The #6 Chattanooga Red Wolves will kickoff against #8 Forward Madison FC in a high stakes late season battle on Saturday. The race for second place is coming down to the wire, and both teams desperately need a win if they want any chance of competing for the league championship. Neither side has picked up a win in their last three games, and they each need to piece together a win streak to close out the season for any hopes of securing the second place spot. With three games remaining, the Red Wolves trail the second place Richmond Kickers by just 5 points. The Red Wolves will have the opportunity to play Richmond as one of their remaining matches, which offers them a good chance to overtake them if they can take care of business this weekend. Forward Madison on the other hand, are the only team that still have four matches remaining, meaning they have the most possible points to gain. Both teams have much to play for, as they each are fighting to keep postseason hopes alive with a win on saturday. Here are this weekend’s 3 points to picking up a win in CHI Memorial Stadium.
The first point for the Red Wolves Saturday is reestablishing consistency. The Red Wolves have proven that they have what it takes to piece together win streaks, and they have the talent to get the job done. However, after going on a 5 game unbeaten streak, the Red Wolves have not been their best, losing their last three matches. An important key to Saturday’s match will be to get back to playing Red Wolves style, attacking soccer. Injury bas been a factor in the Red Wolves squad this season, but on Saturday the team will be focused and well rested, ready to put on a show and fight for the #2 spot.
Secondly, Chattanooga has to get back to its old ways offensively and take advantage of their chances. In the past three matchups, the Red Wolves have been outscored 5-1, with their only goal coming off of a Greg Hurst penalty kick. Chattanooga has not scored in the run of play since September 15th, and they will need to turn that around this weekend. With a few key offensive pieces missing due to injury, the Red Wolves will have players ready to step up to the challenge and tuck away opportunities.
Lastly, defend the den. The Red Wolves currently have a home record of 4-3-0 going into the weekend, and Saturday’s match will be the last home game of the 2020 season. With a loss, the Red Wolves would end the 2020 season .500 at home, and the Red Wolves will want to close out their first season in the CHI Memorial Stadium era with a win. In order to secure a winning record at home, Chattanooga will need to put on a solid performance against a solid Forward Madison side, who defeated the Red Wolves 1-0 in their last matchup. The Red Wolves have struggled in the past picking up wins when they go down early in a game. Multiple times this season they have been able to pull out a draw after conceding first, but a draw is no longer enough to keep championship hopes alive. The Red Wolves will need to battle to keep a clean sheet, and if they do happen to concede first, they will need to fight to overcome the deficit and find a way to walk away with a win.
The Red Wolves will conclude their home matches at 1:00 PM EST on Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium against Forward Madison FC. Dont miss out on the action and tune in to ESPN+ or follow along on twitter @chattredwolves for live updates.
