Match Preview: Chattanooga FC vs. Carolina Core FC
Both independents still have much to play for
Match: Chattanooga FC vs. Carolina Core FC
Date: Sunday, September 21st, 2025. 15:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: MLSNextPro.com
Tickets: Chattanooga FC Website
After sealing their first ever MLS Next Pro playoff berth on Thursday, Chattanooga FC is now targeting a home game this post-season by finishing fourth (or higher). This afternoon they play a Carolina Core side that are also on the hunt. For the Core, though, the aim is simply a playoff spot and joining Chattanooga and Rochester NY as only the third independent team to gain a playoff berth in this league. With both teams having something clear and important to play for, this promises to be an entertaining game.
New England Revolution II did CFC a huge favor on Thursday. Their 3-1 win at NYCFC II guaranteed Chattanooga (P:24 W:11 D:7 L:6 SOW:4 GF:39 GA:35 GD:+4) their first post-season place since joining this league. On a three-game winning bounce, they’ve banished their summer demons and appear to be gathering momentum at the right time. Last weekend’s epic 4-2 comeback win at Crown Legacy perfectly epitomized this. They’ve won seven of their 12 home games at Finley, losing five. They also like playing teams from Carolina, having won three of their four games this season against the Core and Crown Legacy.
Carolina Core (P:25 W:8 D:8 L:9 SOW:4 GF:39 GA:38 GD:+1) are also on a three-match winning streak. This includes away wins, albeit at weaker sides Crown Legacy and Cincinnati. Goals follow the Core when they play of late, with 18 being scored across those three wins. They’ve picked up points in a third of their road trips this season but have lost eight of their 12 away games.
The match kicks off at 3pm Eastern and will be officiated by Mark Verso of California. Streaming will be done through MLSNextPro.com and YouTube.
The history
Chattanooga: P:5 W:3 D:0 L:2 SOW:0 GF:9 GA:5 GD:+4
Carolina Core: P:5 W:2 D:0 L:3 SOW:0 GF:5 GA:9 GD:-4
The Core have not been able to defeat Chattanooga this season but will need to stay in the playoff race. Both previous games in 2025 have gone CFC’s way and in High Point, which is a bad omen for the Foxes.
In April, Chattanooga were emphatic 4-1 winners over the Core. This was back during CFC’s stellar Spring form. David Polanco’s sole strike for Carolina was answered by goals from CFC’s Farid Sar-Sar, Tate Robertson, and Peter Plougmand. The key contribution though was from Core defender Ibrahim Covi scored an own goal and was sent off on the night.
Last month at Truist Point CFC won again, coming away with a 1-0 win. Courtesy of a late Robertson penalty, the win was also characterized by some suicidal play in defense again by Covi, who was sent off on 87 minutes. That victory on August 17 snapped a winless run for Chattanooga that had lasted since May 24 and re-launched their season.
Report cards and lineups
Chattanooga
Chattanooga’s comeback win away at Crown Legacy last weekend was the stuff of epics. 2-0 down after 50 minutes played, they looked utterly rudderless in the first half, although not outplayed. They came out in the second 45 looking like a team willing to fight. It was a similar level of commitment you saw in their previous game when they beat Huntsville 1-0 at home through sheer determination. This was similar. A Tate Robertson penalty, a Daniel Mangarov late cherry on the cake, and a Legacy own goal sealed the comeback. The highlight, though, was the wonderstrike by Luke Husakiwsky, his second goal in only three CFC games.
Last weekend, Head Coach Chris Nugent surprised many with his lineup. Absent were Nathan Koehler (coming back from an injury), DC United loanee Gavin Turner, and Daniel Mangarov (7 goals, 4 assists). All three would come on and help turn the result around. I imagine all three will start today.
Some of this team picks itself. Jakupović, Sar-Sar, and Koehler (likely to return) are consistent picks. As is Milo Garvanian at left-back. He’s on track to make his 60th CFC appearance this afternoon. At right full-back, there’s Tate Robertson. Arguably Chattanooga’s best player this season, he holds the club lead in both league goals scored (8) and assists (10). He’s also made 56 key passes, the fourth most in the league.
