Chattanooga squeezes out unlikely win
Despite their visitor's domination, CFC came away with 3 points
Chattanooga FC remains at the summit of MLS NEXT Pro after a 1-0 victory over New England Revolution II at Finley Stadium on Saturday evening. Despite New England registering 25 shots and 62% possession, Chattanooga's lone goal in the 11th minute provided the difference.
CFC’s Chris Nugent opted for 4-3-3 setup, moving Milo Garvanian and Tate Robertson back to sit either side of a two-man central defense. A first start of the season was given to Darwin Ortiz. In fact, it was the 19-year-old’s first start as a professional and he became the youngest starter for Chattanooga in the MLS Next Pro era.
New England Head Coach Richie Williams handed a debut to Academy defender Aidan Reilly. An 18-year-old from Pembroke, Mass., Reilly became the 50th Academy product to make his professional debut with Revolution II since the program's inaugural season in 2020.
The opening ten minutes was like a basketball game, with end-to-end action, albeit without scores or even many clear cut chances. CFC broke the early deadlock on eleven minutes when Swiss goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović found right-back Tate Robetson on the wing. The 27-year-old fed a low-cross to the middle of the Rev’s box that was met immaculately by the on-rushing Peter Plougmand. The Dane needed only one touch to poke the ball at pace and into the net past a blameless JD Gunn. Richie Williams will be furious that his center backs Victor Souza and Gabriel Dahlin allowed Plougmand to get to the ball before they did. The goal was Plougmand’s fourth of the season, and Robertson’s fifth assist. It was also the third goal in which these two have collaborated.
New England generated plenty of their own scoring opportunities in the first half, including when 18-year-old Ugandan international Allan Oyirwoth had a powerful shot saved in the 13th minute by CFC’s Eldin Jakupović. Oyirwoth, making his sixth appearance of the season, had two shots on goal. Ortiz was also creating multiple chances from the right wing for Chattanooga, including two significant chances on goal, one of which was excellently saved by the Revolution’s JD Gunn with one hand and at point-blank range.
The second half saw New England come out the stronger of the two sides, with Gevork Diarbian causing immense problems for CFC down the left wing. Jakupović had to make a point blank save from the 23-year-old that Garvanian helped to clear. Diarabian, and teammate Marcos Dias, both registered a team-high five shots on the night. The Revs brought on Javaun Mussenden, Judah Siqueira, and Cristiano Carlos as they desperately searched for an equalizer.
CFC’s best chance of the half came on 84 minutes when substitute Jalen James deftly took on a Jesus Ibarra pass, controlled well but ultimately shot over the bar. Ibarra himself had a chance on 90 minutes after a breakaway involving Plougmand and Ancelin but he too pulled his shot wide.
"We always look at the bigger picture and the process of what wins us games on both sides of the field," said Chris Nugent in his post-match press conference. "We stick to our process and we're realistic that sometimes you do a lot of good things and don't get the results and sometimes you don't do a lot of positive things and you find results. We try and focus on who we are and where we're going."
Chattanooga's next game is an away trip to Orlando on June 1st while New England continues its five-game road stretch on May 31 with a visit to New York City FC II at Belson Stadium.
Box Score
Chattanooga FC - New England Revolution II
MLS Next Pro
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN
Final Score: Chattanooga 1-0 New England
Attendance: 2,752
Referee: Alejo Calume
Scoring summary:
11': P. Plougmand (CFC)
Discipline:
28’ - D. Ortiz (CFC)
58’ - H. Barry (NE)
80’ - C. Oliveira (NE)
87’ - T. Robertson (CFC)
Player of the Match: Gevork Diarbian (NE) - although on the losing side, Diarbian was a constant threat to CFC’s right-sided defense and deserved more of his teammates who should have capitalized on the multiple chances he created. Hats off to Jakupović in the CFC goal who also had an outstanding game.
Line-ups:
Chattanooga FC (4-3-3): Eldin Jakupović; Tate Robertson (87’ Ethan Dudley), Nathan Koehler, Farid Sar-Sar (C), Milo Garvanian; Robert Screen (61’ Keegan Ancelin), Callum Watson, Nick Mendonca (76’ Steeve Louis Jean); Darwin Ortiz (76’ Jalen James), Daniel Mangarov (76’ Jesus Ibarra), Peter Plougmand
Subs not used: Michael Barrueta, Mike Bleeker, Minjae Kwak, Markus Naglestad
Head Coach: Chris Nugent
New England Revolution II (4-3-3): JD Gunn; Damario McIntosh (45’ Javaun Mussenden), Gabe Dahlin, Victor Souza, Hesron Barry (79’ Judah Siqueira); Marcos Dias, Cristiano Oliveira (92’ Aidan Reilly), Allan Oyirwoth; Alex Monis (65’ Cristiano Carlos), Gevork Diarbian, Liam Butts
Subs not used: Owen Beninga, Sheridan McNish, Josh Macedo
Head Coach: Richie Williams
Next Games
• June 1st, 19:00 (ET): Orlando City B v Chattanooga FC, Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL (MLS Next Pro)
• May 31st, 16:00 (ET): New York City FC II v New England Revolution II, Belson Stadium, Jamaica, NY (MLS Next Pro)