Chattanooga FC travels to face Philadelphia Union II on Sunday, July 13 with kick-off set for 3:00 p.m. ET at Subaru Park.
Chattanooga FC will look to continue July with its second match of the month and will aim to get back in the win column against Philadelphia Union II at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. on Sunday afternoon.
Head Coach Chris Nugent's side is coming into Sunday’s matchup following a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Chicago Fire FC II on July 5.
The two clubs last met earlier this season on May 3 in a goalless draw, with Philadelphia coming out on top 9-8 in a marathon shootout for the extra point.
What they said
Nugent previewed how the club is preparing for Sunday's match and spoke about how playing against other competitive teams can become a numbers game.
“There’s always specifics in terms of tactical decisions that we feel will allow us to flourish in our attack and defending," said Nugent. "If we set up like this, we’ll be able to nullify that and if we set up like this, we can create here. I think it just comes down to execution in those moments. We always want to try and get some quality shots off early, we saw that in the last game, we had two good chances in the first half that we didn’t take and that’s just part of it. So the same thing in this game, there are areas we feel that we can be strong and successful and we know where they can be strong and successful. It’s about how we stop that and then allow us to have those moments. That’s going to be the key to it.
“If you do the right things, getting shots, getting shots on target, you’re going to score. We know that both teams can make plays, so it’s just a numbers game sometimes. That’s why we’re not too concerned [about our form] because we are creating chances and now it comes down to that finishing moment. Like we saw earlier in the year, we were a little bit more clinical at times, and maybe we’re suffering from that regression to the mean with the numbers. We’re creating chances and we’ll score, and we’ve got some very good players that can change games. I think the good thing for us is that by failing and not scoring, at some point that’s all going to catch up and swing the other way and we’re going to get some good results from it."
Did you know?
- Chattanooga FC defender Tate Robertson leads the league in assists (7)
- Chattanooga FC goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović and defender Farid Sar-Sar are two of six players across the league who have played every minute this league campaign (1440)
- Jakupović is joint top of the league with Adisa De Rosario in clean sheets (5)
News around CFC
- Jakupović has been recognized for his excellent performances in the first half of the season by being one of four goalkeepers selected to compete in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Goalie Wars competition during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on Tuesday, July 22 in Austin, Texas (Read more here)
- On Tuesday, the club announced the signing of midfielder Xavier Rimpel to his first professional contract after competing collegiately from 2021-2024 with the Temple University Owls (Read more here)
Know the opponent
Philadelphia Union II (7W-1L-6D, 31 pts) is led by Head Coach Ryan Richter, who was recently named MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Month for June.
Currently on a six-game unbeaten run, Philadelphia is in-form and earned MLS NEXT Pro Team of Matchweek 17 honors following its 5-0 home shutout win over Toronto FC II last Sunday.
Philadelphia Union Academy product and 16-year-old Malik Jakupovic (no relation to Eldin Jakupović) made his professional debut for the club on June 3 and has since scored three goals in two appearances.
Watch Party
The club will be hosting an official watch party at Cheers Collective member Clever Alehouse for the Chattanooga FC match at Philadelphia Union II!
Match info
Venue: Subaru Park | Chester, Pa.
Kick-off: 3:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 13
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | Talent: James Hadnot
Internet Radio: CFC on Mixlr | Talent: Gabriel Schray
Team uniforms for Sunday’s match
Referees
Atahan Yaya
Head Referee
Tom Felice
Assistant Referee 1
Justen Lopez
Assistant Referee 2
Stephen Foster
4th Official
