Chattanooga FC dropped out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a defeat to defending champions and MLS side Atlanta United. This was Chattanooga’s first Open Cup match against an MLS club. The boys in blue worked hard against one of the best teams in the nation but ended up with an unflattering scoreline against brutally clinical opponents.

Atlanta didn’t generate massively dangerous chances according to my NISA xG model (2.6 xG to CFC’s 0.23)- they are just a class above, as you would expect from an MLS side. That extra space that would be fine to concede to a NISA opponent was clinically punished. KG’s tendency to work off his line, which once again works great in NISA, was exposed by the nation’s best.

The bright spot for me (and the fans that voted for man of the match) was Richard Dixon and his role in the middle of the park. He bossed it up and made some great tackles. I also loved when Damian Rodriguez came on- I was sitting opposite the Chattahooligans and right in front of where Damian was dribbling around and having a blast. So great to watch. Roddy Green looked hungry for goals when he came on, Ian Cerro and Taylor Gray had some good moments, KG kept the score in check- all of the team worked hard and it was great to watch despite the end result.

I didn’t spend too much time on this because it’s a busy week and it’s not a result that’s great to dwell on, but I will say on no uncertain terms that the guys at CFC should be so proud of their performance, and double proud for the previous performance that got them to this point. What a great team to support.

Next up is Flower City Union at home- frankly we haven’t had an easy game yet this season, but FCU is a team we should be able to dominate. I’m excited to see if we keep the Christmas Tree Formation against weaker opposition like this.

For a more event based recap, check out the club website– but as always, I appreciate you reading and all your support!

Chattanooga FC went on the road to West Division leaders Valley United FC and came home with a point after a goalless draw on Friday night. The visitors were out shot 15-3 (4-1 on target) but held on against an in-form Valley side.

Chattanooga FC struggled to get the ball forward in the match with Valley United employing a very effective pressing style that kept CFC pinned in their own half. While CFC actually ended up with more possession, it was hardly in threatening areas and the forwards were rarely involved.

In terms of chance creation, Chattanooga only had one big chance in each half, where Brett Jones did his usual solo run and quick shot in the first half and an outstretched Alex McGrath *just* missed the target in the second half. Valley United, on the other hand, created loads of chances- or should I say CFC gifted them loads of chances? CFC was determined to play out of the back, but they conceded chance after chance from giving the ball away cheaply much to close to their own goal.

The match almost seemed like a mirror image of the Memphis game last week. Rather than sitting back and respecting Memphis like might be expected, CFC took the game to Memphis with pressure that conceded possession but not in dangerous areas. The same happen with Valley United- they had less possession, but ran the game territorially, not allowing CFC into dangerous areas. Just speculating, maybe Rod Underwood & Co. were not expecting the high press from Valley and the subsequent need for such tight passing around the back. CFC are lucky to leave Mesa with a point.

That point comes in large part thanks to the work of Kevin Gonzalez, who was named man of the match after facing four shots on target and saving them all to keep his first clean sheet of the season. KG also came off his line to make a number of crucial claims, marking his territory in the 18 and a little beyond. Well done Kevin!

With this, Chattanooga FC sit fourth in the East Division, but there’s not too much to worry about. Maryland already have 7 points, but 6 are against the two worst teams in the division. Inversely, we’ve now taken a point off Maryland and Western leaders Valley. There’s still a lot to play for but we’ve gotten a few of the tougher games out of the way early.

Next up CFC face the big boys in Atlanta United- let’s hope for heavy rotation and lots of luck. See you in Kennesaw Wednesday!

Note: I’ve been asked to do match recaps for the official CFC website. For more formal, less speculative summaries, visit the website.

The Chattanooga FC Men’s side got the better of USL Championship side Memphis 901 in the second round of the US Open Cup on Thursday night. The match had been years in the making, with the two clubs being drawn in the ill-fated 2020 rendition of the tournament and playing behind closed doors this preseason. A tactical masterclass from Rod Underwood and his crew resulted in a well deserved victory for the boys in blue.

There were two sides to the coin in this matchup. For the casual observer, Memphis 901’s 63% possession, paired with a whopping 22 shots, would imply that Memphis bossed the game and Chattanooga were lucky to come away with the result. However, Memphis’s possession didn’t really result in any threat. Below is a cumulative Expected Goals chart for the game. For each shot taken, you can see the quality of the chance by how much the line jumps. We can see that Chattanooga were very good at creating high quality chances, while Memphis took lots more shots but none of real quality. The Chattanooga defense was set up perfectly to prevent Memphis from getting any good looks on goal.

