Match Preview: Columbus Crew 2 vs. Chattanooga FC
Its first versus last at Historic Crew Stadium this Sunday
Game details
Match: Columbus Crew 2 v Chattanooga FC
Date: Sunday, April 27th, 2025. 15:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH. Capacity: 19,968
How to watch: Apple TV MLS Season Pass
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Top of the table and still unbeaten in 2025 (in all competitions and friendlies), Chattanooga Football Club travels to Ohio to take on Columbus Crew 2 at Historic Crew Stadium this Sunday afternoon (KO 3pm ET). For CFC (all competitions: P.8 W.6 D.2 L.0), it’s an opportunity to tighten its now-six point grip atop the Eastern Conference and to continue demonstrating their best-in-class showing.
For their hosts (all competitions: P.8 W.2 D.2 L.4), 2025 has been a tough year. Their two wins came courtesy of the US Open Cup on which they enjoyed a decent run to the 3rd Round. They’re winless thus far in the league and both their ties ended with shoot-out losses, leaving them on only two points, 15 behind Sunday’s opponents. Having shipped 11 goals in five league appearances, facing a side that has scored 13 in six is as tough a challenge as they come.
The History
Sunday's match will be Chattanooga FC's first-ever trip to Columbus and the only meeting between the two sides during the 2025 campaign. They’ve only met once before. Last September Chattanooga beat the Capybaras 2-1 at home in the league. Goals that day came from Jesus Ibarra and Milo Garvanian. Crew 2 gained a consolation goal through Owen Presthus.
Report cards and lineups
Columbus
Columbus has reached the MLS NEXT Pro Cup twice in three years and the Eastern Conference final in all three seasons of the league's existence. This year, however, is a different story for the Capybaras. Winless in the league and extremely leaky in defense, its been a tough start for new Head Coach Federico Higuain.
Crew 2 has one of the youngest rosters in all of the league, with an average age of 18.1 in the squad for the club's opening match of the season. Higuain has been relatively consistent with his selections and formation so far, so I expect something resembling the above to line out on Sunday afternoon.
Crew are led from the back by captain Chris Rogers who scored in their away tie with New England last weekend. Beside him, Owen Presthus scored against CFC last year.
Up front, Chase Adams has two league goals and three cup assists this year. He was honored earlier in the season with Best Player and Golden Boot Awards during Concacaf U-17 World Cup Qualifying. He’ll face new competition from recent loan signing Kevin Gamblé who I anticipate to ,make an appearance of the bench.
For me, Crew 2’s best player and one to watch is Nicolas Rincon. The 19 year old Colombian is a talented midfielder who has one goal and one assist to his name so far this year.
Chattanooga
CFC continued its unbeaten start to the season with a superb 2-1 comeback win over Crown Legacy last Saturday, solidifying its place at the top of the Eastern Conference. The six-game unbeaten stretch (not including two unbeaten US Open Cup ties) is the club’s best start to a season in its professional era. CFC has topped the league's overall power rankings for the past two weeks.
Head Coach Chris Nugent’s defensive selections have been wholly consistent, with Logan Brown and Ethan Dudley tagging in and out. Brown started last time out, so I expect to see Dudley on the field, come kick-off against Columbus. The midfield and wings pick themselves. Nick Mendonca was rested last weekend against Crown legacy and while CFC’s comeback was begun before he was subbed on, his assuredness on the ball, mental solidity, and ability to control the flow of the game was lacking.
Up front is, as always, where rotation is most likely. Danish hitman Peter Plougmand has two goals in his last two games, both from the bench. It’s a toss-up whether he or Keegan Ancelin, lethal since his signing also, starts up top. Last week, Nugent went with a front three of Daniel Mangarov, Kwak Minjae, and Jesus Ibarra, opting not to start a recognizable center forward. I imagine on Sunday he’ll revert to putting either Plougmand or Ancelin back in there to ensure goals.
If he starts, Plougmand is the player to watch. The 25-year-old has two goals in his last two games and is a big, tough, battle-axe of a striker for defenders to deal with.
Analysis and Predictions
Given the current form and placement of both these teams in the league, I can only see this game going one way. Chattanooga should have too much for Columbus and if they score early, this could be a rout.
Prediction: Columbus Crew 0-3 Chattanooga FC