MLS NEXT Pro: Match Preview - Chattanooga FC vs. Columbus Crew 2
- Philip Farrell
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Match: Chattanooga FC vs. Columbus Crew 2
Date: Saturday, March 28th, 2026. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: OneFootball, MLSNextPro.com, YouTube Tickets: https://www.mlsnextpro.com/chattanoogafc/
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- As the international window kicks in, MLS Next Pro kicks on. Columbus Crew 2 travels to the Scenic City this Saturday to take on Chattanooga Football Club with full before and after coverage from the National Soccer Network.
Chattanooga (W:1 D:1 L:2 SOW:0 GF:8 GA:10 GD:-2) are in twelfth place coming into the game, with a patchy opening to 2026 behind them. They got off to a rough start with an opening day loss (1-4) at home to high-flying Crown Legacy. This was followed up with a 4-2 home win over CT United, a loss (1-2) at Chicago Fire II and a tie (2-2) at Huntsville where they lost the shoot-out. During that time they also defeated Kalonji Pro-Profile of the UPSL 2-1 in the US Open Cup. Striker Alex Krehl is the club’s leading scorer this season with three goals in all competitions. Fourth-place Columbus (W:2 D:1 L:1 SOW:1 GF:7 GA:6 GD:+1) look much improved to the side that finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2025. Head Coach Federico Higuaín endured a difficult start in the role last year but has got his side performing much better this time round. After an opening day loss (2-4) at NYRB II, they tied NYCFC II (0-0) before a pair of wins at home against Toronto (3-2) and Cincinnati (2-0). 17-year-old academy starlet Chase Adams is the side’s most eye-catching performer so far with four goals to his name.
The match starts at 7pm Eastern and will be officiated by Erick Lezama of Nicaragua. With an expected balmy 55 degrees and clear skies at kick off, we can expect good conditions. Streaming will be available on MLSNextPro.com, the league’s YouTube channel, and the OneFootball app.
The History -
Chattanooga: W:1 D:0 L:1 SOW:0 GF:2 GA:4 GD:-2 Columbus: W:1 D:0 L:1 SOW:0 GF:4 GA:2 GD:+2
Historically, these sides are evenly matched with a win-a-piece, but with Crew 2 being the more prolific in front of goal. Their first meeting in September 2024 saw CFC win 2-1 at home with goals from Jesus Ibarra (now with Carolina Core) and Milo Garvanian (free agent) and an Owen Presthus strike for Columbus. In April 2025, Crew 2 scored a 3-0 home win over a CFC who were flying high at the time and one of only five wins they enjoyed all year. Chase Adams, Tristan Brown, and Christian Ortiz (free agent) were the scorers. Saturday’s game is the only time these sides will face each other in the regular season this year.
Report Cards and Lineups -
Chattanooga: Last time out, Chattanooga came from 2-0 down to earn a draw away at Huntsville City. Alex Krehl scored his third goal of the season in all competitions while Tate Robertson was again reliable from the penalty spot as they demonstrated the resilience to come back in a difficult setting. They lost the resulting shoot-out but gained a valuable point at a rival.