I don’t know how Nugent’s men will lineup further afield. Some combination of Mangarov, Colin Thomas, Xavier Rimpel, and Jalen James are bound to play on the wings. Nugent has favored Yuval Cohen at the top recently, but he has yet to score a goal. Will the Head Coach hand a start at home to Markus Naglestad or Keegan Ancelin? I don’t expect Peter Plougmand to be back, sadly.
In the middle, I want to see Gavin Turner start. He’s such a great midfielder who demonstrates why he’s on the books of a major league team. As well as skill, he has a battling playing style, which suits this team’s midfield so well. Alongside him, my player to watch is Luke Husakiwsky. Signed barely over a month ago, he’s been excellent in all three games he’s played for the club. He put in a shift in defense away at the Core last time these sides met. He then scored the only goal against Huntsville at home. And then last week he struck that absolute worldy against Crown Legacy. What a player!
And as usual, as I’ll give 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.
Carolina Core
Donovan Ricketts is in his first season as head coach of Carolina Core after previously being the club’s assistant and goalkeeper coach. He brings enormous experience from his playing days with Bradford City, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, and the Jamaica national team, with whom he won 100 caps. He previously coached with FC Tulsa in the USL Championship.
Their last game against Atlanta was a topsy-turvy affair, with the lead shifting multiple times. Facundo Canete hit a double that twice put Carolina ahead before Kau Thomas sealed the win. Former Chattanooga FC winger Jesus Ibarra got the side going by hitting their initial equalizer. Statistics-wise, it was an evenly matched affair simply won by the more clinical team.
CFC fans will remember goalkeeper Alex Sutton, as well as midfielders Jonathan Bazaes and Corey Lundeen from their time at the Maryland Bobcats and Albion San Diego, respectively, back in the NISA days. Sutton is not a popular man in Finley Stadium, so expect to see him get some degree of taunting from the Chattahooligans.
Facundo Canete should be my player to watch. He’s one of the most crucial players for Carolina Core this season, having played every minute of their league season so far. In the last match, the 25-year-old midfielder led the Foxes to victory with a brace and an assist. That performance brings Canete to nine goals in MLS NEXT Pro, making him the outright top scorer for the Core. Additionally, the Argentine leads the team in assists with five and is third in key passes with 31. However, the player to watch can only be Jesus Ibarra. The 27-year-old played for CFC from June 2023 to late July 2025, participating in the club’s transition from NISA to MLS Next Pro. In his two seasons competing in MLS NEXT Pro, Ibarra made 28 appearances, scored eight goals and contributed four assists in total. The highlight of his time in Chattanooga was when he scored the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Year in 2024. Today marks his first return to Chattanooga since leaving. Expect him to be given a warm welcome by CFC’s faithful.
Another reunion of sorts with be that of Carolina forward Yekeson Subah and Chattanooga goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović who are former teammates from their time together at Los Angeles FC in the 2023 MLS Season.
A number of the Core’s squad came though academies of foreign sides. These include center-backs Juan Pablo Rodríguez (Lanús in Argentina) and Ibrahim Covi (Metz and Ajaccio in France and Ponferradina in Spain), right-back Paul Leonardi (Ajaccio), midfielders Derek Cuevas (Barcelona in Spain) and Glory Nzingo (St. Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland, Stade Reims in France, and Swansea City in Wales), and striker David Polanco (Essingen in Germany).
There’s some international youth experience in the team also, with Argentina (Rodríguez), Dominican Republic (Cuevas), Antigua & Barbuda (Drake Hadeed), Jamaica (Zion Scarlett), the United States (Polanco), and the Republic of Ireland (Nzingo).
Analysis and Predictions
I anticipate a win for Chattanooga FC this afternoon but I think they’ll need to work for it and I see both sides scoring. Carolina have everything to pay for, they’re fighting for their season and come to Finley Stadium high on confidence. However, CFC will also be confident and can expect a raucous home support to drive them on.
CFC 2-1 CCFC
