Match Preview: Chattanooga FC vs. Inter Miami CF II
Both sides come into match on the back of losses
Match: Chattanooga FC v Inter Miami CF II
Date: Saturday, June 7th, 2025. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
How to watch: Apple TV MLS Season Pass
Tickets: Chattanooga FC Website
12th-placed Inter Miami II travels north to Tennessee this weekend to take on second-placed Chattanooga FC in the Scenic City. Kicking off Saturday evening (7pm Eastern) at Finley Stadium, the game will see a Chattanooga side, looking to bounce back from only its second loss of the season, take on an Inter Miami team looking to improve its form (one win in its last four games).
The History
Inter Miami: P:4 W:1 D:0 L:3 GF:9 GA:11
Chattanooga: P:4 W:3 D:0 L:1 GF:11 GA:9
Chattanooga holds the superior record in past meetings between the two teams. Last season, they met three times. CFC won the first two of their meetings in 2024 with a 6-2 victory at Finley Stadium in April and a 2-1 away win in May. Miami would run out 5-1 victors at Chase Stadium in October.
The sides met for a fourth time in Matchday 1 of this season. Chattanooga would narrowly win 2-1 in Fort Lauderdale through goals from Keegan Ancelin and Milo Garvanian. César AbadÃa-Reda would get one back for the home side. The star of the show, however, was CFC goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović who kept Miami at bay with a sterling performance that was to preface his excellent form this season.
Report cards and lineups
Chattanooga
Chattanooga comes into Saturday’s game after falling narrowly away to Orlando City B 2-1 last weekend. This was only CFC’s second loss of the season (including in friendlies and cup games). Their last loss, a tough 3-0 beating in Columbus in late April, saw a resilient response from the side, who went on to be unbeaten in May (3W, 1D). CFC will be hoping for a similar response this time out, especially at home in front of their own fans.
Swiss international Eldin Jakupović and stand-in captain Farid Sar-Sar will almost certainly start. They’ve played more soccer than any other CFC players this season. Head Coach Chris Nugent rotates Logan Brown and Ethan Dudley currently, and Nathan Koehler seems permanently favored.
Milo Garvanian and Tate Robertson are a regular feature in Chattanooga’s goal setups (nine goal contributions between them) and Callum Watson will likely be returned. Beside him, Nick Mendonca is the usual choice but Steeve Louis-Jean’s goal in Orlando might be rewarded with a second straight start. There’s rotation in the wide-front positions, but I usually expect Daniel Mangarov to start (4 goals, 2 assists).
At the tip of the attack, Danish hitman Peter Plougmand (4 goals, 1 assist) seems to be preferred at home, over Keegan Ancelin (3 goals, 2 assists) but either could be given the nod.
The player to watch is Robertson, who returned to CFC this season after two years in Lexington. The 28-year-old Springfield, Ohio native leads the league in assists (5) and also has two goals to his name. He has become particularly creative with Plougmand, having set up three of the Dane’s four goals so far this season.
Inter Miami
Miami (4W-7L-1D, 13 points) is coming off a narrow 2-1 defeat at home by Carolina Core FC on Sunday evening. The Herons sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference (at the time of writing). Their away form is brutal, although they did finally win in their most recent road trip, seeing a 1-0 win in Philadelphia.
Head Coach Cristian Ledesma is one of the more consistent tacticians in the league when it comes to starting lineups. His backline and much of the midfield is fairly predictable, although he has switched between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 this year. Given he has used the latter formation in his last two games, its likely we’ll see it used in Chattanooga on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Ivan Schmind and the back-four of Theo Vorenkamp, Tyler Hall, Giovanni Ferraina (on loan from Boca Juniors) and Ezequiel AbadÃa-Reda should start. US youth international, Hall, is highly regarded in Miami and has spent time with the senior team. Midfielder Santiago Morales leads his team in assists (4) and is another international in the United States’ youth teams. The 18-year-old has strong pedigree, being the son of MLS veteran Javier Morales, who now coaches Miami’s senior side.
Up front, the 17-year-old Argentine Mateo Saja needs to be carefully marshaled by CFC’s defense. He leads his team in on-target scoring attempts (7) and goals (4). He also draws a lot of fouls (12), making him a valuable source of goal scoring opportunities.
The player to watch is winger Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida. The 20-year-old is a constant menace with two goals and three assists to his name. He leads his team in shots (13) and key passes (15) and is a key set-piece taker. Should Miami manage to score in Chattanooga, its very likely Zeltzer-Zubida will be involved.
Analysis and Predictions
Although CFC stumbled in their recent outing in Orlando, they have yet to lose at home this season. This home form (P:7 W:5 D:2 L:0 GF:8 GA:2 - all competitions) is a daunting prospect for any visiting side and gives Chattanooga a distinct edge when it plays in front of its raucous fans at Finley Stadium.
Miami’s road form (P:5 W:1 D:0 L:4 GF:5 GA:14) is abysmal to be honest and they have a knack for heavy beatings away. Given these diametrically different home and away records, the record between these two sides, and Chattanooga’s superior place in the table (14 points ahead) I can see no other outcome than a home win. 3-0.