Chattanooga FC will end its busy matchweek on the road at New York City FC II on Sunday, September 28 with kick-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Icahn Stadium in New York, broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Chattanooga FC gears up for its third match in seven days and looks to keep its five-match unbeaten streak alive against New York City FC II.
The Blues took a short trip south on Wednesday night to face Atlanta United 2 and were ahead 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Daniel Mangarov before the match was postponed in the 71st minute due to inclement weather. The match will be resumed at a later date, with more information to be communicated when available.
Sunday's matchup will be the second time CFC and New York have met in MLS NEXT Pro, with the first meeting being a 1-1 draw back on March 27, 2024 that saw NYCFC II earn the extra point with a 4-2 shootout win.
What's at stake
Chattanooga FC (45 pts) is aiming to finish inside the top-four in the Eastern Conference and is pushing to earn a home playoff match at Finley Stadium. The Blues have a game in hand and are just behind both Huntsville City FC (46 pts) and Chicago Fire FC II (46 pts). A win in New York would bring CFC one step closer to securing a top-four finish before the end of the regular season.
New York City FC II (35 pts) currently sits just outside of the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots and only three points behind eighth-place Carolina Core (38 pts).
Coach's corner
Head Coach Chris Nugent spoke with media about what preparation for Sunday's match looked like during this busy matchweek, with three big points up for grabs.
"It’s tough for two reasons," said Nugent. "One, we haven’t seen them, they’re not in the Southeast Division, so we don’t see them against teams we’re familiar with as much. However, we’ll scout them, we’ll have a plan. There’s enough footage and enough data of what we would like to do. The harder part for us is that we’re in the middle of a three-game week, so preparation is more conversation and presentation rather than on the field. It goes back to us trying to impact the game with what we’re good at and balance around what physical condition we’re in, travel, and all those factors. It’s always going to be about what keys do we think we have to win the game and how we can make it difficult for them."
Did you know?
- CFC defender Tate Robertson has broken the single-season assists record in club history this season (10)
- Midfielder Daniel Mangarov and Robertson are the club's leading goalscorers (8)
- Goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović joins Toronto FC II’s Adisa De Rosario at the top of the league in clean sheets (8)
- Jakupović also has the league lead in saves (109)
- Defender Farid Sar-Sar and Jakupović have played every minute of the season so far and hold the club lead in minutes played this season (2322)
- Midfielder Colin Thomas got his first professional assist on Mangarov's goal against Atlanta United 2 Wednesday night
Know the opponent
New York City FC II (9W-11L-6D) is led by Head Coach Matt Pilkington, who was named the team's first head coach when it launched in 2022 after being with New York City FC's Academy since 2016.
New York has totaled 35 points through 26 matches and currently sits just outside of a playoff spot. Last time out on September 18, the team fell to New England Revolution in a 3-1 decision that resulted in Chattanooga clinching its playoff spot.
Seymour Reid is the team's top scorer this season with 11 goals in 14 matches, followed by Sebastiano Musu and Julien Lacher who have each scored six. Three of Musu's goals came in his second-half hat trick at Chicago Fire FC II on September 14, earning a spot as Player of Matchweek 27.
Watch party
The club will be hosting an official watch party at Cheers Collective member Shady's Corner for the Chattanooga FC match at New York City FC II!
Match information
Venue: Icahn Stadium | New York, N.Y.
Kick-off: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 28
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | Talent: Philip Galati
Team uniforms for Sunday’s match
Referees
Cristian Campo
Head Referee
Justen Lopez
Assistant Referee 1
Robert Cordrey
Assistant Referee 2
Laszlo Sandler
Fourth Official