It’s also worth looking at the territorial possession below. Chattanooga had very little presence in their attacking half, which I think speaks volumes to the quality the attackers possessed to generate such high quality chances from so little. Inversely, big props to the defense for seeing so much opposition possession in their own half but really preventing any high quality chances. As the great Jose Mourinho said, “Memphis can take the ball home, but we’ll take the third round berth.”

I think we can place special notice on set pieces- there was obviously some extra work put in this week to generate chances from these and Memphis were not prepared. Also, despite the low possession, Chattanooga employed an excellent pressing style that paid immediate dividends for the first goal and prevented Memphis from settling into the match. Well done Chattanooga.

Taylor Gray was voted man of the match- I personally had it between Brett Jones, who spearheaded the press and was instrumental in the first two goals, and Richard Dixon, the captain who did a wonderful job organizing the stout defense and worked hard to break up the Memphis play. If we could give MOTM to all the players we would, they all deserve it after so thoroughly besting a team in the tier above.

What’s next in the Open Cup? I would love to finally play our cross town rivals… nevermind. Chattanooga FC travels away to defending Open Cup champions Atlanta United for the chance to cause an even greater upset. Regardless of the result, we can be immensely proud of the guys at CFC.

The Chattanooga FC men’s side opened the 2022 NISA campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eastern rivals Maryland Bobcats FC at Finley Stadium on a windy Saturday afternoon. This match marked the beginning of the much anticipated Rod Underwood era in the Scenic City.

Your first Starting XI of 2022. It begins! #BetterTogether #CFCvMBFC https://t.co/wQmgEL0tBF pic.twitter.com/3d971SQulR

— Chattanooga Football Club (@ChattanoogaFC) March 26, 2022

Before the game started, we were given a lovely tree-shaped formation featuring 3 CFC returners and many NISA transfers in the Starting XI. When I first saw it, I thought maybe CFC were being a bit dishonest on social media to prevent any tactical hints, but was surprised to see the guys follow this shape very strictly, with Dixon more often tucked in the middle of the midfield trio and the fullbacks pushing high up in possession. The team was certainly set up to control possession and win the ball back quickly. The guys also did really well rotating around, covering for each other when a player went forward or got out of position. This helped nullify most of the Bobcats’ attacking threat.

CFC accumulated 1.58 xG from 7 shots in the match; this is artificially inflated by Cerro’s double take below:

Eating seconds today. Goal CFC! Goal Ian Cerro. #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/1MIIJoVyGH

— Chattanooga Football Club (@ChattanoogaFC) March 26, 2022

If we lump this chance into one, CFC still ends the match with 1.15 xG, the highest in the league this weekend.

The game didn’t have a large amount of chances, with the Bobcats’ best chances coming from free kicks. Darwin Espinal’s free kick that slammed off the post was the first shot of the match, and a nearly mirror-image free kick on the opposite end resulted in the Bobcats’ equalizer, which cancelled out Ian Cerro’s earlier penalty take that was won from a great run by Alex McGrath that saw him taken down from behind. The guys in gold had a few chances to tuck away the game, most notably Brett Jones’ effort that floored a defender and rattled off the inside of the woodwork. However, in the end, the game was destined for a draw.

Overall, I was very pleased with the team’s performance, and thought we were unlucky to walk away without all three points. Compared to last season, I felt that we were much more patient in possession; last year there seemed to be so many forced long balls forward, but these guys are picking out the right pass and only putting through very intentional long balls (and the wind certainly didn’t help those). McGrath and Cerro did an excellent job moving the ball up the pitch, our forwards did a great job getting into space, and we got to witness the best dribbler in the league, Damien Rodriguez, work some magic.

Ian Cerro was officially named man on the match, which I agree with. He will be so important for CFC this year. A close second for me was Franky Martinez. I enjoyed watching his composure on the ball, good passing, and solid defense. I mentioned earlier that we generated the most xG of any team this week; we also faced the second least, thanks to some solid defensive work.

There is no reason not to be deliriously excited for this season; the new signings are great, coaching staff is great, and the Scenic City is great. Maybe we’ll grab all three points next time out away to AC Syracuse!

Chattanooga FC came out on top in their final home game of the Fall 2021 season with a one-nil win over Michigan Stars FC courtesy of Damien Rodriguez’s first goal of his professional career. Three points were needed to keep CFC’s hopes of a top half finish alive and that’s exactly what the players and fans got on a cold night at Finley Stadium.

