Match Preview: Chattanooga FC vs Nashville Rhythm FC
Unlikely finalists battle for Southeast Conference crown
Chattanooga FC and Nashville Rhythm FC will compete this evening for the WPSL Southeast Conference Championship at Finley Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:00 pm EST/6:00 pm CST.
Philip: Oddly enough, neither side was expected to be here. Chattanooga (5-1-1) was due to conclude its WPSL regular season schedule at Decatur FC on June 27th, however the match was cancelled due to inclement weather. Decatur finished the season as Peachtree Division champions, however declined participation in the national playoffs. As runners-up in the division, CFC has taken their place.
Ronan: Nashville Rhythm have had a bit rockier season than they’re used to in WPSL’s Southeast Conference. The club that won the conference in three straight seasons from 2021-2023 will be looking to add a fourth trophy to the collection this evening, but as mentioned, their path wasn’t as solid as it had been in the past.
Rhythm finished the regular season with a 5-2-1 record, their only defeat coming on the road at 865 Alliance. Two draws at home to TN Tempo FC and 865 Alliance also left blemishes on the club’s 2025 record.
If you’re still wondering why two clubs who didn’t finish atop their divisions are contesting for the conference title, read this piece further explaining the matter.
Match Details
Match: Chattanooga FC v Nashville Rhythm FC
Date: Thursday July 3rd, 2025
Time: 7PM EST (local), 6PM CST (Nashville)
Location: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN. Capacity: 20,412
Watch: National Soccer Network on YouTube
Tickets: Chattanooga FC website
Head Coaches: Chris Nugent (CFC), Scott Davison (NSH)
Chattanooga Report Card
Chattanooga comes into this game on a 5-1-1 (WDL) record from its regular season in which they scored 17 and conceded five (for a goal difference of +12). At home they won three and lost one (with a goal difference of +7). And while their only loss (to Decatur) came at home, it’s the advantage of playing tonight’s game at Finley Stadium, in front of their own large crowds, that CFC will hope to give them the edge.
Chattanooga’s player to watch is Reese McDermott. Having arrived at the club from Colorado Storm, with whom she reached the final of the USL W League last season, scoring ten goals in 15 matches; she netted eight in seven regular season games for CFC this year and was the Peachtree Division’s leading goalscorer.
Chattanooga native and former Girls Preparatory School star Kennedy Ball also enjoyed a strong campaign with four goals. Keep an eye on Mae Hunt in midfield too. The former Reading player has experience in the Women’s Super League in England and is a technically gifted player. CFC’s Head Coach is club legend and former-captain Juan Hernandez who is in his first season in the role after serving as the assistant coach for the team in 2024.
Nashville Report Card
Nashville Rhythm come into this game in a weird spot. They’re 5-2-1 (WDL) yes, and they’ve scored 22 goals to just ten conceded, for a +12 differential, but… they haven’t scored since June 18th following a forfeit win over Jackson Ignite and a 0-0 draw in the final regular season game against 865 Alliance.
There’s a couple players to look out for. In midfield, the pairing of Naho Yamamura (Arizona Western University) and Aoi Kawabuchi (Navarro College) has been the engine for the last few games, while in my opinion wingers Gracyn Becker (Miami OH) and Gracelyn Williams (Centennial HS, Houghton University) have been excellent options off the bench of late.
Katie Toney (Tennessee Tech), Jayden Boelter (University of the Cumberlands), and Maggie Phillips (Oregon), and Georgia Shields (East Tennessee State) have also been incredibly important to Rhythm’s chance creation in recent weeks as starters.
Analysis & Predictions
Philip Farrell: With an on-fire Reese McDermott in their ranks, you’d bank on CFC to score this evening. How many they score and how many they concede are the unknowns. While they have an inferior record against Nashville from back when these teams shared a division, the 2025 edition of Chattanooga FC is very different to what came before. There’s an undoubtedly more professional air to this team now, demonstrated by the quality of their player acquisitions and their regular season showing.
With both sides coming into this as runners-up in their divisions, it makes for fun predicting. I’m going for a home win and the raucous Chattahooligans extracting the best this team has to offer. I think both sides will score, 2-1 to CFC.
Ronan Briscoe: In previous years, Nashville Rhythm has almost always gotten the best of Chattanooga, including a 4-1 win for Rhythm in Finley Stadium on May 24th last year.
But this doesn’t appear to be the same old Rhythm, nor the same old Chattanooga. These teams haven’t met since that game in May of last year, and both teams have changed in the year plus since.
I think this will be a very tight game, and will be decided very, very late. Give me Nashville, just so we don’t pick the same team, which is less fun. 2-1, I couldn’t tell you who the goalscorers will be with WPSL’s unlimited subsitutions.
The winner will advance to the WPSL Playoffs, which consists of two rounds of single-elimination bracket play. The Southeast Champion will move on to the South Region Playoffs, which will be hosted by the Atlantic Conference Champions (winner of McLean Soccer vs Port City FC), with the semi-finals taking place on Saturday, July 12th and finals on Sunday, July 13th. The South Region Champion, along with the other three region champions, will move on to the WPSL Championship, which will take place from July 18-20 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Nashville has reached the Region Championship on multiple occasions, including a three-year run from 2021-2023 that saw Rhythm reach the National Semifinal in 2022. Most recently, Rhythm hosted the South Region Championship in 2023, where they fell 5-4 in the Final to eventual national champions Charlotte Eagles.
A win in the other direction would send Chattanooga through to the Region Championship for the very first time.