Chicago United lost 0:1 to Chattanooga in the Group Stage of MLS Next Pro on Saturday evening. The match took place at SeatGeek Stadium on 20th September, and the visitors took all three points despite having less than a third of possession. By then, the result looked like it was decided at the half-hour mark, though neither side opened the scoring before the break.
O. Pineda picked up a yellow card after three minutes, and B. Williams followed the same path at 37 minutes. The first changes came at 47 minutes when D. Boltz and V. Glyut were brought on. The deadlock was finally broken at 52 minutes when A. McGrath found the net for Chattanooga, and from that moment the home side pushed but never equalised.
And here's the thing about this match — it's not the one you'd call a spectacle, but it told you everything you need to know about these two sides. Chicago United had 68 per cent possession and 124 attacks, yet managed only seven shots on target from 18 attempts. Chattanooga, with 32 per cent possession and 117 attacks, registered just three shots on target from nine attempts. They got over the line.
Substitutions poured in after the goal. C. Nagle and R. Turdean came on at 66 minutes, followed by D. Mangarov and S. Louis at 67. L. Husakiwsky and D. Barker were paired at 76, and M. Napoe was the final change at 88. A. Krehl collected a yellow card at 84 minutes, but it made little difference to the outcome.
Chicago United sit 13th in the table with 39 points from 27 games — 13 wins and 14 losses. Chattanooga are second with 53 points, 18 victories and nine defeats. We had backed the hosts at 41 per cent confidence, but the match went another way, and it was the visitors' efficiency that made the difference.
The result extends Chattanooga's climb while leaving Chicago United still searching for consistency. They had nothing to do after the 52nd minute, and that's something you can't fix with possession alone.
