WHAT TO WATCH FOR AND WHAT TO EXPECT
The Chattanooga Red Wolves look for three points against Charlotte Independence this week on the road after having drawn against the Jacks at home on June 24th (3-3) and dropping the first meeting on the road in the Queen City on May 27th (3-0). This match will conclude the 2023 series between the clubs.
Chattanooga heads into this week’s match coming off of a stunning 3-1 win in front of their home crowd on Saturday, September 2nd over Forward Madison FC. After allowing the opening goal to the Flamingos eight minutes into the match, the Red Wolves equalized just before halftime with Nico Cardona’s third goal of the season. The match grew intensely more physical as each side worked to claim the lead; however, Mekeil Williams would score the go-ahead goal in the 68th minute, his first of the season, to give the Red Wolves a 2-1 lead. Emotions continued to run high as Marios Lomis notched his first of the year in the 78th minute with a pair of yellow cards being issued to Alex Tejera and Madison’s Stephen Payne in the closing minutes of the match. Chattanooga maintained a stronghold through stoppage time to secure the three points at home.
Charlotte’s last outing saw a 4-2 loss at the hands of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on the road on September 9th. League-leading goal scorer Trevor Amann picked up his 19th goal of the year just six minutes into the contest to give Colorado an early lead. Charlotte battled to tie the match before halftime, but headed into the break down 1-0. The Jacks got on the board in the 62nd minute, but the Hailstorm reclaimed the lead just two minutes later off an own goal. A successful penalty kick in the 76th minute for the Independence evened the score a 2-2, but Colorado once again jumped ahead three minutes later with a powerful shot from Noah Powder. The home side picked up a final goal as second half stoppage time wound down for the final 4-2 result.
Red Wolves fans’ next chance to see their club at home is Saturday, September 16th as they face Union Omaha on Noche de Lobos to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month at CHI Memorial Stadium. There will be a post match fireworks show after the final whistle in addition to a live DJ and a Hispanic food takeover of the concession stands.
MARSH NOMINATED FOR USL LEAGUE ONE’S PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Chattanooga’s leading goal scorer, Chevone Marsh, was recently nominated to the league’s fan-decided Player of the Month for his performance in August. The Jamaican native went on a four game scoring streak and has contributed to goals in his last five appearances, picking up two assists in the Red Wolves win over Madison. He is currently just two goals shy of tying Juan Galindrez’s 2022 single season scoring record of 13 goals and is the second Red Wolves player to receive a nomination for Player of the Month following Carlos Avilez’s nomination for the month of May.
RED WOLVES PICK UP MULTIPLE LEAGUE NOMINATIONS FOR TEAM OF THE WEEK
Weeks 24 and 25 of the 2023 season have seen upwards of three nominations of Red Wolves players to the list with Nico Cardona being named in consecutive weeks and Ropapa Mensah grabbing his second nomination of the season. Mekeil Williams and Pedro Hernández joined the list for the first time in Weeks 25 and 24 respectively, while Jonny Filipe and Chevone Marsh were named to the bench in Week 24.
TWO RED WOLVES CALLED UP TO INTERNATIONAL DUTY, CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
Chattanooga Defender Nicolas Cardona and Goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez have been called up to the national teams of Puerto Rico and Guatemala, respectively, for the CONCACAF Nations League.
The CONCACAF Nations League features senior men’s national teams like the US Men’s National Team, Mexico and other national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America.
Nicolas Cardona, the captain of the Puerto Rican national team will take on the Bahamas on Saturday September 9th at 6:00 p.m./ET and then Antigua and Barbuda Tuesday September 16th at 7:00 p.m./ET.
Ricardo Jérez and Guatemala will face Panama on Sunday September 10th at 8:00 p.m./ET and then Trinidad & Tobago on October 13th.
“We’ve been dedicated as a club to bring in top tier talent,” said Chattanooga President and GM Sean McDaniel. “Having Nico and Ricardo both be called in to represent their national teams in the Nation’s League is a statement to the high standards of player personnel not only within our organization but within the USL.”
MADRID, RENTERÍA REMAIN OUT WITH INJURIES, MARSH TO MISS CHARLOTTE MATCH
The Red Wolves will be without several key pieces in this week’s matchup in Charlotte with hamstring and knee injuries keeping Manuel Madrid and Richard Rentería absent. Offensive powerhouse Chevone Marsh will miss the match due to suspension for exceeding the league limit for yellow cards with nine following the Red Wolves match versus Forward Madison FC.
Ricardo Jérez and Nico Cardona will also miss the match due to appearing for their respective home countries of Guatemala and Puerto Rico in the opening matches of the Concacaf Nations League tournament.
