Chattanooga FC will travel to face Chicago Fire FC II on Sunday for Decision Day with kick-off set for 2:00 p.m. ET.
Chattanooga FC looks to finish the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro regular season on a high when it travels to face Chicago Fire FC II on Decision Day this Sunday.
The Boys in Blue have already clinched a home playoff berth and are guaranteed to finish no lower than a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
All matches in the Eastern Conference will kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET on Decision Day on Sunday.
What's at stake
Sitting just two points behind conference leaders Crown Legacy FC heading into the final regular season matchweek, CFC can clinch the Southeast Division title and No. 1 Eastern Conference seed with a win on Sunday combined with Crown Legacy FC getting one point or less in its match away to FC Cincinnati 2.
Head to head
Sunday's match will be the third meeting between Chattanooga and Chicago this season and the fifth overall in MLS NEXT Pro. Chicago has the edge in the historic head-to-head with a 2-0-2 record. The teams have split the two shootouts for the extra point against each other. In the team's most recent meeting, the match ended in a 2-2 draw with CFC winning the shootout for the extra point 4-1.
Media corner
Alex McGrath and Farid Sar-Sar previewed Decision Day with Jon Nelson of the Soccer Down Here Network this week.
"We'll be fully focused on our game in Chicago," said Sar-Sar. "After the game, if we win, the first thing we're going to do is check the result of the Crown Legacy game. During the game you don't have time to think about anything else other than playing your game. It will be easy to focus on our match, win the game, and hopefully they drop points and we can finish in first."
McGrath was asked about the significance of being an independent club potentially clinching the top seed for the first time in league history.
"It's a credit to the people who are here and the standards we've been trying to push," said McGrath. "That's built over time. It doesn't just happen. There's been a lot of trial and error and there will continue to be. In the grand scheme of things, we're still a small fish in a massive pond, and it's good as it gives you the motivation to outperform teams with higher budgets or better facilities than even what we have. It's always a bit of fuel to the fire. We have to be a bit more tactful of how we use our resources.Â
"Securing a home playoff was really important. The more times we can play at home in front of our fans, it's always going to help us."
Know the opponent
This will be Chicago Fire FC II's final match of the 2026 season having been eliminated from postseason contention following a 2-1 defeat by Philadelphia Union II last week.
Chicago has a 10-11-6 record with three shootout wins on the season and currently sits in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
Mike Matkovich is in his second season as head coach, while former US men's national team defender Omar Gonzalez is in his first year as an assistant coach for Chicago Fire FC II.
Forward Jason Shokalook leads the team with seven goals on the season, while Damyan Villanueva has a team-high seven assists.
Watch party
Join us at Tremont Tavern on Sunday for the official Chattanooga FC watch party!
Match info
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium | Bridgeview, Ill.
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 20
Broadcast: MLSNEXTPro.com / OneFootball | Talent: Jacob Adams
Team uniforms for Sunday's match
Referees
Alex Beehler
Head Referee
Braxton Williams
Assistant Referee 1
Serghei Celan
Assistant Referee 2
Brian Alvarez
4th Official
