MLS NEXT Pro: Chattanooga Sees Off Core Challenge
- Philip Farrell
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Credit: Carolina Core FC
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- The Chattanooga Football Club saw off the challenge of their plucky visitors Carolina Core Football Club on a wet Sunday afternoon. A second-half Alex Krehl goal gave the hosts a deserved win but this should have been by a bigger scoreline. Heavy rains had battered the Scenic City for days leading up to the game and looked to have abated within the hour before kick-off. As such, the match got underway beneath pleasant, if overcast skies, and moderate temperatures brought by the recent downpour. The crowd was healthier than likely anticipated too.
Chattanooga’s Interim Head Coach Richard Dixon came armed with roughly the same formation (4-4-2) and starting XI that had seen his side craft a two-game winning run. The team were still without captain Alex McGrath and central midfielder Isaiah Jones. Dixon’s opposite number and compatriot Donovan Ricketts had opted to rest top-scorer Arnaud Tattevin and usual captain Nolan Evers, the latter coming back from suspension. The hosts were the early pacesetters in the game and through a blitz of attacking nabbed a goal within the first seven minutes. Alex Krehl was ruled to be offside and his looping header was chalked off. It was a shame, as the over-the-top assist from Tate Robertson and the finish from Krehl were top drawer. The camera angle available makes reviewing on replay pointless but it didn’t look offside to me at the time.
It began a dominant first 45 from CFC who ended the half with nearly 70% possession, 23 touches in Core’s box, 11 shots, and three on target. The Core had only managed five touches in Chattanooga’s box with no shots. Aside from the disallowed header, CFC went closest through chances from Anthony García and Yuval Cohen that were both superbly saved by Carolina goalkeeper Nicholas Holliday and when Robertson struck the post on 37 minutes. Chattanooga were knocking on the door, but couldn’t open it. One could be worried that we’d seen this script play out at Finley before.
To their credit, there were some fine performances at the rear for the Core. As well as Holliday who had a good game, Dominique Colon and Mohamed Diakite put in solid shifts in defense. The latter, usually a midfielder, was playing out of position.
Unfazed from his disallowed effort early in the game, Krehl finally broke the deadlock just shy of the hour. Robertson intercepted the ball in CFC’s half and fed it to García. The winger made an excellent dribbling charge up the field before sending a wonderful through pass over to the left-wing where Daniel Mangarov was running into space. The 24-year-old sent a quick, low cross into the box where Krehl was there to blast it home. It was Krehl’s fifth league goal of the season, sending him atop his team’s goalscoring chart for 2026.
The heavens opened back up again right after the 90th minute and the rain was so heavy it delayed the game for over an hour. When it resumed, there were only two minutes left to play, but the Core made the most of them. Their best chance came right at the death when Tattevin, on as a substitute, got a head to the ball in close range only for CFC’s keeper Eldin Jakupović to parry it away. It denied the Core a draw but one they wouldn’t have deserved. Jakupović barely had anything to do all game, which makes his sharpness so late-on remarkable, and CFC were by far and away the more dominant. The end-game stats tell the story, with CFC outshooting their opponents by more than 2-to-1 and an XG difference of 2.03 to 0.93.
CFC jumps to fifth-place, level on points with Atlanta United 2 in fourth and Orlando City B in seventh. They visit Orlando next weekend. The Core remain second-last (15th) with just one win to their name. They face a tough visit of New York Red Bulls II (2nd) to High Point next weekend.
Box Score:
Chattanooga FC v Carolina Core FC
MLS Next Pro
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN
Final Score: Chattanooga 1-0 Carolina Core
Referee: Kaitlyn Trowbridge (TX)
Scoring summary: 59’: A. Krehl (CHA)
Discipline: 16’: M. Hanchard (CHA) 37’: R. Montenegro (CAR) 38’: D. Ricketts (CAR) 75’: F. Sar-Sar (CHA)
Man of the Match: Daniel Mangarov (CHA) - Has seen a renaissance in his form since being brought back into the starting XI by Dixon and is thriving in the current formation. Got an assist on the night and is looking like becoming the playmaker this side needs.
Line-ups:
Chattanooga FC (4-4-2): Eldin Jakupović; Anthony Sorenson (Junior Flores 90+3'), Mattias Hanchard, Farid Sar-Sar (C), Tate Robertson; Daniel Mangarov (Ashton Gordon 90+3'), Steeve Louis Jean, Luke Husakiwsky, Anthony García (Damien Barker John 66'); Alex Krehl, Yuval Cohen (Keegan Ancelin 79')
Substitutes not used: Griffin Huff, Yves Tcheuyap, Nathan Koehler, Kenneth Tsokli
Head Coach: Richard Dixon
Carolina Core FC (4-3-3): Nicholas Holliday; Dominique Colon, Santiago Yepes (Charles Orbaugh 86'), Mohamed Diakite, Nelson Martinez; Ricardo Montenegro (Nolan Evers 61'), Thomas Raimbault (Corey Lundeen 73'), Tim Zeegers (C); Dyllan John (Arnaud Tattevin 46'), Anthony Sumo Jr., David Diaz (Antonio Pineda 61')
Substitutes not used: Trevor Jackson, Grayson Rockhill, Alenga Charles, Robinson Aguirre
Head Coach: Donovan Ricketts
Next Games • Sunday 31st May, 19:00 (ET): Orlando City B v Chattanooga FC, Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL (MLS Next Pro) • Saturday 30th May, 18:00 (ET): Carolina Core FC v New York Red Bulls II, Truist Point Stadium, High Point, NC (MLS Next Pro)
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