The game was a tale of two halves as CFC were quick off the blocks at the beginning of the game, dominating proceedings especially for the opening 25 minutes. CFC ended the first half with just about 60% of the possession, in threatening areas too. Michigan Stars failed to capitalize on a few dangerous fast breaks, and were ultimately punished when Damien Rodriguez slotted home in the 29th minute. Both defenses worked well in general to prevent that final pass needed to get a shot away, with only a few, high quality chances coming along. The game in general felt pretty slow- the ball was dead for nearly 18 minutes in the first half, with all sorts of throw ins and goal kicks being taken with no rush (for reference, the ball was dead for only 10 minutes in the first half of CFC v Stumptown).

The Stars realigned in the second half as Michigan flipped the possession script, holding the ball for much of the half in the middle of the park. In this flurry of possession, the Stars generated 1.07 xG, including a justly awarded penalty that was smashed onto the bar by Kyle Nuel. Alec Redington was called into action to make a few crucial saves in the dying moments of the game, ensuring that his clean sheet remained intact. Once again the game was played without much urgency, especially from the lead holders CFC. It felt like the ball was in Redington’s gloves most of the half, whether from claiming a cross or taking his time on a spot kick. Both keepers were bold in coming off their lines; the Stars’ penalty came from a failed Redington claim, and Zimbabwean international keeper Tatenda Mkuruva nearly crossed the halfway line a few times to win the ball. They both had me nervous!

Overall, Chattanooga FC may consider themselves lucky to walk away with three points; the Stars generated plenty of chances and Kyle Nuel was unlucky to miss his penalty attempt as well as a one-on-one chance in the first half that he fired over the bar. However, CFC were rewarded for their high press from the first whistle. The true star of the night was Damien Rodriguez, showing that dreams do come true as the Dalton native took his chance to shine with a goal in the 29th minute.

Chattanooga FC’s season ending trip to the Stumplex in Matthews, NC saw the Boys in Blue emerge victorious with a one-nil win over Stumptown AC. It was not a vintage performance but the three points were enough to see CFC rise to the top half of the NISA table after a campaign where we may have hoped for a bit more. We can look back on this match with extra intrigue as Stumptown’s then head coach Rod Underwood has since crossed over the mountains to join Chattanooga FC.

We can certainly empathize with Stumptown supporters who may feel that they deserved something from the match. Rod Underwood employed a possession-hungry “four-two-freedom” lineup that did very well retaining the ball and pinning in CFC for much of the game. Stumptown reached a staggering 63.8% possession, of which 38% was spent in CFC’s half of the pitch. This possession was not devoid of threat, with the team accumulating an xG of 1.48. Stumptown’s commentators on Eleven Sports touched on the topic of goal scoring throughout the match. The club has struggled massively to score throughout the season, and frankly doesn’t have an out-and-out striker to rely on. On a side note, I’m excited to see if this trend of Stumptown underscoring is constant throughout the season- I think we have some great strikers at CFC and if Underwood soccer is really creating chances then CFC will thrive this coming season!

Chattanooga FC sprung a few surprises in their lineup, opting to use a rarely seen back four and pushing the defensive stalwart Nick Spielman into more of a stopper position. Sitting back on 36.2% possession (with 61% in their own half) meant that CFC needed real quality in their outlets when they won the ball. Two players stood out the most going forward. James Kasak (who gave Stumptown nightmares in the reverse fixture) and Damien Rodriguez were CFC’s best players on the field, displaying great quality and skill as they provided CFC with progressive movement and passing. Rodriguez was the best of the lot providing quality end product as well, sending in crosses that resulted in a shot off the upright from Markus Naglestad in the first half and the lone goal (scored by Brett Jones or a Robert Hines own goal? Depends on who you ask) to seal the deal, even netting once himself, although it was called back for offsides. In total, CFC racked up an xG of 1.1, justly reflected in the score.

There were no big surprises in terms of flow of the game, with CFC starting the best in each half and Stumptown growing into each half. CFC did let Stumptown have a few quality looks on goal but they were of course unable to convert. Most of these chances didn’t even hit the frame; Alec Redington got his clean sheet, but the Stumptown strikers didn’t make him work very hard for it.

All in all, although it wasn’t Chattanooga’s best night out, they walked away with three points against a well structured Stumptown team that has struggled to score.