Chattanooga FC Edges UNC Tar Heels To Remain Unbeaten In Preseason

Chattanooga Football Club defeated the University of North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team 1-0 at Finley Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the club’s fourth match of the 2025 preseason.

Tate Robertson scored his first goal for the club in the 33rd minute after some intricate build-up play from a CFC free-kick. It represented the first time CFC scored the opening goal of a match this preseason.

Head Coach Chris Nugent made two changes from the side that started against One Knox last Saturday, with captain Alex McGrath and Jesus Ibarra coming in for Robert Screen and Minjae Kwak.

Eldin Jakupovic made a crucial kick-save from point-blank range in the 58th minute to maintain and ultimately help CFC secure the victory.

"It was a good challenge," said Nugent in his post-match press conference. "We've been able to experience different types of adversity and teams to play against. They (UNC) are in a different stage in their season compared to the others we've faced so far. There were moments where we adapted quite well and there were moments where we didn't and that's part of preseason. I said to the guys in the locker room afterwards that sometimes it's important to not concede, even when you're not playing great or the other team has control. It's not always going to be beautiful, especially in preseason, but trying to win some of those battles will set up nicely for the regular season."

A full replay of the match is available HERE.

Chattanooga’s preseason action continues next Friday when the club hosts UPSL side Tennessee Tempo in a closed-door match open exclusively to season ticket holders at 7:30 p.m. ET.

CFC starters: Eldin Jakupovic, Milo Garvanian, Farid Sar-Sar, Ethan Dudley, Tate Robertson, Nick Mendonca, Callum Watson, Alex McGrath (C), Jesus Ibarra, Ameziane Sid Mohand, Keegan Ancelin

Substitutes: Michael Barrueta, J.P. Philpot, Logan Brown, Steeve Louis Jean, Robert Screen, Darwin Ortiz, Daniel Mangarov, Minjae Kwak, Markus Naglestad

UNC starters: Andrew Cordes, Nacko Abeal Pou, Bertil Hansen, Maclovia Swett, Immanuel Mathe, Milton Jones, Parker O'Ferral, Andrew Czech, Javier Hernandez, Riley Berge, Callum Frogson

Substitutes: Alan Rutkowski, Dylan Kropp, Dan Klink, John McDowell, Lucas Ross, Alejandro Saborio Perez, Luis Vera, Kevin Gorbell, Gabe Velasco, Michael Melilli, Drew Waller, Martin Mai, David Molina, Scott Cheevers, Ali Al-Qaq

Chattanooga Football Club was founded in 2009. The CFC Men's team competes in MLS NEXT Pro, while the CFC Women's team competes in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Chattanooga Football Club became the first soccer club to offer true ownership to the fans in 2019 with 3,200+ investors from Chattanooga, all 50 states, and 31 countries. CFC plays all home games at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.

Launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT to MLS first teams. MLS NEXT Pro continues to grow the game through innovation and diversity, bringing professional soccer to new communities and creating opportunities both on and off the field. MLS NEXT Pro will celebrate its third season in 2024 with 29 teams, 27 MLS-affiliated and two independent, Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC. Additional MLS-affiliated and independent clubs will join in the years ahead, including Cleveland and Jacksonville Armada FC. The majority of MLS NEXT Pro’s matches are broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV as part of the groundbreaking partnership between Apple and MLS. For more information about MLS NEXT Pro, visitmlsnextpro.com.