Part 4 in our team-by-team preview where we try to answer these questions: how could they succeed, and how could they stumble?
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
The 2022 Red Wolves SC squad was an offensive juggernaut and had a defense that wasn’t too shabby either. They took that energy straight into the playoffs where they defeated defending champions Union Omaha and then shocked regular season champions Richmond Kickers before falling to Tormenta FC in the final. Along the way, they overcame the suspension of their head coach and went on their run under an assistant.
Then the off-season came, and the club underwent a huge loss in talent. Lead goal scorer Juan Galindrez departed to pursue a spot in the USL Championship; Rafa Mentzingen, DJ Benton and Daniel Navarro went to a newly re-tooled NCFC; Jimmie Villalobos to One Knox SC; Timmy Mehl’s loan expired, and he signed with Forward Madison; and captain José Carerra-García signed with Fuego FC. Add these players up and you get 31 out of the 52 goals scored in 2022.
Moving right along, the club landed Ziggy Korytoski as the new head coach. They announced some notable returnees including goaltender Carlos Avilez, defenders Aaron Lombardi and Nico Cardona, midfielders Moe Espinoza and Ualefi, and forward Alex Tejera.
And of course, there were a handful of new signings: forwards Mayele Malango (Albion San Diego), Chevone Marsh (Jamaican and Costa Rican veteran) and Ropapa Mensah (last appeared with Kansas City II); midfielders Christian Enriquez (Forward Madison), Felipe Liborio (Cal United Strikers FC) and Walter Varela (Albion San Diego); and defenders Jackson Brady (Memphis 901), Manuel Madrid (Phoenix Rising), Richard Renteria (Colombian veteran), and Mekeil Williams (Pittsburgh Riverhounds).
So is this a rebuilding year for the Red Wolves? Or can the mix of veterans from NISA, the USL Championship, and foreign leagues come together and make an immediate impact?
How Chattanooga Red Wolves SC could succeed in 2023
Coach Ziggy figures out how to make this rag tag bunch mesh
Looking closer at the roster, we see a lot of potential, and a lot of faith in certain players recruited by coach Ziggy. The gaffer comes to East Ridge by way of NISA side Albion San Diego. As mentioned above, he brought over Malango and Varela from San Diego, plus Liborio from rival Cal United Strikers.
Beyond that, the defense may be more solid than last year. While Benton and Navarro jumped to NCFC, Madrid and Renteria should fit in nicely at center-back, with Nico Cardona as another option. And with a solid goaltending tandem of go-to starter Carlos Avilez and backups Ricardo Jerez and JD Meyers, this might be a club to allow fewer than 40 goals once again.
Up front, Moe Espinoza returns on the right, with new counterparts Malango, Marsh, and Mensah, as well as promising striker Alex Tejera, who scored a goal in the USL League One final in 2022. Mensah in particular is due for a comeback if he is healthy and can remain so. The 25-year-old forward scored 27 goals in 117 USL Championship appearances prior to his injury.
If Korytoski can breathe new life into this club and manage some cohesion in this re-built roster, the Red Wolves could make a surprising second run at the title.
How Chattanooga Red Wolves SC could stumble in 2023
They just don’t recover from all the changes
Let’s face it, with any club rebuilt as much as the 2023 Red Wolves squad, there are a lot of question marks. Newcomers to the league may not fit in. The goals don’t happen.
There is a feeling around the league that this is not a serious contender in 2023. The changes were too significant, the rebuild was not quite enough.
Can all of the NISA talent succeed together in USL1? Is Ropapa Mensah back in form, or did the time off take its toll? Can Alex Tejera step up again when needed? If the answer is no, we’re probably looking at a finish in the bottom part of the table, and then saying well, maybe next year.
But then again, USL League One is where a fresh start can thrive.
While the league is coming into its own this year in year five with a new collective bargaining agreement providing player stability, it’s still new enough that a rebuilding club could contend. The two expansion clubs in 2022 barely missed the playoffs. As we always say, chaos reigns supreme and this chaotic roster might be able to compete.