Match Preview: Chattanooga FC v. FC Cincinnati 2
CFC looks to bounce back from recent loss
Match: Chattanooga FC v FC Cincinnati 2
Date: Saturday, June 21st, 2025. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: Apple TV MLS Season Pass
Tickets: Chattanooga FC Website
Chattanooga FC will look to utilize home form and return to winning ways when it hosts FC Cincinnati 2 at Finley Stadium on Saturday evening (7pm ET).
For Chattanooga (8-3-3) it’s an opportunity to recover points and pride after a fairly bruising 5-2 defeat away at the New York Red Bulls II last Sunday. All three of their losses this season have come away from home, so CFC will be hoping its passionate home fans can lift its side to a win against their underperforming visitors.
Cincinnati 2 (2-7-3) is not the side they were in 2024. Second last in the Eastern Conference and 17 points behind their hosts, they need to find a way to kick-start their season soon as we’ve reached its midpoint. An away trip to Finley Stadium is a tough place to start.
The match will be broadcast live on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass. Fans attending the game should be aware that CFC is hosting the annual Georgia vs. Tennessee high school soccer all-star games that afternoon and plan accordingly. Fans who purchase tickets to the all-star games will also be able to use the tickets for general admission to the FC Cincinnati 2 game later in the evening.
The History
Chattanooga: P:1 W:1 D:0 L:0 SOW:0 GF:3 GA:0
Cincinnati: P:1 W:0 D:0 L:1 SOW:0 GF:0 GA:3
Saturday night's match will be just the second-ever meeting between the two clubs. Their only other encounter came in March 2024 at Finley Stadium where a brace from Jesus Ibarra got Chattanooga off the mark before a goal from Medhi Ouamri (now a free agent) handed CFC the 3-0 win. Ibarra’s first strike, a worldy from the otuside of his foot, would win him the MLS Next Pro Goal of the Season for 2024. Cincinnati 2 would go on to win the Eastern Conference, while Chattanooga finished in 9th place.
Saturday’s game will be the only match of the regular season between the two sides this year.
Report cards and lineups
Chattanooga
Second-place Chattanooga comes into Saturday evening’s game after a tough 5-2 loss in New Jersey last weekend. At one point that afternoon they were 4-0 down and saw midfielder Callum Watson get a red card. A Tate Robertson penalty and a Milo Garvanian strike were their only responses. The game demonstrated that there is a gap between them and a strong Red Bulls II side that currently tops the table. An interesting fact is that after their other two road losses (3-0 at Columbus and 2-1 at Orlando) they returned home to tie the subsequent games. Will this be repeated on Saturday?
It will be interesting to see if Head Coach Chris Nugent re-shapes his starting XI after Sunday’s loss and with the suspension of Watson in central midfield. I’ve a feeling he may revert to three center-backs to cover the loss.
Eldin Jakupović, stand-in captain Farid Sar-Sar, and Nathan Koehler, all pick themselves at this stage. Jakupović and Sar-Sar are two of the four players in all of MLS NEXT Pro to play the most minutes so far this season.
Other players to pick themselves are Milo Garvanian (2 goals, 2 assists, all competitions) and Tate Robertson (4 goals, league leading 7 assists) out wide. Garvanian is in-line to make his 50th appearance for the club, should he play. After a blistering start, young winger Daniel Mangarov (5 goals, 2 assists) has had a quiet past few months and is due a game-changing performance soon.
If available, I’d like to see Keegan Ancelin (3 goals, 2 assists) given a starting berth again, although Nugent certainly seems to favor Peter Plougmand (4 goals, 2 assists) currently. To the Dane’s credit, he won the penalty that handed CFC one of its goals in New Jersey.
My player to watch this weekend is goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović. The vastly experienced Swiss international brings with him not just pedigree, skill, and experience, but also a professional mentality that mercilessly demands high performance and strong results. Having spoken to him in the past, I know he would have been furious about the team’s loss in New Jersey and will be keen to grab three points on Saturday, both through his own performance and spurring on his teammates. Listen out for his vocal encouragement if you’re at the game.
Cincinnati 2
It’s fair to say that FC Cincinnati 2 are not the side they were last season when they topped the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference. This is despite having largely the same roster and the same Head Coach, Tyrone Marshall. So far in 2025, they’ve only won two of their 13 games, losing a crippling seven. One bright spark is that of the three draws they’ve had, they’ve answered all three with shoot-out wins. The club has conceded 18 goals, a much stronger defensive record than other teams around them, but has only scored 10 goals, the fewest in the Eastern Conference and second fewest in MLS Next Pro overall.
However, last weekend they did earn a remarkable 1-0 away win (their first and only road win this year) at New England Revolution II. It was, what we call back in Ireland, a ‘jammy’ win. They were dwarfed by the Revs in terms of shots (19-5) and shots on target (7-1) but managed to keep pace with New England in possession and found a deciding goal. CFC needs to be prepared for a defensively solid visitor on Saturday.
Last weekend at New England, and for the second consecutive match, Brian Schaefer and Peter Mangione combined for a set piece goal for Cincinnati 2. Schaefer scored in the 40th minute following his goal against Toronto FC II on June 8. The goal was his third of the year, surpassing his total from last season, tied with Kenji Mboma Dem for a team lead. It probably says a lot about Cincinnati that their joint-top scorer is Schaefer, a center-back. I’m unsure about Mboma Dem’s fitness, so have opted for Colombian Andrés Dávila to start up-front, as he has of recent.
Mangione’s assist last weekend was his third of the year, just two short of his 2024 total. Noah Adnan, Andrei Chirila and Schaefer have appeared in every match for Cincinnati 2 this year and lead all Cincinnati players in minutes played.
The above side is largely the same team that triumphed over New England, and while that win was somewhat lucky, it was nonetheless their first and only away win, so perhaps Coach Marshall will opt for more of the same. If Mboma Dem does play he’s the player to watch. He leads the side with three goals (joint with Schaefer), is second in assists with two (one behind Mangione), leads with goals + assists (five), goals per 90 (.5), shots per 9 (2.5), and shots on target per 90 (1.7).
This match is the first of a tough two-game road stretch for Cincinnati 2 as, after visiting second-place Chattanooga, they’ll travel north to take on the first-place New York Red Bulls II on 29th June.
Analysis and Predictions
Recent history suggests that Chattanooga will likely tie this game at home, coming off a road loss. But that’s a small sample to draw from. CFC have won four and drawn two from its six home games and welcome a side that has only won one of its six road trips. Come Saturday night, it will have been 293 days since the Chattanooga's last regular season home defeat. They sit 17 points and 12 places clear of Cincinnati. Anything other than a win and three points would be a poor return for them, even if Cincinnati 2 are defensively okay. Chattanooga to win 2-0.
"Listen out for his vocal encouragement if you’re at the game."
Might want to cover your kid's ears while you're doing it. :)
The man is passionate about winning.