5th seed Union Omaha visits 4th seed Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday October 22 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
The Red Wolves finished the regular season with a disappointing 2-0 loss at Tormenta FC. A win would have propelled them into the 3rd seed. Still, their 43 points and 12 wins were enough to earn the home match against 5 seed Union Omaha.
The club is prone to bouts of high scoring, with four or more goals on four separate occasions this season. Their 52 total goals was second only to top-seeded Richmond’s record setting 54. And at 39 goals conceded, their goal differential is also second only to Richmond.
The Red Wolves last faced Union Omaha on September 3rd in Nebraska, where the Owls came out on top 2-1.
The club saw a record high of 3,096 fans at their last home match, a 3-1 victory over Charlotte Independence. The club expects this record to be broken for the first round playoff match.
The Red Wolves are led by Colombian Juan Galindrez, with 13 goals in 26 appearances, tied for 3rd in the league. They also have a dangerous secondary attack from Moe Espinoza and Rafael Mentzingen, with 8 and 6 goals respectively.
Union Omaha
Defending champions Union Omaha struggled during the back half of the 2022 season, dropping from 2nd place to 5th place by the end. The team only had three losses through August, but lost 4 in September and August. The team’s points were further hampered by their league-leading 13 draws. They come into the playoffs winless in their last seven.
However, draws do not matter in the playoffs, and a defensive minded team like Union Omaha can easily wear down another side with the addition of overtime and penalty kicks. Indeed, the Owls conceded the fewest goals all season at 33, while only scoring 34 themselves. The question on this matchup comes down to the Red Wolves’ high powered scoring bursts versus Omaha’s shutdown defense.
Union Omaha is led by American Noe Meza with 9 goals, followed by John Scearce with 7.
Head to Head Comparisons
Saturday June 4 at Chattanooga: Red Wolves 0, Union Omaha 1
Saturday July 30 at Omaha: Union Omaha 1, Red Wolves 1
Saturday September 3 at Omaha: Union Omaha 2, Red Wolves 1
| Statistic | Red Wolves SC | Union Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 12-11-7 | 10-7-13 |
| Points | 43 | 43 |
| GF | 52 | 34 |
| GA | 39 | 33 |
| GD | +12 | +1 |
| Goals Leader | Juan Galindrez (13) | Noe Meza (9) |
| Assists Leader | José Carrera-Garcia (8) | Noe Meza (4) |
| Shooting Accuracy | 50.4% | 36.6% |
| Conversion Rate | 18.1% | 12.2% |
| Home/Away Record | 7-4-4 (Home) | 4-4-7 (Away) |
Our Prediction
The defending champions Union Omaha use their defense to take this one into penalty kicks, but fall 1-1 (5-4) to the Red Wolves.