Within the team’s headquarters in downtown Chattanooga, Chattanooga Red Wolves spirits seemed high despite the torrential downpour going on just outside on Friday. The Red Wolves (3-4-3) are taking their talents to Statesboro and the second-place Tormenta FC (5-1-4) in this weekend’s matchup, and Chattanooga’s head coach Tim Hankinson happily answered questions about the team and their opponent..
The Red Wolves won their previous matchup with Tormenta by the margin of 3-2 in a late April showdown in the Scenic City.
Despite being confident in their ability to win, coach Tim Hankinson noted that Tormenta has made several tactical changes since their last match.
“When we beat them earlier in the season 3-2, they were playing a 3-5-2 system, and in recent games, they’ve moved into more of a 4-2-3-1. But we have confidence going in, because we beat them before.”
If Chattanooga is to win their first road match of the season, the Red Wolves will need to focus on getting off to a good start in the first few minutes of the match. While Chattanooga seems to do that in the friendly confines of David Stanton Field, that isn’t the case away from home.
“If we can be more patient, and build the foundation of the game, we can keep possession. Knowing that once we have that in place, bigger moments will happen and those lead to goal-scoring opportunities,” said coach Hankinson, “The foundation part, as I call it, is something we didn’t do well last week, and we’ve worked on it this week. We’re hoping for a better start.”
If the Red Wolves wish to win, they will most likely have to contain a few of Tormenta’s several stellar players. The most easily recognizable is William Conner Antley, who leads his team in both goals and assists despite playing as on the back line as a defender. However, coach Hankinson pointed out another, less-heralded player.
“I think that their number five centerback, Joshua Phelps, is very instrumental in feeding that first entry pass and getting their attack going,” said coach Hankinson as the driving rain continued to pound down outside. The Australian defender doesn’t show up on the stat-sheet, but his passing is instrumental in starting Tormenta’s offense.
Chattanooga doesn’t lack talented players of their own, however. Albanian defender Vangjel Zguro was recently named to the USL League One team of the week after assisting on both of Chattanooga’s goals in last week’s match, both off of free kicks. He leads the league in assists, despite playing a position not known for accruing great statistics. However, he is still a talented defender, with coach Hankinson stating, “he’s a good tackler, and he’s got a very competitive personality. He’s very determined to win those one-on-one battles.”
General manager Sean McDaniel seemed confident in the team too, saying “I’m encouraged by the improvement I’ve seen from the guys over the last few weeks.” The Red Wolves have won or drawn in three of their last four games.
The Red Wolves recently added defender Daniel Navarro on a short-term loan from El Paso Locomotive FC. Chattanooga hopes he can pair with Zguro and fortify their sometimes-shaky defense. If Navarro plays well during the next three games (including against Tormenta), the Red Wolves can extend their loan.
Even before the Red Wolves had acquired the talented 27-year-old from Massachusetts, coach Hankinson expressed faith in his club.
“We know we can play good football, and we’re looking forward to getting it done on the road.”
The match kicks off at eight in the evening, and can be viewed on ESPN+.