Match Preview: Atlanta United 2 v Chattanooga FC
Both sides looking to leapfrog others with game-in-hand
Game details
Match: Atlanta United 2 v Chattanooga FC
Date: Wednesday, September 24th, 2025. 19:30 (Eastern)
Venue: Fifth Third Stadium, Kennesaw, GA. Capacity: 10,200
How to watch: MLSNextPro.com
Tickets: Kennesaw State Website
It’s a local derby in MLS Next Pro this evening as Chattanooga FC travels the 95 miles down I-75 to face Atlanta United 2 in Kennesaw, Ga.
Atlanta United 2 (P:25 W:8 D:8 L:9 SOW:2 GF:38 GA:39 GD:-1) currently sits in 11th place in the East, four points outside of the playoff spots. A win for them tonight at home will see them leapfrog NYCFC II and Orlando City B into 9th place and one point away from 8th place Carolina Core. While a loss tonight won’t be the end of their playoff hopes, it would severely dent them as they’d likely need full points in their remaining two games to even have a chance of getting in. At home, they’ve won seven and lost six of their games.
Chattanooga (P:25 W:11 D:8 L:6 SOW:4 GF:39 GA:35 GD:+4) clinched a playoff spot last week and is now looking to finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference to earn the right to host a playoff match at Finley Stadium. Huntsville City (4th) and Chicago Fire II (5th) both sit just one point above CFC who have this game in-hand. A win tonight in Kennesaw would send them into the top four with two games remaining. Chattanooga hasn’t lost away yet this season, wining four and drawing eight of their road games.
The match kicks off at 7.30pm Eastern and will be officiated by Abdou Ndiaye of Louisiana. Streaming will be done through MLSNextPro.com and YouTube.
The history
Atlanta: P:4 W:2 D:2 L:0 SOW:0 GF:9 GA:7 GD:+2
Chattanooga: P:4 W:0 D:2 L:2 SOW:2 GF:7 GA:9 GD:-2
Atlanta United 2 have the upper-hand when it comes to past meetings between these two sides. They have, however, allowed CFC to come away twice with bonus points, losing both penalty shootouts in league play.
This was the case back in March when the two teams played out an exciting 2-2 draw. A tight and scoreless first half gave way to a scintillating second 45 in the rain, kicked off by an own goal from Atlanta’s Efrain Morales (now with CF Montréal) just after the hour. That came after great work by CFC’s Tate Robertson. Rodrigo Neri then got the equalizer for Atlanta on 78 minutes, capitalizing from some stuttered defending from Chattanooga. CFC’s Keegan Ancelin then thought he’d won the game on 84 minutes when he placed a rebounded shot past goalkeeper Josh Cohen. However, Neri stepped up again, four minutes into stoppage time, controlling the ball brilliantly in the CFC box before slamming home a volley that would seal the draw. Chattanooga would go on to win the shootout 4-3.
The game was perhaps most notable for the injury suffered by CFC captain Alex McGrath, sidelining him for the entire season.
Tonight’s fixture will be the second of three regular season meetings between the two sides. They’ll meet again when Chattanooga hosts Atlanta on Decision Day, October 5th.
Report cards and lineups
Atlanta
Seville-native Jose Silva Caparros took charge of the team on July 23, replacing Steve Cooke who left to become Academy and Youth Technical Director at USL Championship club Lexington SC. Coming out of the academy setups at Orlando City and Atlanta United, Silva Caparros has overseen four wins and three defeats in his seven games so far as caretaker Head Coach.
On Saturday, Atlanta claimed a 1-0 win at Crown Legacy thanks to a 13th minute goal from Patrick Weah. He was assisted by Santiago Pita, who dribbled around two players on the left side before slotting it to Weah. The Liberian striker became the team’s top goal-scorer of the season with seven, while Javier Armas made his 50th appearance for the club.
According to yesterday’s Availavility Report, Silva has a full compliment of players available to him. So I expect somthing similar to te above to lineout. He has favored a 3-5-3 formation recently, spearheaded by Weah.
