Read on for a full recap, highlights, stats and more.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (October 18, 2026) — Chattanooga FC defeated NYCFC II 3-1 thanks to goals from Alex Krehl, Anton Sorenson and Yuval Cohen to advance to next Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinals.
The win represents the Boys in Blue's first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff victory.
Krehl opened the scoring in the 31st minute when he headed in a corner kick sent in by Daniel Mangarov for his 19th goal of the season and the club's first-ever goal in an MLS NEXT Pro playoff match.
"It means a lot to me; I love scoring goals," Krehl said in his post-match press conference. "That's what I'm hear for, but most importantly the boys got the win tonight and we're loving it. [Like we just said in the locker room] We got more games coming up and we're just going to take it game by game."
The Pigeons equalized shortly after half-time through Jacob Arroyave, capitalizing off a loose backpass on the CFC backline.
However, the Boys in Blue would have the last word. Substitute Antony Sorenson scored the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute, latching onto the end of a wonderfully-worked cut-back pass from Anthony Garcia.
Substitute Cohen put the icing on the cake when he burst through for a breakaway goal after the Pigeons sent goalkeeper Mac Learned forward for a corner kick in the dying seconds.
"I'm extremely proud of the group," Chattanooga FC Head Coach Richard Dixon said. "There's a couple of things we know we're solid at. The goal we conceded came off a mistake we made, so our group was confident, knowing we just needed to get back into the game and find our rhythm. We had a really good impact from our substitutes—Anthony [Garcia] and Anton combined to score our second goal and then Yuval [Cohen] finishing the game off. This is a resilient group and they've been resilient all season. We've been in situations where it seemed like we may not get anything from the game and just like that we come back. We're always confident that the chances are going to fall. I was very pleased for the finishers to come on and finish the game off like that."
Next up
Chattanooga FC will return to Fort Finley for the Eastern Conference semifinals against either Columbus Crew 2 or CT United FC on Sunday, October 25 at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now!
The Pick-Your-Opponent process will also be utilized for the conference semifinals, with the highest remaining seed in each conference selecting and hosting an opponent from the two lowest seeded teams on October 20. The two remaining clubs will face each other, with the higher of the two seeds hosting. No. 1 seed Crown Legacy will select either Columbus Crew 2 or CT United with CFC getting the remaining opponent.
There will not be a broadcast or livestream for the Pick-Your-Opponent process for the conference semifinals, with the opponents and schedule set to be announced approximately at 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 20.
Box Score
Chattanooga FC - NYCFC II
Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Attendance: 3,131
Final score:Â
CFC: 3
NYC: 1
Scoring summary:
31': Alex Krehl - CFC, Assist: Daniel Mangarov
53': Jacob Arroyave - NYC
86': Anton Sorenson - CFC, Assist: Anthony Garcia
90'+7': Yuval Cohen - CFC
Stats (CFC / NYC):
Expected goals (xG): 1.52 / 0.47
Possession: 43% / 57%
Shots: 13 / 12
Shots on goal: 4 / 4
Blocked shots: 5 / 3
Total passes: 393 / 486
Passing accuracy percentage: 83. 2 / 86.6
Corners: 6 / 4
Total crosses: 5 / 7
Offsides: 2 / 0
Goalkeeper saves: 3 / 1
Clearances: 5 / 4
Fouls: 8 / 13
Discipline:
29' - NYC, Joao Loiola (Caution)
Lineups:
Chattanooga FC starters: Eldin Jakupović, Yves Tcheuyap, Farid Sar-Sar (C), Nathan Koehler, Steeve Louis Jean (Anton Sorenson 75'), Isaiah Jones (Luke Husakiwsky 90'+3'), Tate Robertson, Alexis Arrúa (Anthony Garcia 75'), Daniel Mangarov, Damien Barker John, Alex Krehl (Yuval Cohen 90'+2')
Substitutes not used: Michael Barrueta, Mattias Hanchard, Ameziane Sid Mohand, Francis Amoateng, Alex McGrath
Head Coach: Richard Dixon
NYCFC II starters: Max Learned, Max Murray, Joao Loiola, Kevin Pierre (Joseph Suchecki 90'), Maximo Carrizo, Peter Molinari, Cooper Flax (Drew Kerr 79'), Luka Sunjic, Jacob Arroyave, Jonathan Lopez (C), Adonis Campos (Elhadji Samb 89')
Substitutes not used: Dylan McDermott, Gabriel Mendonca, Eoin Martin, Brennan Klein, Camilo Ponce, David Duque
Head Coach: Matthew Pilkington
