Match Preview: NJ Alliance v Chattanooga Red Wolves
The Red Wolves kick off their US Open Cup campaign on Tuesday in the Garden State
Game details
Match: New Jersey Alliance FC v Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Date: Tuesday, March 18th, 2025. 19:00 (Eastern)
Venue: Lubetkin Field, Newark, NJ. Capacity: 2,500
How to watch: YouTube
The New Jersey Alliance of the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) and the Chattanooga Red Wolves of USL League One face off for the first time ever on Tuesday night. The fixture is one of 32 First Round games that will raise the curtain on this year’s US Open Cup, all of which see professional teams face-off against amateur or semi-pro opposition.
Played at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium in Newark, the game will be available to stream on YouTube.
This is the second-consecutive year in which Chattanooga will face UPSL opposition in the Cup’s first round and the first time in club history they will travel to New Jersey. For NJAFC, it will be their debut in the historic competition after three previous qualifying attempts.
Record
The Alliance are the first non-professional side from New Jersey to qualify for the Cup since FC Motown in 2017 and are here as one of 16 amateur open division clubs. Navigating a tricky qualification phase, they defeated SC Vistula Garfield (2-0), Alloy Soccer Club (6-1), and Steel Pulse FC (4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 tie) last Fall to book their place in the First Round.
The club does have some tournament pedigree at the semi-pro level, with a collection of UPSL and NISA Nation titles to their name in recent seasons.
The Red Wolves’ 2024 Cup run was their most successful yet, seeing off the UPSL’s Brockton FC United and Apotheos FC (NPSL) before getting knocked out in extra time by the USL Championship’s Birmingham Legion. They come into this game having played one competitive match thus far in 2025, opening their league account with an away tie against newcomers FC Naples.
Report cards and lineups
New Jersey Alliance
As this Alliance squad has yet to kick-off their domestic league season, it’s unclear what players Head Coach Robert Kruk will have available to him. If they play, keep an eye on Albanian attacker Emiland Elezaj, who scored three goals in the qualification rounds for NJAFC and former NISA pro Marlon Preciado who scored seven goals in their UPSL conference winning run last year.
Chattanooga Red Wolves
The side Scott Mackenzie sends out on Tuesday really is anyone’s guess. In the Southeast Soccer Report’s 2025 Season Preview for the Red Wolves, we highlighted the shallowness of the club’s depth chart this year. The squad only has about 23 senior players and a long season ahead, so one would expect them to rotate and put out a weakened side against UPSL opposition in the Cup. That being said, with such a small squad, there isn’t much room for such maneuver.
Unless a swath of academy prospects are given a run-out, I expect the club to name roughly the same starting XI as they did against Naples. Assuming everyone is fit, I’d anticipate the veteran Ricardo Jérez to start in goal (replacing Jason Smith) with Owen Green getting a start, possibly as a right-sided center back. One of Tobi Jnohope, Declan Watters, or Eric Kinzner may be rested at the back. Jordan Ayimbila, Gharett Morris, and Kimball Jackson were subbed on in Florida, so I’d assume they’ll start in Newark. The fitness of Greyson Mercer is unclear, but if he’s available I’d expect him to start up front.
Again, without promoting academy prospects, the Red Wolves don’t have much room to rotate.
Analysis and prediction
New Jersey Alliance is yet to begin their domestic campaign, with their opening game coming on 5 April. With no competitive games under their belt in 2025 and no pedigree in the Open Cup, this will be a tough assignment. The NJAFC have also never beaten a professional side.
The Red Wolves should have enough quality to beat this team and should be able to do it easily enough. Of course, cups can throw up surprises and upsets, and the Red Wolves will be the side under pressure, but I think the gap between these teams is too vast for the Alliance to have much of a chance.
Prediction: New Jersey Alliance 0-3 Chattanooga Red Wolves