Chattanooga FC hosts Orlando City B in an Eastern Conference top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, April 5 with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium in MLS NEXT Pro action.
Chattanooga FC looks to remain unbeaten in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season when it hosts Southeast Division rivals Orlando City B on Saturday evening.
The Boys in Blue have opened the 2025 regular season with victories over Inter Miami CF II in Fort Lauderdale and Huntsville City in the club's home opener and most recently took two points from Atlanta United 2 in Kennesaw last Sunday.
Last season, the teams played in three closely-fought matches with CFC winning the head-to-head, with two draws and penalty shootout extra-point wins and one victory.
Saturday's clash will feature two teams that have started the season strongly and with identical records (2W-0L-1D, 1SOW). A win for Chattanooga FC would send the club to the top of the Eastern Conference.
What they're saying
Midfielder Callum Watson discussed how the squad has been managing playing in three matches in a week.
"We've shown a lot of reslience and togetherness throughout this period," said Watson. "We're showing the depth we've got. We've got a lot of players that can start week-in and week-out. A lot of us are happy to see guys that haven't had a lot of minutes be able to showcase what they're about. The quick turnarounds hasn't changed the standard of our performances. We know and trust each other to get the job done."
Head Coach Chris Nugent touched on the fast starts the team has had success with early on in the season.
"That's part of our identity, to start strong and fast," said Nugent. "We set tasks and metrics for our players for each period of the game. We want to be aggressive with our play and we want to set the tone early. We want to show our identity in the attack and continue to be who we are, be adaptable and flexible."
New signing Colin Thomas announced
Chattanooga Football Club (CFC) announced the signing of midfielder Colin Thomas on Friday to a one-year contract with a club option for a further year.
Thomas joins CFC having most recently played for Wake Forest. During his time with the Demon Deacons, Thomas made 45 starts in 81 appearances and tallied more than 3,400 minutes in the midfield.
Thomas was a member of the 2024 Wake Forest team that won the program's fourth-ever ACC Championship. Additionally, Thomas was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Thomas could potentially make his club debut on Saturday.
Know the Opponent
Orlando City B is coached by Manuel Goldberg, who is in his second season at the helm of the Lions.
Orlando's victory over Crown Legacy last week tied the club’s longest unbeaten streak to start a season in MLS NEXT
Pro, at three games.
Orlando City's Shak Mohammed will be one to watch on Saturday evening as the Ghanaian midfielder has scored in consecutive matches and has 19 goals and six assists in 55 appearances for the club.
Match info
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday April 5
Broadcast: MLSNEXTPro.com | Talent: Josh Tolle
Audio Webcast: CFC on Mixlr | Talent: Gabriel Schray
Team uniforms for Saturday's match
Referees:
Muhammad Kaleia
Head Referee
Austin Holt
Assistant Referee 1
Joshua Belk
Assistant Referee 2
Aleksandar Zhelyazkov
Fourth Official
