Although the season is over and there are no games left to be played in 2020, Red Wolves GM Sean McDaniel and Head Coach Jimmy Obleda are still hard at work building out the 2021 roster. While the club is currently in the process of exercising options and negotiating with players from 2020 that they’d like to bring back, that is only part of the process. McDaniel and Obleda are also on the hunt for new additions to help build a championship caliber roster.
This weekend Chattanooga held an invite only combine at CHI Memorial Stadium composed of players from all over the country, some former MLS Superdraft picks and USL Championship players and some young relatively unknown rising stars. “A lot of these players we’ve been following for some time now,” says Obleda. “We are looking to improve the squad by bringing in the type of player that knows what it means to play for the Red Wolves. It’s an honor to be a part of this club in this city and we want players to understand what they are representing when they put on our jersey and wear our badge. It’s a mindset and it’s the mentality that shapes what our culture is here. We currently have players that understand that, we now want to bring in more like that.”
Sean McDaniel has been integral in making these types of events a part of the clubs offseason player search and it will pay dividends in the future. “Being able to run multi-day combines allows the coaching staff to truly evaluate the level of talent and potential that a player has as well as the type of person they are,” says McDaniel. “It gives us the opportunity to communicate with these players and understand how well they will interact with their teammates and fans. How they conduct themselves off the field is equally as important to what they can do on the field.”
With the combine having concluded just this afternoon, McDaniel provided a quick recap on the event “We were very encouraged by the quality we saw this weekend” says McDaniel. “We had so many talented players wanting to be a part of what the Red Wolves are building in Chattanooga that we had to turn many away. Overall we are pleased at how the 2021 roster is shaping up.”
The club looks to gain quality players from this event, and has been working around the clock to make the best team USL League One has ever seen. With 2021 roster announcements coming out soon, be sure to follow the Chattanooga Red Wolves on all social media platforms at @chattredwolves.
