WHAT TO WATCH FOR AND WHAT TO EXPECT
Chattanooga heads back on the road this week to take on Union Omaha at Werner Park this Saturday, August 19th. The Red Wolves hosted the first meeting this season at CHI Memorial Stadium which saw a total of six goals between the clubs, where Chattanooga worked to force a 3-3 draw. Union Omaha travels to Chattanooga for the final match between the clubs on September 16th at The Den.
The Red Wolves face Omaha coming off of an exhilarating 3-2 win at home against the Richmond Kickers on August 12th. After going down by one goal just before the half and allowing a second in the opening minutes of the second half, Ropapa Mensah notched his sixth goal of the season just ten minutes later to cut the lead to 2-1. The Red Wolves continued to press, resulting in Richard Rentería tying the match at two apiece in the 71st minute with a header for his first of the year. Chevone Marsh, having entered the match for Mensah in the 69th minute, continued his hot streak with his eighth goal of the season for the game winning tally. The Red Wolves defense sustained a barrage of shot attempts from Richmond as time wound down, and held on to their lead through the final whistle to collect all three points at home.
Union Omaha jumped up to second on the table after collecting a win against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on the 12th for their fourth straight victory. Omaha went up early in the 35th minute following a handball call and a successful penalty kick from Joe Gallardo, but Northern Colorado quickly evened the score just three minutes later. The Owls were able to reclaim the lead just before halftime with a second penalty goal from Steevan Dos Santos in the 44th minute. They extended their lead to 3-1 in the 80th minute with a quick response from Hailstorm seven minutes later to bring the score to 3-2. Omaha managed to hang on for the win, giving them their fourth straight victory and taking the series against Northern Colorado.
The Red Wolves will play another two-match week following the match in Omaha, traveling to Greenville to take on the Triumph for the second time this season before returning home on Saturday, August 26th against South Georgia Tormenta FC.
AVILEZ, CARDONA NOMINATED FOR WEEK 22 LEAGUE AWARDS
Goalkeeper Carlos Avilez recently picked up his second nomination for Save of the Week for his save in the 31st minute of the Red Wolves’ match against Forward Madison FC on Wednesday, August 9th. He was also recently named to Team of the Week for Week 21, following a strong performance on the road against Central Valley Fuego on August 5th.
Nico Cardona was also named to Team of the Week following the matches against Richmond and Madison, where he led the league with his 16 duels and 11 tackles won and added 11 recoveries and four clearances across the two match stretch.
ENRIQUEZ BACK ON INJURED LIST, TEJERA AND ESPINOZA AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION
Chattanooga will finally see its healthiest roster this season as Alex Tejera and Moe Espinoza are activated after several weeks injured. Tejera’s last appearance was May 20th against Union Omaha in which he scored his first goal of the season before undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus while Espinoza has been out since early July.
Christian Enriquez rejoins the injured list with a leg injury after just one appearance since being absent from the Red Wolves roster since June with foot and knee injuries.
