Chattanooga FC (3-1-2D, 1SOW, 12 pts - 3rd in East, 1st in Southeast Division) hosts Carolina Core FC (0-3-1D, 1SOW, 2 pts - 15th in East, 7th in Southeast Division) in the first battle of independent teams in MLS NEXT Pro history on Saturday, April 27th at 7:00 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium.
Chattanooga Football Club looks to right the ship after a tough 1-0 defeat on the road against Atlanta United 2. CFC was coming off two great wins against Inter Miami II and Huntsville City FC, but fell just short of finding any points in Kennesaw.
Their opponent for this weekend, Carolina Core, are winless in the league so far this season. However, the Core made an impressive run to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup in their first-ever appearance in the competition before being eliminated 1-0 by USL Championship side North Carolina FC. The Core also have their first eight matches in the league on the road. The club's home opener will be on June 1st at Truist Point.
CFC captain Alex McGrath is looking to get back on track after getting shutout in Atlanta. He leads the club in goals scored (4), minutes played (540 - joint-top with Anatolie Prepelita and Milo Garvanian), and shots on target (7).
"We just have to play our football," said McGrath. "We need to be on it from the start. It doesn't matter what your position on the table is in this league, especially in these early stages of the season, so it's always going to be difficult. You have to be prepared for every game. Each team in the league has quality, so if you're not 100% on the day, you'll get punished.
"We just have to bounce back quickly. The intensity has to be there from the start. It's the third game in a week, which can sometimes be difficult, but you have to find a way and that's what a season's about. You have to be consistent for a large period of time and that starts again tomorrow. Soccer's simple in a way. You're obviously trying to prevent goals and score more than the opposition, but if you have that freedom and our foundation of our style but being unpredictable as well will make it difficult for the other team. It's going to be a tough game. Every game is difficult and different, but as long as we're switched on from the start I know we've got the quality to be successful."