Match Preview: Chattanooga FC v Huntsville City FC
Bragging rights are at stake in local derby this Saturday afternoon
(Image courtesy of Chattanooga FC)
Game details
Match: Chattanooga FC v Huntsville City FC
Date: Saturday, March 15th, 2025. 13:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Tickets: Chattanooga FC website
The first-ever Southeast Soccer Report MLS Next Pro Bowl is upon us. Title is a work-in-progress obviously. Jokes aside, the second matchday of the 2025 MLS Next Pro season provides a rematch of the season opener in 2024.
Originally intended to kick-off at 7pm but rescheduled due to expected inclement weather, Chattanooga FC and Huntsville City FC take the field on Saturday at 1pm ET at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. Let’s dive in.
The History
These two clubs have been in the same league for one year, and played three times. As mentioned, these clubs opened the 2024 season at Finley Stadium with a 2-2 draw that Chattanooga won on penalties.
Then followed two games played in Huntsville, with Chattanooga winning the first 1-0, before Huntsville returned the favor with a 1-0 win of their own to round out the trio of contests.
This gives CFC an all time 2W-1L series lead over the Rocket Men. In 2025, the two clubs again play each other three times. The next meeting comes on May 17th in Huntsville, before heading back to Chattanooga on August 23rd.
Of course, Chattanooga has a further history with both the city of Huntsville, and the Rocket Men’s parent club Nashville SC. From 2009-14, Rocket City United competed in the same NPSL conference as Chattanooga, as did then-amateur Nashville FC from 2014-16.
Soccer in the Southeast has had a disjointed past, but the fabric of its history is intertwined with the meeting of these two clubs.
Huntsville Lineup Prediction
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Aside from rewarding Gunnar Studenhofft’s game sealing goal against Chicago with a start, the lineup remains the exact same as the one that took the field in Bridgeview last Sunday.
Joining Studenhofft in the final third will be Christian Koffi, who scored a brace and created an own goal against Chicago, as well as Ethan O’Brien and Damien Barker John.
In midfield it’s a familiar pair of Pep Casas and Moises Véliz, though Isaiah Jones could also be rewarded here.
At the back, it’s Tyshawn Rose, Zach Barrett, Kevin Carmichael, and Blake Bowen, who I expect to wear the armband once again. Chris Applewhite might have figured into the lineup here, but with Nashville losing right back Andy Najar to Honduras camp, this opens a gap that is likely filled by Josh Bauer.
With Bauer deputized at right back, and Jeisson Palacios less than 100%, Applewhite is shuffled up the depth chart should the Boys in Gold need to make a change at centerback.
Chattanooga Lineup Prediction
Expect Chris Nugent to largely stick with the same starting XI that captured an impressive win in Fort Lauderdale. While possibly the exact same lineup, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him give a first competitive start to Ethan Dudley, in-place of Logan Brown in defense. Talisman Jesus Ibarra and new signing Ameziane Sid Mohand were apparently injured for the game away to Inter Miami II. If fit, I’d imagine one of them will start out-wide, replacing Daniel Mangarov.
It will be interesting to see if Danish hitman Peter Plougmand makes the matchday squad. Absent in Florida last week, also due to an apparent injury, the 25 year old comes with lethal pedigree in the college game and will challenge Keegan Ancelin for the central forward position. Even with the Dane available, I’d be surprised to not see Ancelin start, allowing him the opportunity to add a second goal in two games for his debut season.
How Nugent approaches this game may well tell us more of how he plans to use his squad this season. Will he rotate, swapping in the likes of Ibarra, Sid Mohand, and Steeve Louis Jean and mix his resources? Or, will he start to develop a ‘tried and true’ approach to squad management?
Analysis and Predictions
Ronan Briscoe:
Both of these teams opened up the season with impressive road wins last weekend. Ironically both did it by shooting the ball eight times with five landing on target. There’s nothing to glean from that, just thought it was an interesting coincidence.
However, the game models both were forced to use were different. Chattanooga absorbed a lot of pressure from Miami, possessing just 35% of the ball. Huntsville managed 48% possession on the road in Chicago.
A lot depends on whether that possession model from Chattanooga was just a formula to get a road result, or a harbinger of things to come. For Huntsville, their patterns of play on the road are exactly the kinds of spaces they want to get in on a week to week basis.
I’m going to jump out on a limb and predict a 2-2 draw, again, with Huntsville capturing their first shootout win since 2023. No that stat is not a joke. For Huntsville, I’ll say goals come from Gunnar Studenhofft and Damien Barker John.
Philip Farrell:
With a 2-1 record in their favor last year, and playing at home in front of the raucous Chattahooligans, I anticipate a win for CFC. Both teams have scored 11 in their last 5 outings and Chattanooga haven’t kept a clean sheet in 10 competitive games, so I predict a scoring win, possibly 2-1.
In terms of goal scorers, my money would be on Ancelin grabbing one and a second coming from Callum Watson or Alex McGrath in midfield. Keep an eye on Watson, the Englishman is a cultured midfielder who has developed into a quality #8.