Chattanooga Football Club returns to Finley Stadium on Saturday to host the Salt City Union, from New York, in a battle between two of the hottest teams in the league.
Chattanooga FC is undefeated and in first place. But Salt City Union has had a recent string of success with a 4-game winning streak. The Boys in Blue have not lost a regular season game in more than a year, going all the way back to August 14, 2022. They are coming off a dominant performance over Savannah Clovers on August 5th when more than 3,000 fans were treated to a 5-0 win.
Chattanooga FC now has a +25 goal differential in league play, which is five times higher than the next best.
Chattanooga’s offensive weapons get a lot of the headlines but reigning Golden Glove winner Jean Antoine has kept 10 clean sheets on the year and has only give up 5 goals all year. That is less than half the number given up by the next closest team.
In fact, CFC has never been scored on in 2023 when it scores first.
CHATTANOOGA FC vs SALT CITY UNION AUGUST 19, 2023 – 7:30 p.m. ET – FINLEY STADIUM
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
This will be the third time in 2023 that Chattanooga FC has faced Saturday’s opponent but, in name only, it is actually the first. The team that is coming to Finley Stadium this weekend, plays and dresses as Flower City Union when playing games in Rochester, NY. It dresses and plays as Salt City Union when playing games in Syracuse, NY. When the team travels, like this weekend, their name is fluid. For this particular match, the squad has chosen to play as Salt City Union.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The first meeting of 2023 occurred on April 22 when CFC won a penalty kick by captain Richard Dixon in the 70th minute. That was the first ever CFC goal for Dixon, a defender. The team played here as Flower City Union.
Chattanooga FC would travel to Rochester on May 20 to play Flower City Union (aka Salt City Union) and won 1-0, thanks to a banger from Markus Naglestad in the 44th minute.
SCOUTING SALT CITY UNION/FLOWER CITY UNION (5-0-8) W-D-L
City Union finds itself in 7th place and on the bubble to make the playoffs. If the season ended today, City Union would be in. It’s scored 16 goals on the season and given up 19. City Union have not lost a game since a 2-4 home loss against Club de Lyon on July 8.
After beginning the season on a 5-game losing streak, City Union went on to win 5 of its next 8 games. They appear to be a much-improved side than Chattanooga’s previous matchups with them in 2023.
CHATTANOOGA FC NOTES (11-4-0)
Now that star forward Markus Naglestad has the CFC goal record under his belt he will be looking to extend that goal count with a strong performance on Saturday night.
After serving a one-game suspension in the last game due to yellow-card accumulation, center back Anatolie Prepelita is available for selection.
On the 2023 season, CFC is dominant in every category including completing 86.8% of its passes and winning the possession battle against opponents 59% to 41%. When it comes to goals, CFC is far ahead and so is their percentage of shots on goal. CFC averages 43% of shots on goal compared to 26% for the opponents.
LOTS TO DO AT A CFC GAME
CFC is determined to make games at Finley Stadium the best event in Chattanooga. This weekend is no exception.
When gates open at 6:30 p.m. fans will be treated to a photo booth, facepainting, and $30,000 in food and beverage upgrades. We’ll even have a brand new Volkswagen ID.4 electric car on display in the concourse. Be sure to come hungry and thirsty because every concession stand now has draft beer! Food trucks will be under the video board.The Kids Corner will be open at 6:30 p.m. until kickoff and then again at halftime. You will find an inflatable soccer field, soccer darts, giveaways, video game truck, and many other free activities.
At halftime, CFC will recognize the winners the 2023 Corporate Cup tournament winners. Local business competed in a soccer tournament to benefit the CFC Foundation and Operation Get Active.
CAUSE OF THE MATCH
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