The Red Wolves return to CHI Memorial Stadium Wednesday night for a midweek home matchup against North Texas SC. After battling for two hard earned road points against Toronto FC II and Fort Lauderdale, Obleda’s side has extended their run of unbeaten games to fourteen. In the match against Fort Lauderdale homegrown product Jonathan Ricketts starred for the Red Wolves, winning seven duels, and completing three dribbles on his way to being named a part of the USL League One team of the week.
After the two matchups on the road, the Red Wolves sit tied for first place in the table, with North Texas SC giving the home side an opportunity to take back sole ownership of the league’s top spot. With a full squad back available after the Toronto matchup, the Red Wolves ramped up the pressure in the final third bombarding Fort Lauderdale’s goal with sixteen shots, putting 7 on target. While the winning goal didn’t come, the squad will be encouraged by how they pressed high up the field and put real pressure on a talented Fort Lauderdale side. In addition, Manager Obleda would have been thrilled with the backline and Tim Trilk’s performance, shutting down the highest scoring team in the league on the road to keeping a second clean sheet in a row.
Taking a deeper dive into the analytics, you can see the Red Wolves game plan paying off when they didn’t have the ball. They clogged the pass lines very well Friday night, coming up with 17 interceptions compared to 7 from Fort Lauderdale. Obleda’s side also won the aerial battle on the evening, winning 10 out of 17 aerial duels. That tenacity off the ball will continue to boost the side and has played an integral part of the Red Wolves’ 14 game unbeaten run.
While the Red Wolves know a thing or two about unbeaten runs, it seems Eric Quill and his side are following in their footsteps. The away side comes into Chattanooga boasting a 9-game unbeaten run, with the last 4 matches all ending in draws. North Texas has seen the Red Wolves twice in those 9 games, both at Globe Life Park. However, both matches ended in late heartbreak for North Texas, as Jackson Dietrich found a stoppage time winner in the first matchup which was then replicated by Juan Galindrez in the second matchup.
North Texas faced FC Tucson in their last matchup Saturday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, where a 77TH minute goal from leading goal scorer Kazu was cancelled out by Tucson’s Deri Corfe only four minutes later. While their nine game unbeaten run has placed them in a good spot going into the final stretch of the season, North Texas might come to rue their string of draws in a playoff race that is one of the tightest professional soccer in the United States has ever seen. However, Quill and North Texas will feel good about their shot conversion rate, which has done its part in propping up an attack that has created the fewest shots in the league. Their ability to be clinical in the final third has kept them in the playoff hunt though, along with conceding only an impressive 23 goals.
The matchup Wednesday night simply speaking features two teams that perform very well on both sides of the ball. North Texas and the Red Wolves sit tied for second in the league with 28 goals scored, while the Red Wolves edge the defensive race with only 19 goals conceded to 23 from North Texas.
A win for North Texas would move the Arlington outfit into 3rd place in the league, while a Red Wolves win, or draw would once again bring with it sole ownership of the league’s top spot in a playoff race that continues to heat up. It will not be easy for either side on the attacking end of the pitch however, with North Texas going 5 games in a row without conceding more than 1 goal and the Red Wolves outstanding 9 in a row conceding 1 goal or less.
Midweek excitement at CHI Memorial brings with its fair share of perks, this week it is the return of $2 beer night, with tasty brews being served all match long. In addition, it is Educator Appreciation night, and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC is asking fans to bring school supplies Wednesday night to support Hamilton County Teachers.
The action kicks off at 7 PM EST Wednesday Night, as the Red Wolves fight to extend their unbeaten streak to 15 against North Texas SC.
