Red Wolves "Ruthless" in 4-0 Blowout Over New England

Once the Chattanooga Red Wolves went up 4-0 in the final minutes of their victory over New England, coach Jimmy Obleda had one thought on his mind. Following several weeks where his offense had squandered a multitude of chances, the first-year coach had no problems with his team pouring on the goals.

“We were like let’s go get another one. Let’s keep going, because this doesn’t happen every day, and this is where you have to be that ruthless team. Somebody is not going to be taking their foot off the gas if it’s not you, so let’s go and get a fourth and fifth. Fans pay to see goals and pay to see a team that want to get fans off their seats.”

The game began with seven minutes of silence, giving fans and players a chance to “reflect upon social injustices around the country.” Unlike many teams in various sports, the Chattanooga Red Wolves and their opponent decided to play the match as scheduled.

“Our organization did not take the decision to play lightly,” GM Sean McDaniel said. “The decision wasn’t made by one person or by management. It was made based on discussions among our entire team and the USL.”

Last week, Obleda said he wanted his team to be more “ruthless” and to put a game away early. Chattanooga responded by shooting early and often, with Ricardo Zacarias knocking home a header from a Ricky Ruiz corner kick in the 12th minute. But unlike in previous weeks, the Red Wolves did not stop their offensive onslaught after a single goal.

With around 30 minutes gone by in the match, the electrifying Greg Hurst bolted down his familiar right sideline, eating up grass as the New England defenders retreated further and further back. Instead of taking a shot himself, he laid the ball off to teammate Marky Hernandez, who finished off the first of his two goals.

“I’m delighted it was Marky who got the goal from the assist as well,” Hurst said. “I think it goes back to previous interviews where I said we’re ready to take our chances, and we needed a game like this where we got three or four good chances and scored on all of them.”

Ten minutes later, Hernandez put his name on the scoreboard one more time, this time with a sequence so flashy it would have looked at home in a FIFA video game. Hernandez unveiled his signature step-over move, a rapid shuffling of the feet that threw his defender off balance enough to get Hernandez space for an attempt and goal.

“When I see the defender, and I see it’s one against one. It’s my time,” Hernandez said. “Everybody else does the work, and then I put the cream on top and that’s my part of the game and what I try to contribute to the team.”

The fourth and last goal came in the 87th minute, and was finished by a familiar face. After struggling with injuries for nearly a year, star striker Steven Beattie came off the bench for Hernandez and banged in his first goal of 2020.

“Anybody who has been with the Red Wolves from the start can tell you that it’s massive for him and the club,” Hurst said. “He’s a great guy and deserves it, for all the work he’s put in the last nine months. I’m delighted he got his goal.”

As glamorous as the four goals might have been, coach Obleda also gave special props to the defense, who did not allow a single shot on target the entire match. He highlighted Tanner Dieterich, a Nashville SC first-round pick who is currently loaned out to Chattanooga.

“We’ve been too nice in allowing teams to get back in, and I challenged the back four to take pride in what they do,” Obleda said. “We made a change in Tanner Dieterich, and he solidified our defensive shape down the middle. New England is a team that likes to play through the middle, and we never really allowed them that.”

Chattanooga will travel to the Sunshine state next weekend to square off against Fort Lauderdale CF.