Predicted Starting XI: Eldin Jakupović; Yves Tcheuyap, Mattias Hanchard, Farid Sar-Sar, Anthony Sorenson; Tate Robertson, Alex McGrath (C), Isaiah Jones; Daniel Mangarov, Anthony García, Alex Krehl
We’re starting to get a clear picture of what Richard Dixon sees as his best XI from how he has set up so far this year. Certainly, a backbone of Eldin Jakupović, Yves Tcheuyap, Farid Sar-Sar, Tate Robertson, and Isaiah Jones is evident as these players have played every minute (360) of action in the league so far. Tcheuyap, Sar-Sar, Robertson, and Jones have also played in all five games (four league and one cup) so far. As have Anthonys García and Sorenson, Keegan Ancelin, and Ashton Gordon, the latter two mainly off the bench. There’s no dropping captain Alex McGrath (who has two goals) and Alex Krehl is key to their offense. Daniel Mangarov was not started at Huntsville which was an interesting call, as he’s been one of the most consistent starters for over a year. With Ameziane Sid Mohand’s recent Open Cup goal. might there be a starting berth for him soon in the league? Incidentally, Sid Mohand is a former Columbus Crew 2 player and made seven appearances for them in 2024 during their march that year to the Eastern Conference Final. My CFC player to watch is Alex Krehl, who has been their best signing of the offseason. It's incredible to think that, had it not been for Yuval Cohen’s injury, Krehl may not have been needed. Strong and quick, there’s something old fashioned looking about him. He has the potential to become an icon at a club that hasn’t really had a talismanic front-man since Markus Naglestad’s peak back in the NISA years. Dixon recently made note of Krehl’s contributions so far, saying "Alex has been a big signing for us. He's been a game changer. He was with us on trial for two weeks and he came in at a good time. We knew he had something that we wanted to see more of, so we kept him for a little longer. He's a very good footballer, has a good understanding of the game and he wants to do the dirty work and press the centerbacks. He enjoys the physical side of the game and holding up the ball to bring the midfield into the game. His mentality is relentless is what separates him from a lot of No9s right now."
Columbus: A clean sheet and a rivalry win over FC Cincinnati 2 propelled Columbus Crew 2 into MLS Next Pro Power Rankings Top 10 after week 4, for the first time this season. Chase Adams continued his excellent scoring form, delivering a worldie from outside the box to make it four goals in four appearances for the 17-year-old. The game at Finley Stadium is only their second road-trip, however, with a loss at NYRB II their only other away result.
Predicted Starting XI: Luke Pruter; Tristan Brown, Quinton Elliot, Chris Rogers, Gianmarco Di Noto, Owen Presthus; Brent Adu-Gyamfi, Moses Nyeman, Kevin Gbamblé, Nicolás Rincón; Chase Adams
The above is a composite of the most used players by Higuaín this year. After Week 1 he switched from a 3-4-2-1 to a 5-4-1 and the Crew hasn’t lost since. We’re getting into the stretch in the season where we have a good sense of the players available to Next Pro coaches at the ‘II’ teams, and this appears to be the Argentine’s Best XI. In addition to Chase Adams’ goals, CFC needs to be wary of Brent Adu-Gyamfi. The 20-year-old winger has had a hand in over half (4) of Crew 2’s seven league goals this year. That’s as many assists as he had in the whole of 2025 and over half as many as in 2024. Ivorian attacker Kevin Gbamblé is another threat, rifling nine shots on target already. The player to watch for Columbus, though, has to be Adams. Only 17 years old, he is the league’s joint-second-highest goalscorer on four and also leads the entire MLS Next Pro in shots (20) and shots on target (10). He was with the United States’ U17s that made it to Round 2 of the World Cup in Qatar last fall and was top scorer in the Concacaf qualifiers, finishing with 11 goals in two matches and earning Best XI honors. Adams had 28 goal contributions (20 goals, 8 assists) in just 47 league games coming into 2026. Columbus’ belief in him was demonstrated in January when he was signed to a Homegrown contract guaranteed through the 2029 season with a Club option for 2030. It won’t be long before this lad is playing in MLS proper, so enjoy seeing him up close in Next Pro while you can.
Analysis and Predictions -
With the exception of Crown Legacy, this looks like CFC’s most difficult assignment so far in 2026. If CFC perform as they did in that opening day loss, then the likes of Adams can do to them what Berchimas and Aloko did for Crown Legacy. CFC look much improved since then, and have been competitive in all their games since. This is a different animal though, as Crew 2 looks stronger than Chicago, Huntsville, or CT United. I am going with an away win for Columbus, 2-1. CFC can score, but can they avoid being outscored?
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