Head Coach Chris Nugent caught up with ChattanoogaFC.com about the pride in reaching 10 regular season wins, the team's approach and mentality heading into the final five matches of the season and much more.
Chattanooga FC reached the milestone of 10 regular season wins in a single MLS NEXT Pro campaign for the first time when it sealed a season series sweep (three matches) over Huntsville City FC with a 1-0 victory on August 23rd.
The team is preparing for the home stretch of the 2025 regular season with five matches remaining and with the opportunity and motivation to clinch a MLS NEXT Pro playoff spot for the first time in club history.
Head Coach Chris Nugent caught up with ChattanoogaFC.com about the club's pride in reaching 10 regular season wins, his approach heading into the final five matches of the season and much more.
Do you take pride in reaching 10 regular season wins and surpassing last season's tally?
Chris Nugent: The league has got better, and I think us winning more games is always a positive thing, right? If every year we can win one, two, three, four more games than the previous year then that’s a type of progress. That’s a positive thing, getting 10 wins and hopefully a few more to come. That’s always a big thing. I know we sat on eight wins for a long time, so to get there and break it was good. It’s not always easy to compare black and white because of the schedule, but I think when you look into the details, even with an easy schedule, getting 10 wins, you’ll still take it. We’ve been very competitive. I know we haven’t always won but we’ve been competitive.
What’s the team's approach and mentality heading into these last five regular season games?
We can control our destiny, so it’s all about trying to win. I think every game in this league is winnable, and then once that whistle goes, we need to be able to adjust our tactics. We go into games hoping we can be a bit more dominant in the buildup or possession. We have to remember that other teams come in with a plan for us and for whatever reason, sometimes those plans go up or down either way. They make an adjustment, we make an adjustment. We go into every match to win, and if we can’t win, what do we need to do to get two [points]? If we can’t get two, get the one. We know it adds up as the league’s incredibly close. We’re two points off of third place. Any point we can get to separate us or keep us higher up is better. We’re still pushing for that home playoff game. We know we can go on a run, and we know we can compete with teams. So we go in and try to win and then during the game it’s about ‘Right, what do we need to do to get us one more game?' It's a half-playoff mentality a little bit.
Is being tactically flexible a strength of this team and something you emphasize as a coaching staff?
Yes, I think so. If you look at the way the games have changed as well, there’s times we’ve been not so great in the first half and come out and been really good in the second half. We know we can’t go out and just Man City or Barcelona teams every single game, and I think it’s naive to think that. That’s just the reality of where we are and who we are, so what can we do? What are the factors helping us win games? We know the team and lineups change quite a bit. The teams are quite consistent with the style of play. The execution will be off a little bit based on the players they have. There’s games when the 3-4-3 has been excellent. There’s games where the 4-3-3 has been excellent. It’s not just a case of one formation. It’s more about systems, principles and game management. A lot of credit goes to the staff to recognize how we can impact here. I think we’re quite flexible. Even if we line up in one formation, we might build our press in a different one. If we are trying to press a certain way and it’s not working, that breaks us down mentally as well with the fatigue of doing something and not right. So where can we get the success? Sometimes they’re defending the box really well and it’s not pretty, but sometimes the transition is going to hurt us so let’s take some of the transitions out of it. That’s what it’s about. It’s about trying to win on the day and get better, and sometimes it’s the quality of individual players that gives you success.
There seems to be a sense and shift towards a more pragmatic and realistic approach this season. Would you say that's a fair assessment?
The guys want to be competitive. Everybody likes to be on the ball and play beautiful football. Guys also like to win and not lose and feel success. I think we’ve redefined what winning is. It’s not just about the scoreline; sometimes it's about really good defending or attacking, it’s smart play, it’s processes that make us better as a team and bring us together. A big thing for us was trying to get the environment and the culture right all together and to be willing to fight and celebrate together. We've been able to get some late goals and change play when needed and we've also identified what the other teams maybe aren’t as good at and making the game go there. We know the teams that are really good on the ball, they’re really good at attacking, they’re really good when you give them time. So if we can disrupt that, does that help us? I think that’s what we have to do, and if next season I have 25 guys that are good enough to play in the Premier League, the play will be different. The players are what make us so good and that works on both sides as well. We have to be fair and admit that some other teams have got some really good players, and you can see that by the movement between their second teams and their first teams as well.
Football has developed so much, so do you think it's easy to get trapped in a mentality too focused on out-possessing a team?
Possession does lead to creating goals, but it’s not the only way. It’s about the quality of the chances you create, and also the quality of the chances you deny. There’s a mental factor of disrupting teams and making it hard. The longer you string teams out, the more, not desperate, but the more adjustments they make that don’t quite suit it, and they fall off their game plan. We have a different pathway for our guys, and our pre-pathway is different as well. That’s what Chattanooga is, right? We’re not a big city. We’re not Atlanta. We are different, and we’re good at these types of things, so let’s continue to be that.
Our guys, when they pass the ball, I guarantee they’re trying to pass it to their teammate. When they’re trying to win it back, it doesn’t work as easy. It’s not just a case of me just telling them ‘Just go win the ball.’ Instead of just chasing mindlessly, we find a moment and go from there.
Can you talk about some specific goals or objectives for these last five games?
It would be good to secure playoffs as quick as possible. I’ve got a feeling that the positioning will be up for grabs right up to the end of the last game of the season. It’s so hard to predict the results because everybody can and does beat everybody. The top teams play each other, there’s the one-point, two-point, three-point scenario. It’s not a case of saying ‘Well Liverpool are going to beat Burnley, so that’s an easy one.’ You just don’t know. We know that at some point it becomes mathematically impossible for other teams to catch us. That’s the focus. We’re trying to hit that rhythm of being successful again, get a little bit better with our buildup, get a little bit better with our attacking. I think we need to score more goals, that’s quite clear. That fight, that mentality of hitting our stride at the right time, we know playoffs is about momentum and that’s a huge thing for us. If we get a home game, that'll be huge for us.
Next up
Chattanooga FC will be on the road next with a match at Crown Legacy FC on Friday, September 12, before returning home for a highly-anticipated final installment of the Battle of the Independents against Carolina Core FC on Sunday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Tickets are on sale now.
