The Red Wolves travel to Fort Lauderdale off what was arguably the most impressive result of the season Friday afternoon in Toronto. Manager Jimmy Obleda could only name a 14-man roster due to travel restrictions, with the 3-man bench including Park City Red Wolves man Alec Marshall and goalkeeper Sebastian Mora-Mora who was given an outfield jersey due to the lack of numbers.
Despite the obstacles in place, the Red Wolves controlled the game brilliantly, creating most of the chances and limiting a TFC II side laden with MLS talent to few opportunities at Tim Trilk’s goal. The Red Wolves battled valiantly with a heavily rotated side and snuck out of Toronto with a record breaking and all valuable point.
Now the side look forward to Fort Lauderdale CF, who after a decent start to the season have picked up their form somewhat and find themselves third in the table. When asked about the matchup, Obleda said, “A very good Fort Lauderdale team, coming off a big win, they are riding high off their success as well.” He also preached the importance of the Red Wolves taking advantage of their chances in the final third, something they weren’t able to do with their 4 shots on target Friday in Toronto.
Fort Lauderdale Cf, managed by Darren Powell, come into the match against the Red Wolves Saturday evening with a home record of 4-2-4. Good for 8th best in USL League One. The home side will be ready for the long-awaited rematch with Obleda’s Red Wolves, after suffering defeat in May at CHI Memorial Stadium thanks to a late Jason Ramos winner in stoppage time.
While the side from Florida will not have enjoyed bearing witness to the birth of the Cardiac Red Wolves, they have been enjoying their two top goal scorers. Shaan Hundal and Mitchel Curry lead the way with 7 and 6 goals respectively, while George Acosta sits tied with Ricky Ruiz for the USL League One assist lead at 7. Fort Lauderdale also holds the unique individual lead for yellow cards, with Roberto Poplawski leading the league following 8 yellow cards.
Their last matchup saw a thrashing of Tormenta in South Georgia, where Powell’s side led 4-0 late into the second half before conceding two late goals to Azaad Liadi. Acosta scored a brace in that matchup, and his now 10 goal contributions have been vital to Fort Lauderdale’s attempts to make the playoffs.
The Red Wolves have a chance to increase their gap over Union Omaha to 5 points at the top of the league, with the Nebraska side coveting their two games in hand. Fort Lauderdale meanwhile could also begin to separate themselves from a middle-heavy USL League One table with a win which would put them on 28 points.
The Red Wolves will welcome being back in the United States Saturday, with a full complement of players available for selection once again. They will need all men on deck for the highest scoring attack in the league from Fort Lauderdale, who have scored 31 goals in 20 games this campaign. On the defensive side of the ball, the Red Wolves boast the second-best defense in the league only having conceded 19 goals so far. Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale continues to ride the extremes leading the league not only in goals scored, but goals conceded with 33.
The Action kicks off at 7:30 PM EST from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, as your Chattanooga Red Wolves look to make it 14 games unbeaten in USL League One.
