MLS NEXT PRO:Old and new combine for Chattanooga win
- Phillip Farrell
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tn. — It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Scenic City. The threat of rain from above never materialised, while a rain of goals took its place. Chattanooga Football Club, hurting from its opening day whipping by Crown Legacy, recovered in style, sending four goals past their visitors and giving the two-thousand-plus fans at Finley Stadium the perfect ending to their weekend.
As well as some fine goals, it was a day marked for occasions and reflections. Tate Robertson, Chattanooga’s right-back-turned-midfielder, was celebrating his 100th game for the club across his two spells at Finley. Meanwhile, Alex McGrath, the club captain, was returning to the field for his first competitive start in almost a year. Both would leave a huge mark on the afternoon. The day was also an occasion to reflect upon a very different type of event, something awfully sad but one that brought a community together.
After losing 4-1 the previous Sunday, what was impressive about CFC this time around was that they had clearly worked on the issues blighting them the previous weekend. Link-up play between midfield and attack was much improved, while they managed to not give Connecticut the same transition space in the final third that they had offered to Crown Legacy. The result was a much improved performance, effective in attack and disciplined at the back.
Head Coach Richard Dixon achieved this without having to change personnel much. The only change from the previous weekend was the starting of McGrath in-place of Damien Barker John (the goalscorer against Crown Legacy). The Englishman’s leadership, experience, doggedness, and skill were sorely missed through most of 2025 and opening weekend. From the perspective of a fan as well as a journalist, it was wonderful seeing him back on the field in blue. No player makes this team tick the way McGrath can.
In the opposition dugout, Dixon’s compatriot Shavar Thomas had made a number of changes from the side that beat Cincinnati 2 away. Goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg and defender Jahvar Stephenson were not in the matchday squad, so I assume they were injured. They were replaced by Anthony Ramos and Nelson Rodríguez respectively. Brazilian forward Cauã Paixão was left on the bench, with winger Dylan Lacy taking up his place in the starting XI.
A tetchy opening 20 minutes that included a save from CFC’s veteran goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović was capped by a chip from NYRB-loanee Ibrahim Kasule to give the visitors the lead. The buildup to the goal looked similar to those conceded by CFC against Crown Legacy, with enough space being afforded opposing midfielders to pass through the home defense. While he didn’t start the move, Philippines international and club captain Alex Monis played a key part in the goal, dribbling forward and finding Andre Applewhaite in the box, whose deflected attempt fell to Kasule to awkwardly volley in.
It took Chattanooga only two minutes to get one back. A goal kick from Jakupović found Antony Sorenson on the left. His intercepted pass was collected by Robertson, fed to Alex Krehl who played it back to Robertson. The CFC Centurion galloped into the box, ahead of all the CT United defenders and shot past Ramos to make it 1-1.
From this point, Chattanooga were in control. Robertson, McGrath, and Krehl would force more saves and blocks in the Connecticut goal before the captain would get one of his own on 36 minutes. He intercepted an awful short pass attempt from Robbie Mora to mount a two-footed charge at goal and side-foot past a helpless Ramos. It was a wonderful, opportunistic goal reflective of how hungry McGrath looked out there. Credit goes to Krehl too for applying the pressure on Mora to force the pass. 2-1 to CFC.
And Krehl got one of his own a few minutes before the half. He ran onto a lovely pass from Yves Tcheuyap, and with one touch on his right foot, dinked the ball over Ramos. It was Krehl’s first goal in CFC colors, having only signed a few weeks ago. 3-1 and CFC were cruising.
That’s not to say that Connecticut weren’t trying themselves. They had a number of first half efforts from Kasule, Lacy, Tanyi and Sserwadda but more often than not, tended to shoot wide or over, causing few problems to Jakupović.
The second half started the way the first ended, with Alex Krehl making a nuisance of himself. His large frame, and quick pace were causing difficulties for CT United’s defense and this oiled over on 46 minutes when he has fouled in the box by Rodríguez. The resulting penalty from Robertson was saved by Ramos but only ten minutes later, Krehl would haunt CT United again. In spite of being man-handled by Lacy and with three Connecticut defenders around him, he got his head on the end of a Robertson corner and nodded it down to bounce over Ramos and into goal. 4-1.
An excellent pass from Mora on 74 minutes would find find substitute Daniel D'Ippolito on the left wing. He passed to Dylan Lacy at the edge of the box and the 20-year-old curled a delightful shot that gave Jakupović no chance. 4-2, and that’s how it ended.
Match takeaways
What a performance from Alex Krehl. As well as scoring two of his own, he had a big part to play in both of CFC’s other goals. His link-up play with Robertson led to the first (but take nothing away from the latter’s individual brilliance) and his pressure on CT United’s defenders led to the second (take nothing away from McGrath’s individual brilliance either). The 23-year-old came to the club with a goalscoring reputation in Spain’s lower leagues and showed flashes of his talent in the previous game against Crown Legacy. On Sunday, he was everywhere. A strong, physical striker who brings hell to opposing defenders, he has a great first touch and a lot of stamina. It's early days yet, but if he can maintain these levels of performance all season, we might finally see the heir to Markus Naglestad’s legacy at Finley Stadium.
