HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (April 20, 2024) — Chattanooga Football Club picked up all three points against Southeast Division rivals Huntsville City FC with a 1-0 victory thanks to a late goal scored by captain Alex McGrath.
After a cagey first half, Chattanooga FC put more attacking pressure on Huntsville and created several goalscoring chances in the second half, ultimately leading to McGrath finding the winner with a deft chip past goalkeeper Ben Martino after substitute Callum Watson played him in with a perfectly-weighted through pass.
Duvan Viafara made back-to-back goalline clearances before Jean Antoine stopped a long-range effort from Huntsville in the dyng minutes to help secure the win and keep a clean sheet.
Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood made four changes from the 6-2 home win over Inter Miami II last weekend. Jean Antoine, Joseph Perez, Jude Arthur and Jesus Ibarra came in for Jonathan Burke, Jesse Williams, Luis Garcia Sosa and Taylor Gray.
The Boys in Blue finish the evening in first place in the Southeast Division and second place in the entire Eastern Conference.
Chattanooga FC will now look forward to a second consecutive road match in the Southeast Division against Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday, April 24th at 7:30 p.m. ET before hosting fellow independent club Carolina Core FC on Saturday, April 27 with a 7:00 p.m. ET kick-off at Finley Stadium. Tickets are on sale now.
Quotes
Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood gave his post-match reactions:
On his overall takeaways from the win:
"It's a result we've needed, because when we played them the first time they came back and tied it, and we won the shootout," said Underwood. "We played in New York, took the early lead and we didn't keep it and lost on penalties, so to come here today, coming off a result like last week, we needed to develop that gritty performance. We started to do that today. We have a lot of work ahead. We're nowhere near where we want to be. A lot of work ahead."
On what qualities he saw from his team from the game that he liked the most:
"We talk a lot about maturity. I just want to see them mature. Maturity comes with composure, decision-making... we showed some of that, but we just need to get way better in that area."
On Jean Antoine and Jude Arthur getting their first starts of the season:
"They both were important today. You can see what Jude brings. He broke up plays. He was calm on the ball. And he basically just got here! (laughs) It was big for Jean to start and get a shutout."
On the type of matchup it was coming up against Huntsville for the second time this season:
"I don't think we've seen a game like that yet. We probably could have had a bit more control. For us it's just about keeping ticking, right? We need to keep ticking and going."
On Alex McGrath's early goalscoring form:
"I challenged him in the off-season and told him that he has a chance to get more goals and assists for us."
On the away support brought by the CFC fans:
"I'll say it over and over again. I'll be a broken record for the people who know what I'm talking about. Without them, we can't do this. We just can't. We need them. They drive us. They give us energy. They helped us push harder today."
Notes:
- Chattanooga FC continued its run of scoring the first goal in each of its first five matches in MLS NEXT Pro
- Jude Arthur made his first-ever start for Chattanooga FC
- Jean Antoine made his first start in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season for Chattanooga FC
- Chattanooga FC won its first away match in its MLS NEXT Pro history
Box Score:
Huntsville City FC (0W-3L-3D, 0SOW, 3 pts.) vs. Chattanooga FC (3W-0L-2D, 1SOW, 12 pts.)
Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium | Huntsville, Ala.
Final Score:
HCFC: 0
CFC: 1
Scoring Summary:
CFC: Alex McGrath (A: Callum Watson) 86’
Discipline:
HCFC: Technical Staff Member (caution) 11’
CFC: Duvan Viafara Mina (caution) 37’
HCFC: Fernando Ciceron (caution) 43’
CFC: Anatolie Prepelita (caution) 61’
HCFC: Scott Cheevers (caution) 81’
Stats (HCFC/CFC):
Expected goals (xG): 0.67 / 0.8
Possession: 45% / 55%
Shots: 14 / 9
Shots on goal: 5 / 2
Total passes: 380 / 599
Passing accuracy: 79% / 89%
Corners: 3 / 7
Goalkeeper saves: 1 / 3
Clearances: 6 / 12
Fouls: 7 / 12
Line-ups:
CFC starters: Jean Antoine, Joseph Perez, Anatolie Prepelita, Duvan Viafara Mina, Milo Garvanian, Jude Arthur (Callum Watson 68'), Alex McGrath (C), Andres Jimenez Aranzazu, Jesus Ibarra (Taylor Gray 68'), Jalen James (Farid Sar-Sar 90'+6), Mehdi Ouamri (Carlos Rivas 76')
Substitutes: Jonathan Burke, Jesse Williams, Luis Garcia Sosa, Ethan Koren, Damian Rodriguez
Head Coach: Rod Underwood
HNT starters: Ben Martino, Fernando Ciceron, Scott Cheevers (Faiz Opande 82'), Chris Applewhite (Kessy Coulibaly 59'), Isaiah Jones (Joel Sangwa 59'), Izzy Johnston, Brennan Creek, Dominic Wilson (Adem Sipić 70'), Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez (Ollie Wright 70'), Jonathan Bolaños (C), Maximus Ekk
Substitutes: Simon Jillson, Jacob Grekowicz, Sergi Oriol, Alexis Cerritos
Interim Head Coach: Christophe Berra
