Chattanooga Football Club (4-1-2D, 1SOW, 15 pts - 1st in East and Southeast Division) looks to stay in first place in the Eastern Conference in MLS NEXT Pro when it hosts Orlando City B (2-2-2D, 1SOW, 9 pts - 8th in East, 3rd in Southeast) on Saturday, May 4th at 5:00 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Saturday's game will be the first ever meeting between the two sides.
CFC is coming off a 2-0 victory over fellow independent club Carolina Core FC, while Orlando City B will be looking to bounce back after falling to Toronto FC II at home 2-1 last weekend.
The Boys in Blue currently lead the Eastern Conference and were named MLS NEXT Pro Team of the Month this week.
Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood detailed the kind of challenge he and the team are expecting from Orlando City B.
“They're a good team technically and I enjoy watching them play, so they make me nervous (laughs)," said Underwood.
"It's a team that plays with no fear and has a maturity. It's going to be another tough match. As I've said before, there's no easy matches in this league. We're going to come and give our best and give our all and let the chips fall where they may.
"Our keys to victory are always the same: can we dominate the game with the ball, make it difficult for the opponent when they have the ball, create chances, dictate the tempo, be very difficult to score on and to get a good look at goal. Our keys really don't change. We'll make adjustments dependent on certain line-ups. They play with a low block, high press and play wide a lot. We make adjustments to how we play but we don't change our core values."
Orlando has had a varied start to the season with two wins, two draws, two losses and one shootout win and loss with eight goals scored and eight conceded in six matches of league play.
Forward Wilfredo Rivera leads the team with three goal contributions (two goals and one assist), tied with forward Yutaro Tsukada (one goal and two assists).
Orlando City B are coached by the youngest head coach in MLS NEXT Pro history, Manuel Goldberg (30), who spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the side.
The Lions generally play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Shakur Mohammed leading the line with Jhon Solis, Rivera and Tsukada backing him up in the three attacking positions.
Saturday's match will be a celebration of soccer and space on Star Wars Night! The club has partnered with Disney and Lucas Films to bring a night of fun to fans of all ages—the first partnership of its kind in MLS NEXT Pro history. Disney and Lucas Films and CFC have also come together to donate 500 tickets to several community-focused organizations.
There will also be the opportunity for fans to purchase a limited edition Chattanooga FC x Star Wars jersey, which will be exclusively available for purchase on a first come, first serve basis at the match. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m.
Match info
Venue: Finley Stadium Stadium | Chattanooga, Tennessee
Kick-off: 5:00 p.m. ET, Saturday May 4
Broadcast: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Talent: Josh Tolle
Audio stream: CFC on Mixlr | Talent: Gabriel Schray