PREVIEW: NATIONAL MOTW WEEK THREE

CHATTANOOGA FC vs. UFA GUNNERS

South Region: Southeast Conference – Peachtree Division

Friday, May 23

7 p.m. (EDT)

Finley Stadium – Chattanooga, Tenn. 

Peachtree Division action heats up Friday when the UFA Gunners (0-0-1) roll into Finley Stadium Friday to face an untested Chattanooga FC (0-0-0) in the WPSL National Matchup of the Week presented by the National Soccer Network. 

Friday’s match is Chattanooga FC’s season and home opener. 

“The first match with UFA is extremely important,” Juan Hernandez, Chattanooga FC head coach, said. “We know we are going to play against some great opposition and our mentality does not change. We are going in to win every and we’ll do everything we can to get the team prepared for that.”

Currently ranked No 8 in the South Region, the Atlanta-based UFA Gunners enter Friday’s match on short rest after falling 1-0 on the road Wednesday night to cross-town rival, Atlanta Fire United. 

The Chattanooga side taking the field on Friday is a very different side that fell to the Gunners 6-2 at home in the two club’s only previous meeting. Chattanooga finished its third WPSL season sixth in the Southeast Conference, posting a 3-0-5 record. 

Chattanooga enters the 2025 season with a new technical staff, which includes Hernandez, who served on the staff as an assistant coach last year, and associate head coach, Maryn Beutler, who saw first-hand what it takes to be successful in the WPSL during her time on the technical staff of the Colorado Rapids Women. 

“The season is very short, so the first few games of the season matter immensely,” Beutler said. “Those performances and those points are where teams either set themselves up for success for long-term playoff runs or they don’t.” 

The Gunners finished 2024 third in the incredibly tight Southeast conference, three points out of first place, going 5-2-1. The Gunners finished the season at No. 6 in the South Region rankings. The club was led by USYWNT and Florida State University forward, Jordynn Dudley, with five goals, and University of South Carolina junior, Autumn Cayelli, with four. Dudley was one of three players on last year’s squad to earn All-Southeast Conference nods along with defender Naomi Moleka (Kennesaw State University), who was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year. 

Along with its highly ambitious technical staff, look for several new faces to star in Chattanooga FC’s revamped roster. 

“Our target for the season is really simple: we want to be winning the last game in July,” Hernandez said. “That is the goal. That’s where we want to be as a club, and we have built this team for that. The team knows it and they are really excited that is our goal. They came here for that reason.”

Friday’s Matchup of the Week is the first of three straight home matches at the hallowed Finley Stadium, which is quickly becoming one of the top soccer venues in the country. 

“We want to show our fanbase who we are right away,” Hernandez said. We want to put a stamp on the league right away, and doing that at home will be really important. Our first three games are at home, and we need our fans’ support right away to build that momentum we need to carry us through the season.” 

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