The Chattanooga Red Wolves will be back at CHI Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, August 12th to take on Union Omaha in a matchup between two of the remaining three unbeaten teams in USL League One. Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM EST, as both teams will be looking to deliver the other their first loss of the season. This will be a hard fought matchup, as both teams have displayed their abilities to score goals and defend well. The Red Wolves (1-0-2) will enter the match ranked 3rd in the league while Union Omaha (2-0-1) holds the narrow advantage in the tables ranked 2nd, making this match a top 3 showdown. This will be a tough challenge for the Red Wolves, as Union Omaha is coming off of two consecutive wins and is starting to gain momentum. The Red Wolves will defend their new home in CHI Memorial, in an attempt to pick up their second win on the season and stay undefeated at home as both teams will be looking to separate themselves and gain advantage over the other in League play. Founded in 2019 and making its debut season now, Union Omaha is new to the League and looking to make a statement, and the Red Wolves are going to do everything possible to defend the den. In order to go 2-0-0 in their new stadium, the Red Wolves will need to address 3 points of the week.
Union Omaha has proved to be a dangerous team already in their debut season and has caught the eyes of everyone in the league by handing North Texas FC, the defending League One champions, their first loss of the season on August 1st. The Red Wolves will need to create and put away chances early in the game in order to hold off Omaha, who has shown that they are a second half team capable of winning in a tough environment on the road. Union Omaha has scored all three of their goals this season in the second half, which shows that they have depth and will be able to play with high energy for the full 90 minutes. Omaha has been able to find a way to win close games, and the Red Wolves will need to show up ready to put away their chances and finish out the game while limiting Omaha’s second half success.
Another key point to the game is defending the den and keeping a clean sheet. The Red Wolves won their inaugural home opener against FC Tucson last week 1-0 securing a clean sheet, meaning that they have not yet conceded a goal in CHI Memorial and in front of home fans, and they will not want to start on Wednesday. The back line did a good job of trapping North Texas FC offsides multiple times early in the game on Saturday, but they let in a late goal in the 87th minute that could have potentially lost them the game. Late game focus and mental toughness to finish out the game, as well as creating early chances like the Red Wolves displayed in their home opener, will be very important for success on Wednesday. The Red Wolves will have another opportunity to play well in a brand new stadium with an incredible environment and support, and they will do everything they can to hand Coach Obleda his second career professional win and to put on a great showing for the fans.
Greg Hurst has had an electric start to the season so far, scoring in all three games, including notching the first ever goal in CHI Memorial Stadium. He has made the team of the week multiple times, and with 4 goals and an assist, he has been an outstanding performer. He has made himself known all over the league, and is currently the top scorer. His performances and weekly recognitions however, will make him a target among coaches. Omaha will likely look to shut Hurst down on Wednesday, as many teams will begin to look to contain him specifically. Hurst will be looking to add onto his goal tally and keep separating himself as the best goal scorer and the league, but another key to the attack will be getting other players involved as well. Marky Hernandez scored his first for the club to secure the draw on Saturday against North Texas, and Coach Obleda will likely look to get other players on the scoresheet as well. The Red Wolves have plenty of talent going forward, and they will be looking to utilize it and reach their full attacking potential. On the other side of the ball forward Ethan Vanacore-Decker and defender Luke Hauswirth will be notable players to take watch of. They will be one of many head to head match ups to watch as the run of play develops.
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will be working hard for Wednesday, where they will try to put on their best performance for the organization, in an effort to make CHI Memorial Stadium one of the hardest places to come and play. Even though there is no history between the Red Wolves and Union Omaha, this matchup will prove to be one of the best in the league so far, and will be an opportunity for one of the teams to establish themselves as one of the best sides in the league. Make sure not to miss this top three matchup, and tune into ESPN+ at 5:00 PM EST to catch the game.