MLS NEXT Pro: Chattanooga Wins Late at Miami
- Philip Farrell
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Credit: Chattanooga FC
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
It was the fourth of seven minutes of overtime in Fort Lauderdale, and Chattanooga Football Club’s captain Farid Sar-Sar was standing over the ball at the penalty spot facing Inter Miami CF II’s goalkeeper Matias Marin. Sar-Sar, captain of CFC in-place of the injured Alex McGrath, had endured a mixed evening. He failed to clear the ball adequately in the lead-up to Miami’s goal, then had a goal of his own disallowed, before earning his side the penalty that made the game 1-1. Now, and against his former club, he had the chance to make it 2-1 and win it at the death for Chattanooga.
While this tie could have gone either way and saw some huge saves by both excellent goalkeepers, it was Chattanooga who edged their opponents on shots, big chances, and touches in the opposition box. The story of the two keepers merits observation. Guarding Miami’s net was Marin, captaining his team at just 18 years-of-age. He made three saves on the night most impressively from CFC's Daniel Mangarov and Ashton Gordon toward the end of the first half that kept things at 1-0 going into the break. In the other goal, opposite him, was Eldin Jakupović. Here was not a youngster; but an old hand. Jakupović, all of 41 years old and born in a country that no longer exists, is a veteran of 320 senior games across 22 years of professional soccer. Marin was less than a year old when Jakupović earned his senior international cap for Switzerland. But the differences in age and experience meant little as both keepers performed brilliantly. Jakupović, for his part, made six saves, the best of which was a diving save from a Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida shot that prevented an early goal which could have changed the game.
With no wins, Miami came into this game sitting at the bottom of the table, and with new interim Head Coach Rodrigo Vargas at the helm. From the outset they looked confident and dangerous and well capable of troubling the side of older players, higher in the table, visiting them. Wingers Theo Vorenkamp (their top assist in 2026) and Santiago Morales looked especially dangerous, as did Israeli striker Zeltzer-Zubida, their top scorer.
So it came as little surprise that the latter lit up the stadium and the game by grabbing Miami’s goal on 21 minutes. This came after a long period of controlled play and passing by the hosts that ended in Morales whipping a corner in from the right. With no Miami players in sight, Farid Sar-Sar was there to intercept. But his one-touch clearing volley only found Zeltzer-Zubida just outside the box who launched a magnificent shot (he has a knack for great goals) that left Jakupović with no chance. Sar-Sar would have his redemption but CFC’s search for a clean sheet in league play continues.
Chattanooga didn’t lie down, and worked hard for Mangarov and Gordon to each have their shots on target before the break that Marin saved. Gordon’s in particular was their best chance of the evening. After some fine skill and dribbling out on the right by wing-back Tate Robertson, the ball found young Gordon, on loan from Atlanta United, dead center in the box, a mere three yards or so from the goal line, but somehow he didn’t score.
The second-half followed the pattern of the first as CFC Head Coach Richard Dixon began using his subs to try alternative combinations toward goal. Chattanooga thought they’d equalized on 66 minutes when Sar-Sar put the ball into the net. The linesman had raised his flag for offside, however, and the goal was chalked off. I’ve rewatched it dozens of times through the pixelated single camera angle available, and I don’t understand how it was offside as there was a Miami defender clearly between Sar-Sar and the goal.
Thirteen minutes later, Chattanooga got their break. Sar-Sar was pulled down by Miami defender Daniel Sumalla in the box and referee Mario Maric pointed to the spot. The call might be a wee bit harsh, but perhaps the offside goal decision was slightly on Maric’s mind. Up stepped Robertson, so reliable from the spot, and he made it 1-1.
As both slides pushed for the winner, we entered extra time. Mangarov, who was brilliant on the night and played his best game in a CFC shirt in 2026, ran into the Miami box chasing a ball and was fouled by Sumalla. Maric again pointed to the spot. With Robertson having been subbed off, it was Sar-Sar who stepped up and sent Marin the wrong way. CFC had their win and Sar-Sar had his redemption.
Box Score Inter Miami CF II v Chattanooga FC
Venue: Inter Miami CF Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, FL
Final Score: Inter Miami 1-2 Chattanooga
Referee: Mario Maric
Scoring summary: 21’: I. Zeltzer-Zubida (MIA) 80’: T. Robertson (CFC) pen 90+4’: F. Sar-Sar (CFC) pen
Discipline: 31’: I. Jones (CFC) - yellow card 51’: C. Abadia-Reda (MIA) - yellow card 89’: M. Marin (MIA) - yellow card 78’: T. Robinson (CFC) - yellow card
Man of the Match: Daniel Mangarov (CFC) - Many plaudits will go to Sar-Sar for winning a penalty and scoring another one, but I want to give my award to Mangarov. So prolific in 2025, he’s had a quieter year so far in 2026 and has had to fight more rivals for his place in the team. He seems to have firmly forced his way into Dixon’s plans now, and offers options either as a more advanced wing forward, as a deeper player-maker, or a traditional #10. He was a key part of CFC’s attack on the night, won the winning penalty, and could have had a goal of his own. Having him back to his best will be key to CFC’s attack in 2026.
Line-ups: Inter Miami CF II (4-3-3): Matias Marin (C); Cesar Abadía-Reda (Rondell White 71’), Nicolas Almeida, Daniel Sumalla, Theo Vorenkamp (Nash Dearmin 83’); Ian Urkidi, Tyler Hall (Diego Rey 83’), Joseph Convers; Santiago Morales, Mateo Saja, Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida (Nessim Jena 71’)
Substitutes not used: Lucas Barker, Sloan Morrison, Samuel Basabe, Matthew Perez, Lesther Garcia
Head Coach: Rodrigo Vargas
Chattanooga FC (4-2-3-1): Eldin Jakupović; Anthony Sorenson (Anthony García 83’), Mattias Hancard (Yves Tcheuyap 62’), Farid Sar-Sar (C), Tate Robertson (Nathan Koehler 82’); Isaiah Jones, Luke Husakiwsky; Ashton Gordon (Alexis Arrúa 62’), Daniel Mangarov, Damien Barker-John; Alex Krehl (Yuval Cohen 62’)
Substitutes not used: Griffin Huff, Francis Amoateng
Head Coach: Richard Dixon
Next Games • Monday 18 May, 13:30 (ET): Inter MIami CF II v Crown Legacy FC, Inter Miami CF Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (MLS Next Pro) • Sunday 17 May, 19:00 (ET): FC Cincinnati 2 v Chattanooga FC, NKU Soccer Stadium, Highland Heights, KY (MLS Next Pro)
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