WHAT TO WATCH FOR AND WHAT TO EXPECT
The Chattanooga Red Wolves continue their road trip on Wednesday, June 21st against Greenville Triumph SC for the first time this season. The 2022 series between the clubs ended with a 5-1 victory for the Red Wolves at home on August 6th, while Greenville picked up wins in the first two meetings by a score of 1-0. Chattanooga will face Greenville twice more this season; once more in Greenville on August 23rd and in Chattanooga for the Red Wolves home finale on October 7th.
Chattanooga enters the match following a 2-0 loss to Lexington SC on Wednesday, June 14th in Lexington. The match was highly physical with nine yellow cards being issued between the two sides with five given to the Red Wolves. Lexington’s first goal of the match came from a penalty kick in the 30th minute from Don Smart, the third penalty to be conceded by the Red Wolves this season. As Chattanooga looked for offensive opportunities, Lexington’s play through the midfield kept the Red Wolves at bay. The home side tacked on their second and final goal of the match in the 62nd minute with a goal from Khalid Balogun.
Greenville picked up a win in their most recent match against Central Valley Fuego on Saturday, June 17th with a late goal from Jacob Labovitz in extra time after a 90 minute long scoreless stalemate, bringing their scoring streak to 11 matches.
The Red Wolves will face Charlotte Independence on Saturday, June 24th at home at CHI Memorial Stadium for Tacos & Tequila Night before returning to action on the road on July 1st against Richmond.
INJURIES CONTINUE TO PLAGUE CHATTANOOGA
The list of injuries to the Red Wolves roster remains lengthy as the club works to return to full, healthy capacity. Andrew Paoli, who had been out due to a foot injury, played his first minutes since April 29th in the Red Wolves’ last match on Wednesday, June 14th as a substitute for Ualefi in the 74th minute against Lexington SC. Christian Enriquez has also registered two appearances since an extended absence beginning April 1st due to an ankle injury.
Chattanooga’s defense will also be without Richard Renteria and Manuel Madrid, both due to hamstring injury–with Nico Cardona out on international duty playing for the Puerto Rican National Team, the backline is currently without several of its key players.
On the other side of the ball, Alex Tejera is out with a meniscus injury while Walter Varela and Chevone Marsh are questionable for the Greenville match and Yahir Paez remains unavailable due to a foot injury.
USL W LADY RED WOLVES LEAD SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION, LOOK TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT
The Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves will play their regular season finale on Friday, June 30th after a successful 2023 campaign, including post-match fireworks. They currently sit at the top of the South Central Division with 22 points and 7-2-1 record and will look to secure their spot in the USL W playoffs this season in the remaining two matches.
The club was recently named in the league power rankings at #9 in the nation and has seen stellar play from players such as Mackenzie Smith and Clarissa Salinas, with six and four goals, respectively, and dominant team performances in their matches against North Alabama with a 7-0 shutout on June 9th and Birmingham Legion WFC on June 17th by a score of 4-1.