USL LEAGUE ONE: Match Preview - Fort Wayne FC at Chattanooga Red Wolves
- Philip Farrell
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
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Match: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC v Fort Wayne FC
Date: Saturday, April 11th, 2026. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: CHI Memorial Stadium Stadium, East Ridge, TN.
Capacity: 2,500
How to watch: ESPN+
USL League One action returns to CHI Memorial Stadium this Saturday as Chattanooga Red Wolves SC welcomes newcomers Fort Wayne FC to the Den. It's a first ever clash between two sides sitting in the bottom-half of a now 17 team table with both hungry for a win.
Chattanooga Red Wolves (P:2 W:1 D:1 L:0 GF:4 GA:3) have started the season in mixed form. They have four points on the road, which looks great. But they’ve given up four goals in three games (2 league, 1 cup) and are developing a knack of conceding first. Their most recent outing, away at 10-man AV Alta, finished 2-2 with goals from Tobi Adewole and Omar Hernández. After three games on the road, Saturday sees the Red Wolves return home again to CHI Memorial hoping to impress fans disappointed with their Quarter Final Play-off exit last fall.
Fort Wayne (P:3 W:0 D:2 L:1 GF:2 GA:6) have started life as a professional side in mixed form also. After three years-in-a-row of winning the USL League Two Valley Division they now have their sights set on USL League One and a brand new 9,200 capacity stadium opening next month. Exciting times off the field in Allen County, Indiana, but on the field, it's been a learning curve so far. They have one point from three matches to their name even after enjoying about 65% possession on average. Their most recent outing saw them go down 2-0 to New York Cosmos in Patterson. The match kicks off at 7pm Eastern and we’re expecting clear, sunny weather for the game with temperatures hovering around 75 degrees at kick-off. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.
The History:
In short, there isn’t one. Given this is Fort Wayne’s first ever season in USL League One, these two sides have never met. The teams will meet again on Saturday, August 15th at the new Fort Wayne FC Park.
Report Cards and Lineups:
Red Wolves - There’s been pros and cons for the Red Wolves so far in 2026. They showed great resilience to come back from behind, away from home in both league games this season. They have also garnered four points from two matches, on the road. However, things could have gone differently in Greenville had the Triumph executed more of their many opportunities, and Head Coach Scott Mackenzie will be disappointed that his team conceded against 10-man AV Alta to settle for one point in Antelope Valley. The US Open Cup defeat by Tennessee Tempo is another sore spot on the year, as is the fact that they’ve conceded first in all three games. Having retained most of their preferred starting XI from 2025, this side can be expected to be tough to play against and smash-and-grab wins, especially on the road.
Lineup prediction: Jason Smith; Tobi Adewole, Harry Jolley, Eric Kinzner, Jordan Aymbila; Matt Acosta, Omar Gómez; Pedro Hernández, Omar Hernández, Matt Bentley, Greyson Mercer
Mackenzie has the luxury of using roughly the same players he used throughout 2025, with the notable exception of Declan Watters, who has gone to Sarasota. That hole in defense left by the big Irishman may explain the four goals they’ve conceded in three games however. Otherwise, the spine of this team is tried and tested. Jason Smith remains one of the best keepers in the league, but could do with a first clean sheet in 2026. Captain Ualefi appears to be unavailable, with Pedro Hernández taking the armband. Greyson Mercer has played well so far and caused havoc to both Greenville and AV Alta defenses, scoring a goal against one and earning a penalty against the other.
With two goals and two assists across the Red Wolves’ first two league games, Omar Hernández is undoubtedly their player-to-watch this weekend. He was named to the USL League One Team of the Week for Week 4 after the Alta game in which he recorded a goal and assist while recording three shots and five chances created overall. If the Red Wolves are to cause problems for this Fort Wayne defense, Hernández will be at the center of it.
Fort Wayne:
Head Coach Mike Avery has overseen some impressive recruitment in Fort Wayne’s transitional offseason. The likes of Filipino international keeper Bernd Schipmann (from Forward Madison), El Salvafor international midfielder Jeremy Garay (from Loudoun United), and New Zealand international James Musa (from Indy Eleven) have brought experience in the league and abroad. Meanwhile midfielders Ryan Becher and Javi Armas are young and talented and can be the sort of players the club builds around. Fort Wayne needs wins though and will soon have the chance to get them at home in their new stadium. A scalp in Tennessee against a shaky looking Red Wolves defense is certainly possible.
Lineup prediction: Bernd Schipmann; Tiago Dias (C), Reid Sproat, Juan Solís; Anthony Hernandez, Michael Rempel, JP Jordan, Javier Armas; Ryan Becher, Jack Thomas, Lilian Ricol
The above is a rough composite of the side Avery has put out so far, and I expect much the same look on Saturday, lining out in a 3-4-3 of sorts. The above-mentioned experienced players supplement a squad, many of which had experience with the club in USL League Two.
While the -4 goal difference isn’t something that many teams will fear, there have been strong performances across their three games so far. Armas, Michael Rempel, and JP Jordan offer a strong midfield axis. Against Sarasota, Becher and French striker Lilian Ricol were the goalscorers and will be hungry for more.
I’m going with Armas as my Fort Wayne player to watch. Having seen a lot of him in MLS Next Pro, I’m happy to see him go to a club where he can perform and become a talisman, without the pressure and expectation of playing for an MLS 2 side hanging over his head. Not that he wasn’t capable of handling that, but in lieu of playing MLS proper, I think we can really see him excel now.
Analysis and Predictions:
Early season games are a lottery. Mind you, I think we’ve seen enough from the Red Wolves to know they won’t lie down for any opponent and of Fort Wayne to know they have the raw talent that could unlock a patchy defense. I’m going with a score draw of 1-1.
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