Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST on Saturday for a USL League One top 5 matchup between the Chattanooga Red Wolves (3-2-3) and the Richmond Kickers (4-1-2). The Red Wolves enter the match after an action packed three game week, picking up a 2-1 win against New England Revolution II on Wednesday night on the road, and a 1-1 draw against Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. The Red Wolves are back home at CHI Memorial Stadium for the match against Richmond on Saturday after a long week of traveling. Chattanooga’s recent results have helped them recover in the standings and climb back up to #4 in the League One standings with 12 points. Richmond currently sits in the #3 spot, with a 2 point advantage on Chattanooga with a game in hand.
Richmond extended their unbeaten streak to 6 games on Wednesday with a 2-2 draw against FC Tucson, and have not lost a game since the season opener against Greenville. This weekend’s match will be the first matchup between the two teams of the 2020 season, with a top 3 spot on the line. Richmond has shown that they are a very strong side with plenty of talent and depth in their squad, and they will be looking to give Chattanooga a run for the money. The Richmond Kickers’ Darren Sawatzky has been named USL League One’s Coach of the Month for August after his side won all four of its outings in the month, propelling the side to a top-two position in the League One standings. Chattanooga are looking to keep up the momentum and pick up a huge win in this tough contest to continue to climb the table.
The Red Wolves met with the Richmond Kickers four times in 2019, with Chattanooga getting the better of the contests. The first two meetings were both played at the home of Richmond. The first resulted in a 1-0 loss for Chattanooga on April 27th, but Chattanooga bounced back and beat the Kickers 2-0 on the Kickers home turf on June 15th. Later that month the Kickers headed down to David Stanton Field in Chattanooga, the former home of the Red Wolves, where Chattanooga was victorious in a 2-1 win at home. The Kickers would eventually make one more trip back to Chattanooga, once again losing 1-0 to wrap up the two sides’ 2019 history. Chattanooga won both home games, also picking up a win on the road. The kickers went on to end their 2019 season with a 9-14-5 record finishing 9th in the league after self-regulating to USL League One from the USL Championship. The teams have yet to meet in 2020, but the red wolves trail the kickers by 2 points with a game in hand. Make sure to tune in to ESPN+ to keep up with the game on Saturday.
