Game of two halves as CFC wins again
Crown Legacy had dominated the first half, but Chattanooga showed their class to come back
Make no mistake, this was an excellent win. This was a statement win. In front of over three thousand home fans, Chattanooga FC grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat and their unbeaten run in 2025 (in all competitions and friendlies), marches on.
After a first half that saw the home side subdued and lacking spark, for them to come back and win, scoring two fine goals in the space of seven minutes, says a lot about the character of this group of players and its leadership on and off the field. Last season, Chattanooga FC started well but looked shaky, eventually succumbing to a poor run of form and a seeming lack of belief. This year, the side looks ruthless and efficient, and capable of winning games in multiple ways.
MLS Next Pro News predicted here on the Southeast Soccer Report, that this would be an intriguing battle between an independent vs an affiliate club model, and they weren’t wrong. Crown Legacy flexed their financial muscle in the offseason by spending over $5 million on Baye Coulilbaly ($2.5m), Andrej Subotić ($1.7m), and Emmanuel Uchegbu ($1.1m). All three featured today. Chattanooga, meanwhile, largely relied on free transfers and college-level drafts to build their top-of-the-table squad. One of those players would have a big impact on Saturday’s proceedings.
Chattanooga lined out without Nick Mendonca for the first time this season, more on him below. It also started the game with no discernable central striker, opting for a front trio of wingers in Daniel Mangarov, Kwak Minjae, and Jesus Ibarra. It’s fair to say that in the first 45 minutes, without the steel of Mendonca and without a target man up front, they struggled to control this game.
Evergreen Eldin Jakupović was called into action early. The Swiss international made the first of many point-blank saves in the 12th minute to keep his side in the game. It was a sign of things to come as Crown Legacy dominated the first half in terms of possession, chances, and shots on target.
Their dominance was rewarded on 21 minutes when, after some good build-up play, three of their players were permitted to control the ball in the box with minimal CFC interference. Magic Smalls was at the end of the move and rifled the ball into the top-right corner of the net, despite the efforts of Tate Robertson. It takes a lot to beat Jakupović, the 40-year-old had three clean sheets this season coming into this game, but Smalls took his goal well. A first goal of the season for 18-year-old, whose brother Tyger scored against CFC last August.
CFC looked out of sorts, issuing sloppy passes, failing to press consistently and struggling to get their forwards involved. The lack of a focal point target man was problematic. On 46 minutes, Ibarra, who is a great winger but not a striker, dinked a lovely ball into the middle of the box, but there were no CFC players to meet it. At the other end, Jakupović, was forced into another point blank save after some good build up play by Legacy, keeping his side in the game. He has been integral to CFC’s recent unbeaten stretch.
At half-time, Head Coach Chris Nugent made a key change. He brought on young Danish striker Peter Plougmand, fresh off scoring last week away at Carolina Core. His introduction, and whatever words Nugent had for his players at half-time, changed the game. “I spoke a little bit about integrity about who we were and we needed to do. Tried to be realistic. It wasn’t a terrible half, the score wasn’t great, and we were slightly off. I tried to resettle the guys and get back on the path of what we’re doing”, Nugent said after the game. “Changing the numbers to give us three midfielders and a back four helped us progress well was a big factor for making those changes. We needed another forward on to press a little more.”
On 52 minutes, a short corner by Mangarov found Robertson who curled a delightful left-footed cross into the center of the box. Plougmand lost his marker, fellow substitute Jack Sarkos, to head past a helpless Walker.
Minutes later, CFC took the lead. Crown Legacy goalkeeper Isaac Walker took a fairly simple short kick-out, finding the $2.5m Coulibaly. Nightmare fuel for the Malian as his awkward pass was intercepted by Ibarra who collected with his left, controlled with his right, and shot with his right passed a flailing Walker. An opportunistic goal for sure, but it won the game.
