WPSL: Match Preview - Chattanooga FC vs Nashville Rhythm
- Philip Farrell
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
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Match: Chattanooga FC vs. Nashville Rhythm
Date: Tuesday June 16th, 2026. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN.
Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: Chattanooga FC on YouTube
Tickets: https://chattanoogafc.com/tickets/
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- Old foes meet again on Tuesday evening as Chattanooga Football Club welcomes Nashville Rhythm Football Club. The early-week action in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) sees fourth play fifth in what is a must-win game for both sides.
Chattanooga (P:3 W:2 D:1 L:1 GF:3 GA:2 GD:+1 Pts:7) comes into the game on a high after earning its first home win of the regular season, seeing off 865 Alliance on Friday with a late 1-0 victory. A club WPSL record attendance of 1,982 witnessed Kallie West notch an 85th minute winner to keep CFC in the hunt for post-season soccer. West joined Annick Manga Zouma and Claire Palya as one of the joint top-scorers, each with one.
Nashville Rhythm (P:4 W:2 D:0 L:2 GF:15 GA:5 GD:+10 Pts:6) are the league’s joint-top scorers with 15 goals from their four games. This is thanks to some big wins over Tennessee Tempo (6-0) and UFA Gunners (6-0), both away from home. They also banged in three goals against the league pace-setters Georgia Impact at home, but conceded four. Goals follow this team around, and it will be interesting seeing them against the league’s best defense. Emma Pettersen, Summer Riley, and Brea Fisher are the club’s top scorers with three goals apiece.
The match starts at 7pm Eastern and we can expect cloudy but dry conditions and a relatively cool 76 degrees come kick-off. Streaming will be available on Chattanooga FC’s YouTube channel.
The History:
There’s a storied history between Chattanooga and Nashville that goes back to 2017, when Rhythm first entered the WPSL and during CFC’s first stint in the league. Their most recent meeting saw Chattanooga win 1-0 at Finley Stadium in July 2025 to be crowned WPSL Southeast Conference champions. A 79th-minute header from UT Chattanooga winger EG Dillard booked CFC a spot in the resulting WPSL South Region Playoffs in Virginia. Tuesday’s game will be the only time these sides will meet in the 2026 regular season.
Report cards and Lineups:
Chattanooga - While CFC boasts the conference’s most water-tight defense, they have struggled to make an impression up front. A mere three goals from four matches is the joint lowest in the league, and all games so far have been tight affairs. Head Coach Majo Harispuru would like to get this team scoring more and has a focus on using set pieces to do so.
Last Starting X: Ashton Blair, Tori Soutuyo, Claire Palya, Kallie West, Kasie Vigil, EG Dillard, Kei Yoneda, Linka Ono, Hannah Helms, Reika Yuba, Annick Lolita Manga Zouma
On Friday, while she didn’t score, I thought that Annick Lolita Manga Zouma was CFC’s best outfield player on the field. Wonderfully technical and with a solid eye for a through pass or run, she’s easily the most exciting attacker on their roster.
Nashville Rhythm FC - Nashville are into their ninth season of WPSL play this year and are the conference’s most prolific side in front of goal. Both their away games so far combined with a 12-0 goal difference in their favor. Under Head Coach Travis Fravel, they’re likely better than their fifth place ranking suggests with their only two losses coming in close affairs against the teams in first and second.
Last Starting X: Demi Gronauer, Avery Brown, Erin Ward, Scottie Newton, Hailey Phillips, Isabella Hodson, Bekah Allen, Brea Fisher, Katie Shea Collins, Summer Riley, Emma Pettersen
In MTSU’s Norwegian striker Emma Pettersen, Rhythm have a forward of genuine quality. Peterson was named to the 2025 All-Conference USA First Team with her college, and led the nation in shot accuracy and ranked third in CUSA in shots (54). She’s one to watch on Tuesday.
Analysis and Predictions:
How intriguing this one is. The league’s best defense against its joint-best attack. A side that has just won its first home game against a side that has won both their away ties, and won them big. It's not impossible to imagine this will end in a score draw. How many goals though, is hard to tell. CFC’s games are low-scoring and Rhythm’s are typically anything but. Let’s go 2-2, but I’m willing to expect anything from this one.
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