Match Preview: Crown Legacy FC vs. Chattanooga FC
Chattanooga chases a third win on the bounce
Match: Crown Legacy FC vs. Chattanooga FC
Date: Friday, September 12th, 2025. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex, Matthews, NC. Capacity: 5,000
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
Tickets: Charlotte FC Website
After what seems like a decade-long fortnight, Chattanooga FC resumes play this evening in Charlotte to take on Crown Legacy FC. It’s a must-win game for both sides, as they often are at this point in the season, but possibly more so for Chattanooga. They’re in the hunt for a playoff spot, possibly even at home, while Crown Legacy have much more work to do to be in contention.
The home side (P:25 W:6 D:8 L:11 SOW:3 GF:42 GA:49 GD:-7) are on a two-match losing streak. This, after hammering Inter Miami II 6-0 as recently as August 22. Since then they’ve lost away at Orlando and at home to rivals Carolina Core. Poor on form, they’ve won only one of their last five and sit in 12th place having played more games than anyone else in the league. At home they’ve only won three of 12 games in Mecklenburg County, losing five.
Chattanooga (P:23 W:10 D:7 L:6 SOW:4 GF:35 GA:33 GD:+2) comes into tonight’s game on-form and high on morale. After a poor summer, they’re now unbeaten in three and are on course for a first ever MLS Next Pro offseason. They’re aiming to stay there and possibly earn a top 4 place (and therefore a home playoff tie). An impressive result last time out when they inexplicably stung Huntsville yet again has them in sixth with a game in-hand on their chasing pack. They’ve won just under half of their 11 away games and have picked up points in eight of them.
The match kicks off at 7pm Eastern and will be officiated by Wes Caouette of Tennessee.
The history
Crown Legacy: P:5 W:3 D:1 L:1 SOW:0 GF:138 GA:9 GD:+4
Chattanooga: P:5 W:1 D:1 L:3 SOW:1 GF:9 GA:13 GD:-4
Crown Legacy boasts a superior competitive record against Chattanooga across their two seasons sparring in MLS Next Pro. So far in 2025, this series is tied at one-a-piece. In their first meeting at Finley Stadium back on April 19, CFC came back in the second half to emerge triumphant 2-1. A Magic Smalls goal capped off a dominant first half display from Crown Legacy, but a second half resurgence saw Peter Plougmand and Jesus Ibarra score to give CFC an impressive comeback win. The performance and result were reflective of Chattanooga’s resilient Spring form.
Their Summer form, however, was very different and Crown Legacy took firm advantage of it on July 26, winning 3-1 in Finley Stadium. A Tate Robertson strike wasn’t enough as goals from Emmanuel Uchegbu, Dylan Sing, and Andrej Subotić rounded out a woeful evening for Chattanooga FC. The game was the final nail in the coffin of a miserable July.
Report cards and lineups
Crown Legacy
Backed by the financial muscle of Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, Charlotte FC invested heavily in their MLS Next Pro side this season. They spent over $5 million on Baye Coulilbaly ($2.5m), Andrej Subotić ($1.7m), and Emmanuel Uchegbu ($1.1m). They also brought in talented coach Gary Dicker from Brighton & Hove Albion. Sitting in 11th, the season certainly hasn’t gone to plan. They’ve lost four of their last five games and appear to be collapsing just as the battle for playoff spots heats up. This side badly needs a win at home tonight if they are to have any chance of making the post-season.
Dicker is a consistent tactician when it comes to formations and lineups. It’s unclear what members of the Charlotte FC first team might be available to him, so the likes of Tyger Smalls could make an appearance, but I expect the starting XI to look like and line up like the above.
Last Thursday’s 4-3 defeat against Carolina Core saw forward Dylan Sing become Crown Legacy’s leading goalscorer with his seventh of the season. With three assists, his 10 goal contributions are also a team high. He is closely trailed by Nigerian winger Emmanuel Uchegbu, who has netted six goals and three assists. Sing has played the most minutes (1,844) of anyone in the squad.
Last week, Charlotte announced that midfielder Baye Coulibaly was added to their First Team roster. Malian Coulibaly, who is 19 years old, is signed through 2028 with an option for 2029 and joins the First Team via the U22 Initiative, occupying an international roster slot. This season in MLS Next Pro he has played 1,812 minutes, offered 91% pass accuracy, and provided an assist. He also drew a helpful 20 fouls. Coulibaly burst on the global scene following an impressive year with Mali’s U-17 squad in 2023, earning nine caps and acting as a key piece of Mali’s third-place finish at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. It will be interesting to see if he remains available to Dicker but if he plays, he is my player to watch. This is a young man that could well be a ‘star’ someday and one of the great perks of covering this league is getting to see future icons in the infancy of their careers.
Captain Jack Neeley has experience with the Charlotte first team, clocking four appearances for the Crown across MLS and US Open Cup play. Uchegbu, Coulibaly, and Andrej Subotić have international youth experience with Nigeria, Mali, and Serbia/Bosnia respectively, while Aron John and Brian Romero have both played for the United States at youth level.
Chattanooga
Chattanooga completed its season sweep over Huntsville City FC on August 24 with a 1-0 win at home thanks to Luke Husakiwsky’s first professional goal. They now look to continue an upward trajectory and secure one of the five playoff spots left in the Eastern Conference. Their two-week break allowed rivals to use up games-in-hand, but this went well for CFC as the teams around them effectively beat up on each other, keeping a pick-your-opponent ticket (Top 4) up for grabs.
Goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović co-leads the league in clean sheets (7). He and defender Farid Sar-Sar share the club lead in minutes played this season (2,070). Both are among the first names on Head Coach Chris Nugent’s team sheet. I expect central defender Nathan Koehler to return from his recent injury and join Sar-Sar in defense.
Tate Robertson, arguably CFC’s best player this season. holds the club lead in both league goals scored (7) and assists (9). He’s also made 50 key passes, the fifth most in the league.
Last time out, against Huntsville, members of this squad put in a battling performance, putting bodies on the line with everyone chipping in to defend. Huntsville were the dominant side, and it took some special toughness from CFC to win. What was most impressive was how young players like DC United loanee Gavin Turner and debutant Yuval Cohen fought that day. There seems to be a resilience in this side now. The most impressive, however, was Luke Husakiwsky who put in a performance that belonged to a seasoned pro, rather than a rookie. Scoring the only goal, he showed that he can be a transformational player for Chattanooga’s midfield as the season end draws near. He’s my player to watch.
And as usual, as I gave an overview of the international experience at Crown Legacy, 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.
Analysis and Predictions
I anticipate a win for Chattanooga FC tonight. Yes, Crown Legacy has a superior record over them and are at home, but they’re a side on poor form and increasingly with little to play for. Chattanooga enjoys a better away record than Crown Legacy’s home record and are on-form with much to play for. A 1-0 win to Chattanooga.