Chattanooga managed to ride out the rest of the match and marches on unbeaten. They next visit Columbus Crew 2, who are unbeaten at home this season, looking to stretch their lead at the top of the table. They now lie 6 points clear thanks to Orlando City B’s loss to Miami on Tuesday. Crown Legacy faces a tricky visit to local rivals Carolina Core, badly needing a win to kick-start their campaign.
Match Takeaways
Although CFC had taken the lead by the time of his introduction, I believe this game and its first half demonstrated the importance of Nick Mendonca to Chattanooga. Steeve Louis Jean deputized well, but Mendonca’s ability to control the flow of games, particularly in the middle of the park is often unheralded and unsung, and he is more important to this side than he’s given credit for.
Peter Plougmand scored his first competitive goal at home today. This was by no means easy for him. Crown Legacy’s defenders gave him a tough physical battle and he had to fight hard for his goal. He seemed to revel in it, however. “I think that’s my game. I love to be physical, I love to fight against defenders in a good way. Its football so we leave it all out there. Its fantastic to be there and fight for the points.” His attitude is outstanding, and he adds another strong option for Nugent up front, along with the experienced Markus Naglestad and the in-form Keegan Ancelin.
Chris Nugent continues to find ways of winning games, different kinds of games, and in different ways. He experimented somewhat with his starting XI tonight, even if we may not admit so himself, but was composed enough to realize it wasn’t working and made the changes needed at half-time and beyond to overtake Crown Legacy and nab the win. CFC will eventually lose a game, but for now, it’s hard to see how they can be beaten.
Homegrown hero and captain, Jack Neeley, played exceptionally well for Crown Legacy and was unlucky to be on the losing end of proceedings. The 20-year-old led all players in touches (63), passes (56) and successful passes (47). Undoubtedly, he’ll be playing for Charlotte FC regularly soon enough.
Box Score
Chattanooga FC - Crown Legacy FC
MLS Next Pro
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN
Final Score: Chattanooga 2-1 Crown Legacy
Attendance: 3,246
Referee: Kyle Johnstone
Scoring summary:
21': M. Smalls (CLFC)
52': P. Plougmand (CHA)
58': J. Ibarra (CHA)
Discipline:
17': M. Garvanian (CHA) - foul, yellow card
61': J. Smith (CLFC) - foul, yellow card
74': C. Watson (CHA) - foul, yellow card
90+3’: E. Jakupović (CHA) - time-wasting yellow card
Man of the Match: Peter Plougmand (CHA) - the big Dane has had to be patient. Between visas and injuries, as well as the fine form of his teammates, he’s had to wait for his chance to impress in a blue jersey. After his goal last weekend, he came off the bench today and battled and fought, literally, to get his side the win. A fine goal and got the better of his physical defenders.
Line-ups:
Chattanooga FC (3-4-3): Eldin Jakupović; Logan Brown (45’ Peter Plougmand), Nathan Koehler (78’ Ethan Dudley), Farid Sar-Sar (C); Tate Robertson, Callum Watson, Steeve Louis Jean (63’ Nick Mendonca), Milo Garvanian; Minjae Kwak (63’ Keegan Ancelin), Daniel Mangarov, Jesus Ibarra (83’ Robert Screen)
Subs not used: Michael Barrueta, Darwin Ortiz, Colin Thomas, Markus Naglestad
Head Coach: Chris Nugent
Crown Legacy FC (4-4-1-1): Isaac Walker; Yves Tcheuyap, Jamie Smith (78’ Barzee Blama), Jack Neely (C), Mikah Thomas (69’ Daniel Moore); Magic Smalls (45’ Jack Sarkos), Baye Coulibaly, Aron John (69’ Andrej Subotić), Emmanuel Uchegbu; Rocket Ritarita (29’ Brian Romero); Dylan Sing
Subs not used: Nick Holliday, Ferna Ferreira
Head Coach: Gary Dicker
Next Games
• April 27th, 15:00 (ET): Columbus Crew 2 v Chattanooga FC, Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH (MLS Next Pro)
• April 26th, 19:30 (ET): Carolina Core FC v Crowm Legacy FC, Truist Point, High Point, NC (MLS Next Pro)