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USL1 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

3 Points for the Weekend: Tormenta FC

August 21, 2020 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC News Release


The Red Wolves are set to take on South Georgia Tormenta FC for the second time this season on Saturday but this time at CHI Memorial Stadium. This will be an important matchup for Chattanooga, as it is a must-win to get back on track after a tough loss on the road to the Greenville Triumph this past week. The loss saw the Red Wolves drop from #3 in USL League One, to a #7 ranking. Although, the Red Wolves have a game in hand on most teams ahead of them in the standings, due to an unfortunate inclement weather cancellation against Union Omaha. The Red Wolves had just finished warming up for their second home game of the season on August 12th, when lighting and thunderstorms rolled in, forcing the game to be postponed to a later date. During their first meeting, the season opener, the Red Wolves (1-1-2) pulled out a hard fought 2-2 draw on the road at South Georgia Tormenta FC (1-3-2). South Georgia was able to salvage a point against the Red Wolves, who were disappointed to concede late in the game to settle for the draw after an impressive brace from Forward Greg Hurst. Tormenta enters the game ranked #9 in the league, and will be pushing hard for a win that they need. The Red Wolves will be ready to come out and grab another home victory, and will look to account for this week's 3 points for the match.

South Georgia Tormenta FC are on a three-game losing streak, so capitalizing chances early in the game will be key to taking them out of the game mentally. The Tormenta defense has conceded 9 goals so far this season, 2 of those from Chattanooga Forward Greg Hurst in the season opener. Putting pressure on Tormenta to play from behind early in the game, in a tough CHI Memorial Stadium environment will be an important factor in this weekend's matchup. That being said, the Red Wolves will have to improve on last Saturday's performance, as they struggled to make the most of important opportunities against the Triumph. If the Red Wolves can get on the scoreboard early in the game, it will really turn up the pressure for the opposing Tormenta side. Being clinical in the attacking third will prove to be a vital component of CRW's offense. With 25 shots and 62% possession against GVL, the Red Wolves have proved that they can occupy the opponent's box, but will need to capitalize on their chances to see out the win.

Another key point to the game, once again, is defending the den and keeping a clean sheet. The Red Wolves walked away with a 1-0 victory and a clean sheet in their inaugural home opener against FC Tucson earlier this season. As it currently stands, the Red Wolves still have yet to concede a goal in CHI Memorial Stadium. They have never been scored on in front of a home crowd in Chattanooga and will do everything they can to prevent Tormenta FC from scoring on Saturday. Although the Red Wolves conceded a goal to Greenville last weekend, they still put out an excellent showing. They held the League Leaders to 7 shots, with only 1 being on target. They were able to shut down Jake Keegan, one of the best forwards in the league, and quell the majority of Greenville attacks. Although this wasn't enough to pull out a win, it should be a motivator for the Red Wolves to improve and hold down the back this weekend. The goal by the Triumph was scored in the 71st minute, and after conceding a late goal in the 87th minute against North Texas as well, the Red Wolves will make it a point to keep focus and prepare themselves tactically for any all-out efforts their opponent may have late in the game.

Lastly, the home side will need to be mindful of Nil Vinyals from Tormenta. He will enter this weekend's match with 2 goals coming from a total of 6 shots, and leads the team in goals scored in 2020. Additionally, Jordan Skelton has racked up 412 passes and will be one of the midfield matchups to watch as he goes head to head with the Red Wolves' core group in the midfield.

The Red Wolves will have their second opportunity of the season to play in front of a home crown in CHI Memorial Stadium with an incredible environment. This will prove to be a crucial game in righting the ship and getting back on track with a win. The Red Wolves will be eager to prove that they are capable of bouncing back, and they will do everything they can to hand Coach Obleda his second career professional win and to put on a great showing for the fans. Don't miss out on the action and tune in on ESPN+ this Saturday to watch.

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