WHAT TO WATCH FOR AND WHAT TO EXPECT
The Red Wolves host the second of back to back home matches at CHI Memorial Stadium this Saturday when they take on Forward Madison FC. The clubs last met in Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday, August 9th in a tough match with an 89th minute tally for the Flamingos to take a short 1-0 victory over the Red Wolves. Chattanooga won the first meeting of 2023 at CHI Memorial Stadium on June 7th in a 2-0 win with goals from Ropapa Mensah and Chevone Marsh. A win in this match will secure the second series win for Chattanooga this season.
Chattanooga’s last outing on Saturday, August 26th saw an incredible eight goals between the Red Wolves and Tormenta FC through 96 minutes of play. Three of the eight goals came in the first 20 minutes of the match with South Georgia scoring in the 13th minute, taking an early 1-0 lead followed by Ropapa Mensah’s seventh goal of the year to tie the match at 1-1 in the 17th minute. Tormenta reclaimed the lead three minutes later, 2-1, but a header from Nico Cardona in the 41st minute sent the clubs into halftime knotted up once more at 2-2.
Following a brief lightning delay, the Red Wolves took their first lead of the night with Chevone Marsh’s team-leading 11th goal of the year for a 3-2 score. Both sides played end to end, with the Red Wolves working to extend their lead; however, Tormenta grabbed their third of the night in the 74th minute and took the lead in the 84th minute for Pedro Fonseca’s second goal of the match. Mensah forced the draw in stoppage time with a 95th minute goal off a corner kick to take a point.
Forward Madison’s last match was also a high-scoring, eight goal affair against Central Valley Fuego FC on August 26th. Central Valley took an early lead in the opening seconds of the match, but Madison was able to respond shortly after for a 1-1 score, just five minutes into the match. A penalty kick in the 12th minute allowed the Flamingos to take a 2-1 lead, but Fuego managed two additional goals before the half, leading 3-2.
Central Valley was awarded a penalty kick in the 51st minute, which would be their final goal of the match to extend their lead to 4-2. Forward Madison went down a man just one minute later with Jacob Crull picking up a red card. Despite the disadvantage, the Flamingos rallied in the 71st and 81st minutes to score two unanswered goals to split points on the road.
The Red Wolves will play at home two additional times in September on the 16th against Union Omaha and the 30th against Central Valley Fuego FC with road trips on September 9th in Charlotte and the 23rd in Lexington.
MARSH AND MENSAH LEAD CHATTANOOGA OFFENSIVE CHARGE
Chevone Marsh notched his eleventh goal of the season on Saturday, August 26th, putting him only two goals behind Juan Galindrez’s team record 13-goal season in 2022. He also enters this match on a four-game scoring streak for himself and the Red Wolves. Marsh also now solely holds fourth place in the USL League One Golden Boot race, sitting behind Trevor Amann (NCO), Oalex Anderson (NC), and Kazaiah Sterling (TRM).
Ropapa Mensah picked up his first brace of 2023 against South Georgia Tormenta FC, scoring in the 18th and 90+5th minutes for his seventh and eighth goals of the season.
FIVE RED WOLVES NAMED TO WEEK 24 USL LEAGUE ONE TEAM OF THE WEEK
The Red Wolves recently had five players nominated for the USL League One Team of the Week after a two-match Week 24. Nico Cardona, Pedro Hernández, and Ropapa Mensah were named to the first team while Jonny Filipe and Chevone Marsh named to the bench.
This is Cardona and Mensah’s second nominations this season and the first for Hernández.
CHATTANOOGA CONTINUES TO BE HARD TO BEAT THROUGH FINAL MATCHES OF SEASON
During the 2023 campaign, the Red Wolves have recovered 17 points from losing positions, more than any other League One team.
They have also scored 12 goals in the last 15 minutes of second halves and have scored seven goals in stoppage time, most recently against South Georgia Tormenta with Ropapa Mensah’s game-tying goal in the 90+6th minute. Chevone Marsh has scored four of the seven against Omaha, Knoxville, Northern Colorado, and Charlotte.