Fort Lauderdale CF will seek to keep its positive momentum going as the team takes on USL League One leaders Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at DRV PNK Stadium on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m ET. The match will air live on ESPN+.
“I think our boys will be super excited. I think we need to focus on ourselves, make sure we are ready to play come Saturday evening with good discipline and good organisation,” said head coach Darren Powell. “If our players can execute that, it’s a wonderful opportunity against a very talented opposition that is currently the best team in this league, on the best run of form. So, our players have got to see that as a great opportunity to really test ourselves going into the rest of the season.”
Fort Lauderdale FC returns home after a 4-2 away win on Aug. 28 against South Georgia Tormenta FC that featured goals by midfielders George Acosta and Braxton Najib as well as one by forward Shaan Hundal. The team took the lead in the first half after scoring three goals including one from Hundal and two from Acosta, who scored a pair of goals within eight minutes of each other. In the second half, Najib scored the team’s final goal, his first at the professional level, securing the win against Tormenta FC. Acosta and Mitch Curry were named to the USL League One Team of the Week after their spectacular performances in the match.
Saturday’s game will be the third matchup betweens the clubs. The teams met once in Fort Lauderdale’s inaugural season and again earlier this year in a 2-1 loss on May 22. The Red Wolves enter this match coming off a scoreless draw against Toronto II, with forward Juan Galindrez leading the team with eight goals in 2021. The Red Wolves hold the USL League One record for longest streak of unbeaten matches at 13.
Chattanooga currently sits in first place in the USL League One standings with 33 points, recording eight wins, one loss and nine draws to date in the 2021 season. Fort Lauderdale CF, meanwhile, is in third place with 25 points, winning seven games, nine losses, and four draws so far in the 2021 campaign. Additionally, Fort Lauderdalehas scored the most goals in the league with 31, while the Red Wolves are in second place with 28 goals.
