Southeast Showdown: Charlotte Independence Hosts Chattanooga Red Wolves
One side made some big moves to start the season, the other comes in with a barebones squad
Charlotte Independence vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves
Friday, March 28th, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Independence will host Chattanooga Red Wolves on Friday, the first match between the sides in 2025. The hosts come into the match with a win over Richmond Kickers, while the visitors earned a point at FC Naples to open its season.
Charlotte Independence Preview
The Jacks made another splash this week, acquiring reigning USL League One Young Player of the Year Alfredo Midence from Lexington SC on a season loan. The midfielder was the league’s assists leader in 2024 with Central Valley Fuego, contributing nine in just 21 matches across league competitions.
Midence will play alongside fellow Young Player of the Year nominee Luis Álvarez.
Charlotte also signed midfielder Christopher Jaime, who spent the last two seasons with LAFC 2. While there, he contributed five goals and five assists across 47 appearances, and appeared in the LAFC roster four times in 2023. Of those four roster appearances, he earned two starts in US Open Cup play.
With newly acquired striker Christian Chaney becoming more comfortable in the setup, Charlotte is poised to run forward with yet another season in which they will compete for a playoff spot.
Charlotte Independence Details
Record: 1-0-0
Last match: 1-0 WIN vs. Richmond Kickers
Goals Leader: Anton Sorenson (1)
Assists Leader: Luis Álvarez (1)
Shots Leader: Luis Álvarez (4)
Chances Leader: Luis Álvarez (4)
Injuries/Absences: none listed
Chattanooga Red Wolves Preview
If Charlotte is coming in strong with two big signings, Chattanooga is stumbling in with an injury-riddled, barebones roster.
Five players are listed as unavailable, including the team’s opening match goal scorer Omar Hernandez. The midfielder exited the club’s Open Cup match last week in the first half with a lower body injury.
If the injury report holds, this means Chattanooga enters tomorrow’s match with a roster of just 14 players. We saw the team get creative with a roster of 15 against NJ Alliance in the Open Cup, but an away match at league opponent Charlotte Independence is a beast of a different nature. If Head Coach Scott MacKenzie can pull this off, he’ll be a certified genius.
Chattanooga Red Wolves Details
Record: 0-1-0
Last match: 1-1 DRAW at FC Naples
Goals Leader: Omar Hernandez (1)
Assists Leader: Jonny Filipe (1)
Shots Leader: Matt Bentley, Omar Hernandez, Joshua Ramos, Ualefi (1)
Chances Leader: Jonny Filipe (2)
Injuries/Absences:
Omar Hernandez (lower body)
Tobi Jnohope (red card suspension)
Greyson Mercer (lower body)
Joshua Ramos (lower body)
Wynand Wessels (lower body)