Match Preview: Union Omaha vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Visitors look to win fifth game in-a-row
Match: Union Omaha v Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Date: Saturday, August 9th, 2025. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Werner Park, Papillion, NE. Capacity: 9,023
How to watch: ESPN+
Tickets: Union Omaha Website
Top of the table Chattanooga Red Wolves SC travel north this weekend to face 10th place Union Omaha. The visitors will be looking to continue their scintillating form and possibly stretch their lead at the summit. For the hosts, it’s a tough assignment but a win tonight would put them back in contention for a lower playoff spot as well as kick some confidence and momentum into their season. All games at this point in the season are ‘must win’ especially for Omaha who need to keep apace with their fellow playoff chasers and take points at home.
Omaha (P:16 W:5 D:2 L:9 GF:20 GA:27 GD:-7 in league play) are on stuttering form. Under interim Head Coach Vincenzo Candela, they’re three wins and three losses but won their most recent game at home against Westchester. Chasing a playoff spot, they do have a couple of games in-hand on some of the clubs around them. However, they have the second-worst home form in the league, having won just two of five games at Werner Park.
Chattanooga (P:17 W:9 D:6 L:2 GF:28 GA:17 GD:+11) meanwhile are the league’s in-form side. Coming off a win at home against Forward Madison on Wednesday, they are unbeaten in seven games and are chasing a fifth win in-a-row. Head Coach Scott Mackenzie has turned them into a formidable unit, watertight at the back and lethal on the counterattack. Their away form is the third best in the league, having won three of their eight games on the road.
The game kicks off at 7pm and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The History
Omaha: P:13 W:6 D:3 L:4 GF:22 GA17 GD:+5
Chattanooga: P:13 W:4 D:3 L:6 GF:17 GA:22 GD:-5
Tonight's match will be the fourteenth all-time meeting between the two sides and the first of two they’ll play in 2025. Last season they met three times, twice in the league and once in the Jägermeister Cup. On June 5 2024, Omaha were 5-2 winners in East Ridge after goals from Pedro Dolabella (now of North Carolina FC), Blake Malone, Joe Gallardo, Lagos Kunga, and Adam Aoumaich (AV Alta FC). Declan Watters and Chevone Marsh (Greenville Triumph SC) got two back for the Red Wolves.
They met again later that same month, in Omaha, where Union were 4-2 winners, this time in the Cup. A brace from Duba (now retired) and a goal apiece for Kunga and Dolabella were enough to cancel out strikes for the Red Wolves from Ricardo Ruiz (El Paso Locomotive) and Stefan Lukic (FC Tulsa). A month later their final meeting of 2024, again at Werner Park, saw Chattanooga sneak a 1-0 win despite Gustavo Fernandes’ (FC Naples) red card and holding only 28% possession. A Mechack Jérome own goal was all to separate the teams in the end.
Report cards and lineups
Omaha
It’s been a less than memorable season so far for last year’s champions. Shorn of 2024’s top scorer Pedro Dolabella and more recently of their title-winning coach Dominic Casciato, who has left for Tampa Bay Rowdies, they sit in 10th; two places and three points off a playoff spot. Interim Head Coach Vincenzo Candela was appointed on 9 July and immediately led the side to an impressive 2-1 away win at a strong Charlotte Independence. Since then, it’s been an inconsistent run of results; a 2-1 loss at home to Tormenta, a 3-1 win over Texoma at home, a 1-0 loss at home to El Paso Locomotive, a 2-1 loss away at Spokane, and a 2-1 win over Westchester at home. That last result was an impressive comeback win after Westchester had gone 1-0 up. Ryan Becher equalized on 83 minutes before Stéfano Pinho found a winner deep into extra time.
Candela has put out a 3-4-2-1 in his last three games, swapping in-and-out few players, so he does seem to know his strongest, or favored, 11.
Midfielder Max Schneider has played more games and minutes than anyone else in Omaha this year, clocking 1,440 across 16 games, all as a starter and has never been subbed off. He’s among a core of players that form a consistent backbone in this team, including Brandon Knapp, Marco Milanese, Charlie Ostrem, and goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu.
With four goals, Becher is the club’s top scorer in league play this year while Ostrem is the key creator, with six assists. My player to watch, though, is Ghanaian goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu. While not a league leader in any isolated statistic (he’s ranked 10th in saves, with 29, and joint-sixth in clean sheets, with 6) he’s a very talented shotstopper who deserves more than those stats tell. A key part of the club’s success over the past three years, he’s now in his sixth season between the sticks at Werner Park and I’d vouch that no other player has been more important to Omaha in it’s modest history.
Earlier this week, the club announced the loan signing of winger Ben Barjolo from Orange County SC. The 18-year-old Atlanta United academy product made seven appearances for Orange County in 2025 and has featured 21 times for the club across all competitions since his professional debut in 2024. Look out for him if he plays, likely off the bench.
Chattanooga
The 2025 season has been one of the Red Wolves' best campaigns in club history. The Southeast Soccer Report’s very own Alex Ashton wrote up an excellent piece covering the team’s strong form, which is well worth a read. With a 9-2-6 record and 33 points already, Chattanooga has set a club record for most points through their first 17 league matches of a season. Last week, after the Red Wolves announced that Technical Director and Head Coach Scott Mackenzie had extended his contract through the 2026 USL League One season, he was subsequently named Coach of the Month for July. His players rewarded him that same day with a hard-fought but deserved 2-1 win over a competitive Forward Madison that featured a winning goal courtesy of all four substitutes Mackenzie had brought on. He has to be ranked as one of the best tacticians across professional soccer in the US this year.
I expect Mackenzie to opt for his usual 5-4-1 setup, incorporating three center backs, two fullbacks and a pair of defensive midfielders. Again, he will be happy to let the opposition have the ball, soak up attacks and then break on the counter. Wednesday’s win over Madison perfectly demonstrated this, with Chattanooga having just 27% of the ball. Talented goalkeeper Jason Smith, boasts the most clean sheets in the league (six).
The most consistent performer is center-back Declan Watters. The Irishman has played and started more games (17) and played more minutes (1,530) than anyone else in the side. He’s heart of Chattanooga’s defense-led surge this season. He’s among the core of Mackenzie’s brilliant side, including defensive partner Eric Kinzner, captain Ualefi, Smith in goal, Michael Knapp, Joshua Ramos, and Omar Hernández.
Speaking of the latter, he’s one of my favorite attacking players anywhere at the moment. Hernández is superbly talented and a menace to defenses. He’s leveled 21 shots, 13 on target and notched five league goals this season. He’s also scored in the US Open Cup. Lethal from set pieces also, the 24-year-old from nearby Dalton, GA is my player to watch nearly every time the Red Wolves kick a ball.
Hernández is part of the league’s most lethal attacking force. Combined, they’ve scored 12 in their last six games, with Matt Bentley and Pedro Hernández each scoring six this year. Chattanooga has the best goal difference at +11 in USL League One at present.
Analysis and Predictions
It’s really hard to look beyond Chattanooga in terms of predicting an outcome for this match. They’re better on paper, have a better overall record, a better away record (3-3-2) than Omaha’s home record (2-1-2), and are on a blistering run at present. Teams don’t seem to have figured out yet how to beat them, and Mackenzie has found a rotation combination that is currently unbeatable.
I’m going for an away win, 2-1.
