On Sunday evening, June 20th, Cristian Zaragoza made history by becoming the first Red Wolves Academy player to be featured in a first team match. Zaragoza made his professional debut for Chattanooga Red Wolves entering in the 95th minute against North Carolina FC at CHI Memorial Stadium.
“Stepping out on the field that night was huge accomplishment for me and my family. Hearing that crowd cheer while I was going in was a whole different environment I’ve never gotten to experience until that night. It was unbelievable,” said Zaragoza after the final whistle. Previously having been featured three times for the available squad, it was a dream debut at home. Walking out in front of a 2000 person crowd, it will be a night that Cristian will never forget.
In April , marking a monumental milestone for the club, Cristian became the first Academy player to sign a USL Academy contract with the first team. An incredible feat that only hopes to inspire the likes of Academy players making their way to the professional squad. “Getting this chance is crazy. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was little,” said Cristian Zaragoza. “Getting a chance to play with the Chattanooga Red Wolves means the world to me. Hardly anyone my age gets to do this.”
For Red Wolves General Manager and President Sean McDaniel, the signing of Zaragoza marked a significant milestone for the entire organization. “I think it’s the culmination of everything we’ve worked so hard to build at this point,” said McDaniel. “To go from creating a brand and a team out of nothing and all of the platforms necessary to have a true path to pro, to now see it now come to fruition by bringing in our first academy player to the first team is a huge day for us. This is what we had always intended and wanted to do, that was to develop talent locally and launch them into their careers.”
