The Chattanooga Red Wolves returned to USL Jägermeister Cup play in a Round 5 match against Union Omaha. This marks the second cup match outside of group play. After going down two goals, Chattanooga was able to end the first half tied at two apiece with goals from Stefan Lukic and Ricky Ruiz; however, Omaha pulled out a strong second half to take the match with a 4-2 final score. Chattanooga will face the Owls once more in Nebraska on Saturday, July 27th to conclude the 2024 series between the clubs.
Looking to gain points in the intraleague contest, the Red Wolves searched for offensive magic early and grabbed the first shot of the match within two minutes from Mayele Malango.
It would, however, be the home side to open the scoring four minutes in off a corner kick feed that was headed past TJ Bush by the returning Steevan Dos Santos.
Chattanooga responded well after conceding the open goal and created difficulty for the Owls, not allowing them to break out of the midfield and not allowing a shot for nearly ten minutes. They also picked up additional shots of their own from Stefan Cvetanovic, Lucas Coutinho, and Gustavo Fernandes, none of which were allowed past the goal line.
Omaha regained offensive control eventually and Dos Santos claimed his second goal of the match in the 20th minute from a free kick and a tall header past Bush. With a two goal lead, the Owls held a tight grasp on the match and began to overtake the Red Wolves in shot attempts.
In the 36th minute, head coach Scott Mackenzie made early substitutions, sending Owen Green and Ricky Ruiz into the match for Yahir Paez and Omar Gomez, respectively. The substitution paid off quickly and re-energized the Red Wolves as Ruiz, just three minutes into his appearance, sent a hard shot outside the box past the Omaha keeper to cut the lead in half and grab his first goal of the season.
Both sides battled through first half stoppage time as the Red Wolves fought to even the match – they would do so just before the whistle as Stefan Lukic, after assisting on Ruiz’s goal, notched the match-tying goal to bring the score to 2-2 after an intense 45 minutes of play.
The Owls quickly gained control of the second half, collecting shots early and ultimately grabbed the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute to reclaim the lead. Chattanooga clamored to create their own chances but were forced back into their own defensive end as Omaha poured on more shots. While Bush managed a handful of saves, the home side regained the two goal breadth in the 66th minute for a 4-2 lead.
Chevone Marsh and Leo Folla entered the match just before the fourth Omaha goal to replace Declan Watters and Stefan Cvetanovic in hopes of a renewed offensive press. In the 84th minute, Mayele Malango found Chevone Marsh right in front of goal only for the Omaha goalkeeper to make an incredible save sliding across the goal. After that, the Owls maintained their stronghold through the remainder of the second half and kept the Red Wolves off the scoreboard through the final whistle.
Chattanooga will play on the road once again on July 6th to face league newcomer Spokane Velocity for the first time this season and will look to see the return of Ropapa Mensah to the lineup in the ten-day stretch between matches. They will return home for a quick set of two matches, taking on the Richmond Kickers on July 13th and Charlotte Independence on July 16th.