games-in-hand over the sides around them. Their form is patchy, though, and they boast a W-W-L-W-L in their last five. That may look okay, but their most recent outing saw them lose 3-2 at Sarasota Paradise, conceding three goals at the league’s lowest scoring side. Slightly worse at home than they are away, Scott Mackenzie’s side needs more consistency and for its strikers to score more goals. At the moment, they’re largely reliant on winger Omar Hernández (7 goals) to do so. No bad thing, but a run of goalscoring form from Matt Bentley (5), Ropapa Mensah (3) or Grayson Mercer (3) would ease that burden.

The New York Cosmos, meanwhile, (P:20 W:5 D:2 L:13 GF:21 GA:40 GD:-19 PTS:17) sits dead last and have won just five of their twenty games. They have the second-worst goal difference in the league and two weeks ago, would have looked like cannon fodder for a then rampaging Wolfpack. Things may have changed of late. New signings were brought in and the Cosmos are on a L-L-L-W-W run in their last five, winning both their last two games. This included a 1-0 win over a strong Alta at home and a 2-0 road win at playoff chasing Corpus Christi. That last result, their first away win, might worry the Red Wolves. Midfielder Ajmeer Spengler is their top scorer, also with seven goals in the league. Chattanooga will take solace from the fact that New York have been awful on the road, losing 9 of 10 away matches. But have the Cosmos turned a corner?

The match kicks off at 7pm Eastern and fans can expect dry and hot conditions with the temperature at roughly 85 degrees come kickoff. Streaming will be available on ESPN+ and Jake Larson of Iowa will officiate. This will be his first time refereeing a game involving either side.

**The USL League One table coming into the game. Courtesy - USL Communications**

The History

In short, there isn’t one. This is the current iteration of the Cosmos’ first season in existence, and first in USL League One. Naturally, these sides haven’t played one another before and both will want to start the history with a win. If anything, it might begin setting a standard of dominance between the two.

The Cosmos name has travelled to Chattanooga before. In the 2019 NPSL Members Cup and the 2020 NISA season, the former Cosmos (2013-20) were visitors to the Scenic City, playing Chattanooga FC. Their ‘B Team’ also played in the 2015 NPSL Final at Chattanooga FC, attracting a record crowd of 18,227 fans on a watershed day in American soccer. It was that game that first grabbed the attention of USL and the beginning of their attempts to bring the league to Chattanooga that ultimately resulted in the creation of the Red Wolves.

The Red Wolves are scheduled to visit Hinchliffe Stadium on the final day of the regular season.

Report Cards and Lineups

Red Wolves

On Wednesday, the Red Wolves went to Sarasota Paradise and lost 3-2 in a game delayed because of rain. A late consolation goal from Greyson Mercer brought little joy as they fell to the league’s least prolific attack. Homegrown winger Omar Hernández scored Chattanooga’s first and equalizing goal, before Sarasota pulled away late in the first half.

Predicted lineup (4-4-2): Jason Smith; Jordan Ayimbila, Eric Kinzner, Tobi Adewole, Joshua Ramos; Aaron Lombardi, Angelo Kelly-Rosales, Wynand Wessels, Pedro Hernández (C); Omar Hernández; Matt Bentley

Head Coach Scott Mackenzie has favored a 4-4-2 these days, pushing Omar Hernández up front. Omar’s namesake, but no relation, Pedro captains the side in-place of the injured Ualefi. It's a pretty settled side, with Mercer sometimes swapping with Matt Bentley up-front.

Omar Hernández is the side’s main threat. His seven goals leads the team, as do his five assists. He’s also a team leader in shots (21), shorts on target (12), and chances created (36). It's really hard to imagine the Red Wolves being in eighth place if it weren't for the 25-year-old.

In other club news, the Red Wolves’ home match against Spokane Velocity, which was postponed minutes after the opening kickoff due to inclement weather from lightning strikes, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET at CHI Memorial Stadium.

Cosmos

The Cosmos also played on Wednesday, earning a 2-0 smash-and-grab win at playoff chasing Corpus Christi. Goals from Lamin Jawneh and Ajmeer Spengler sealed the deal. The former, saw Jawneh turn in from the right to smash a goal in from his left foot, his first for the club. Spengler’s goal was an absolute cracker, with a long-shot capping off a solo run. The result was against the run of play, as Cosmos keeper Tristan Stephani made six saves and Corpus Christi hit the bar and had a goal disallowed. With back-to-back victories secure, Head Coach Davide Corti’s side are riding their strongest run of the season.

Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Tristan Stephani; Stalyn Acosta, Anderson Holt, Michael Chilaka, Massimo Morabito; Frankie Ljucovic, Ozzie Ramos; Christian Koffi, Ajmeer Spengler, Lamin Jawneh; Sebastián Guenzatti (C)

This looks to be Corti’s strongest XI. Uruguayan forward Guenzatti is a talismanic leader, and a link to the old Cosmos whom he played for from 2023-16. Defender Acosta, midfielders Shamit Shome (yet to play), Ramos, and Frankie Ljucovic, and forward Jawneh, were all parachuted in in mid-season, with the latter in particular having an impact. He scored New York’s first at Corpus Christi and set-up the winner (for Guenzatti) against AV Alta the previous week. Midfielder Nick Mendonca is no stranger to Chattanooga, having lined out for cross-city rivals Chattanooga FC in 2025. He has been left out of the Cosmos squad the last two games, so I assume he’s injured.

The player to watch, though, is 25-year-old midfielder Ajmeer Spengler. Signed for the club in December of 2025, Spengler nabbed an assist against Hearts of Pine in his first competitive game with New York. He’s gone on to grab seven goals and six assists this season, shining as one of the few bright stars in the Cosmos sky. He leads the league in shots (50), ranks third in chances created (39), and leads his team in shots on target (28). The Red Wolves will need to monitor his left foot closely.

Similar to Chattanooga, the Cosmos have also had a home tie with Spokane Velocity re-scheduled. The game, originally scheduled for August 8, which was postponed due to travel delays experienced by Spokane, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hinchliffe Stadium.

Analysis and Predictions

If the Cosmos win tonight, it will be the first time since October 2016 that the club (in any form) has won three games in-a-row. That’s a big ask. In spite of their recent boost in form and impact of new signings, they’re the league’s worst away side and there’s little to offer hope. Little, that is, apart from that recent surge in form and those new signings. I think they can win here but a draw seems the most likely. 0-0.