Credit to Richard Dixon. His first competitive outing as Interim Head Coach didn’t go as planned but after that 4-1 loss to Crown Legacy he spoke clearly about what needed to change for this game. I thought wholesale changes in personnel might be required (I can be dramatic at times) but Dixon has demonstrated the value of good coaching. Using roughly the same XI and against a new club high on confidence, his CFC side looked miles better and mopped up those gaps we saw on field the previous week. I thought Tate Robertson had an exceptional game as a sort of deep-lying marauding playmaker. On his 100th game, it was great to see him score and add new strings to his bow in a more attacking space.
Connecticut came into this game on a high after an impressive win away at Cincinnati 2 in their first ever competitive game. While they conceded four against CFC and were soundly beaten, I thought they played very well at times and looked menacing in attack. In Alex Monis they have a genuine playmaker and talisman who will lead them this season. While they look shaky at the back, they scored two good goals, the second a particular peach and will be a threat to anyone. I’m keen to see them continue their journey.
I don’t normally speak about non-soccer matters, but I felt I couldn't write up this match report without offering my sincerest condolences to Andrew Breese and his family. Mr. Breese is co-host of the Section 109 podcast and one of the most recognizable faces of the infamous Chattahooligans. His informed and humorous work on the podcast have always been of great use to me as a writer about this club, and I enormously respect the support he shows for his team and his community. Andrew’s wife Ella recently passed away and the club marked her passing with an emotional tribute during the game. I’ve been told by members of the Chattahooligans about how devastated their entire community was at her passing, and I offer my thoughts to them too. After the final whistle, Andrew was brought onto the field to join the players in their traditional victory dance and the warm embraces he shared with Robertson and McGrath evidenced what is so great about soccer, club, and community. I don’t think I’ve seen a situation anywhere I’ve watched this game around the world where players and fans are so united, and on Sunday, while united in grief; united they were. Moments like this can make soccer seem small and trivial in the great scheme of things. But sometimes soccer can perfectly illustrate that it is community and family that we need most to see us through the toughest of times.
Box Score
Chattanooga FC v Connecticut United FC
MLS Next Pro
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN
Attendance: 2,237
Final Score: Chattanooga 4-2 CT United
Referee: Stefan Perri
Scoring summary:
21’: I. Kasule (CTU)
23’: T. Robertson (CFC)
37’: A. McGrath (CFC)
41’: A. Krehl (CFC)
57’: A. Krehl (CFC)
74’: D. Lacy (CTU)
Discipline:
31’: N. Rodríguez (CTU) - yellow card
54’: R. Mora (CTU) - yellow card
60’: L. Kamrath (CTU) - yellow card
88’: R. van Hees (CTU) - yellow card
90+3’: D. Mangarov (CFC) - yellow card
Man of the Match: Alex Krehl (CFC) - Alex McGrath and Tate Robertson could also stake a valid claim, but Krehl’s brace and his involvement in all four goals make him the standout of the game. He works so tirelessly and seems havoc to defend against. Already looks a shrewd signing.
Line-ups:
Chattanooga FC (4-3-3): Eldin Jakupović; Yves Tcheuyap, Farid Sar-Sar, Anthony Sorenson, Mattias Hanchard (68’ Nathan Koehler); Tate Robertson, Isaiah Jones, Alex McGrath (C) (56’ Ashton Gordon); Daniel Mangarov, Anthony García, Alex Krehl (64’ Keegan Ancelin)
Substitutes not used: Griffin Huff, Michael Barrueta, Darwin Ortiz, Damien Barker John, Ameziane Sid Mohand
Head Coach: Richard Dixon
CT United FC (4-3-3): Anthony Ramos; Andre Applewhaite (46’ Daniel D'Ippolito), Lukas Kamrath, Nelson Rodríguez, Hivan Kouonang (58’ Rickson van Hees); Dylan Lacy (77’ Ernesto Gómez), Steven Sserwadda, Robbie Mora; Alex Monis (C), Barnabás Tanyi (77’ Cauã Paixão), Ibrahim Kasule (46’ Laurie Goddard)
Substitutes not used: Christian Rodriguez, Michael Boamah, Sean Petrie
Head Coach: Shavar Thomas
Next Games
• Sunday March 15th, 16:00 (ET): Chicago Fire II v Chattanooga FC, SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL (MLS Next Pro)
• Sunday March 15th, 15:00 (ET): Philadelphia Union II v CT United FC, Subaru Park, Chester, PA (MLS Next Pro)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
