The #2 Chattanooga Red Wolves will host the #1 Greenville Triumph this weekend in a top two showdown at CHI Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Red Wolves currently sit with 18 points after a sudden 5 game unbeaten streak has launched them from lower mid table to 2nd place in the league, while the Triumph have maintained first place for the entire 2020 season so far. The Greenville Triumph is not so comfortable alone at the top of the table anymore however, as the Red Wolves recent success and momentum poses a significant threat to the Triumph. A Chattanooga win this weekend will bring the Red Wolves within a single point of the league leaders, leaving absolutely no room for error as time begins to run out in the 2020 season. Chattanooga are not the only ones chasing however, as Union Omaha trails Chattanooga by only two points after losing to them 2-0 at CHI Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, forfeiting the second place spot.
Greenville Triumph (7-1-2) have recently lifted themselves from a bit of a lull, after unexpectedly dropping a game to the bottom of the table New England Revolution II, giving them their sole win of the 2020 season, followed by the impressive Richmond Kickers. The Triumph are back on their feet after defeating South Georgia Tormenta FC in a close 2-1 battle, and then shutting out Forward Madison on Sunday 2-0. On the other hand, Chattanooga did not have the start to the 2020 season that they had hoped, settling for many draws and a few losses in games where they outposessed opponents and created significantly more chances, but they now have righted the ship and are now getting the job done offensively, scoring the most goals of any team so far this season with a 17 scored.
The two sides have met once already early in the 2020 season, where Greenville handed Chattanooga their first loss of the season on their home field in a 1-0 victory. Chattanooga were extremely disappointed with this result, as they held possession of the ball for 62% of the game. They did not only outposess the Triumph however, they also outshot them and created more chances, taking 25 shots with Greenville only taking 7 shots. Chattanooga was not able to capitalize on any chances, wasting many very promising opportunities, and it came back to bite them when Greenville’s Lachlan McLean scored his first professional goal against the run of play when Greenville dispossessed the Red Wolves and slotted the ball to McLean around the pk spot, who then hammered it home in the bottom right corner past Chattanooga’s Alex Mangels.
The Red Wolves weren’t happy to drop the first matchup between the two sides, but they are ready to continue their recent form and put on a showing against the league leaders. The Red Wolves 2-0 win against Omaha came after goals from Tanner Dieterich and Ricardo Zacarias, the second goal of the season for both players. Dieterich has now scored in back to back games, and will look to extend it to three on Saturday. Goalscorer Greg Hurst will once again be available after being sidelined for a while due to injury. Hurst will want to get on the scoresheet to make up ground on the league leading scorer Terzaghi, who passed him during his absence. Saturday’s match is sure to excite, and will be one of the more important matches of the season for both sides.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST at CHI Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Make sure to grab your tickets at chattanoogaredwolves.com, and tune in on ESPN + if you can’t make it.