Weah is in-form having scored in Atlanta’s last two matches, including a stunning scorpion kick at Carolina Core. He is the team’s top scorer this season with seven goals, while Gabriel Wesseh leads the team with five assists on the season. The latter was recently named MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of the Month for August. Aged only 17, the Liberian started all six of Atlanta’s matches in August, providing three assists in his 443 minutes played. He played a team-high 18 key passes last month and currently has the most assists on the team with five on the season. Earlier this year, Wesseh earned the MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of Matchweek 7 for his performance against Carolina Core, where he scored and added an assist in his first professional start. On the season, Wesseh has started 16 of his 20 games played and has scored three goals. He’s my player to watch for Atlanta.
There’s a high degree of fluidity within the Atlanta United organization between its MLS and MLS Next Pro sides. Nyk Sessock, Salvatore Mazzaferro, Adyn Torres, Cooper Sanchez, Jayden Hibbert, Dominik Chong Qui, and Josh Cohen are all players who could appear tonight in Kennesaw, who have played for the senior team in MLS or US Open Cup games. Weah also has MLS experience from his time with Minnesota United.
At international level, while some players have recieved call-ups, none are capped at senior level apart from Hibbert, who has played for Jamaica but recently got a call up from Canada. At youth international level Sessock, Chong Qui, Sanchez, Torres, James Donaldson, and Ignacio Suarez have all played for the USA. Elsewhere, there have been youth international caps for New Zealand (Ronan Wynne), Venezuela (Santiago Pita, Rodrigo Neri, and Moises Tablante), Liberia (Weah), and Northern Ireland (Ryan Carmichael).
Chattanooga
CFC fought a bruising 0-0 stalemate with Carolina Core on Sunday at home. Carolina went on to nab the bonus point by wining the penalty shootout. While that result may disappoint Chattanooga fans somewhat, missing the chance to take fourth place on the night, they still have tonight’s game-in-hand at Atlanta to make up for it.
On Sunday, with their game against Carolina still in the balance; Head Coach Chris Nugent took some key performers off including center-back Nathan Koehler, midfielder Luke Husakiwsky, and winger Daniel Mangarov. He explained after the game that with three matches in eight days, he’s looking to manage his players’ fitness appropriately. So I imagine all three will start.
Koehler really picks himself. He’s been an instrumental cog in CFC’s defense alongside captain Farid Sar-Sar this season. Sar-Sar and goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović have played every minute of the season so far and hold the club lead in minutes played this season (2,250). Jakupović also has the league lead in saves (104) and joins Toronto’s Adisa De Rosario at the top of the league in clean sheets (8).
Elsewhere at the back, there should be no surprises with Milo Garvanian starting at left back and Tate Robertson at right back. The former hit 60 appearances in in a CFC shirt last Sunday. Robertson, meanwhile, has broken the single-season assists record in club history this season (10) holds both club leads for league goals scored (8) and assists (10). He’s my player to watch for CFC tonight.
The midfield is pretty set, with Husakiwsky, Callum Watson, and DC United-loanee Gavin Turner in favor recently. Although I wouldn’t be too surprised to see either Nick Mendonca or Steeve Louis Jean get a nod, as Nugent looks to mind his resources.
Up front, I have no idea who he will pick. Mangarov will probably play. But beyond that, it will be some combination of Anthony García, Yuval Cohen, Jalen James, Keegan Ancelin, Colin Thomas, Xavier Rimpel, or Markus Naglestad.
And as usual, as I gave an overview of the international experience at Carolina Core, it’s worth mentioning that Jakupović is a senior international with Switzerland, and that Mangarov and Turner have experience in the United States youth setup.
Analysis and Predictions
I believe this one might be a draw. CFC are on a five game winning run, but Atlanta have looked strong at home lately and are off a morale boosting away win at Crown Legacy. There’s a sense in which Atlanta might have more to play for as they’re fighting just to be in the post-season, wheras CFC already have that sewn up. However, don’t forget that few clubs in this league, if any, have more to gain from home advantage in the playoffs, as Chattanooga will be keen to have a lively Finley Stadium behind them when they get there. A draw keeps both teams in the hunt for their goal, and I think that could be the outcome. 1-1
