Chattanooga FC travels to face Crown Legacy FC in a top-of-the-table clash in the Eastern Conference.
Chattanooga FC travels to face Crown Legacy FC in a highly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash in the Eastern Conference.
CFC brings an MLS NEXT Pro era club record 11-match unbeaten streak into the match, coming off a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Toronto FC II.
Alex Krehl continued his incredible goalscoring form last weekend, heading in his 14th goal of the campaign and bringing him closer to the front of the league’s Golden Boot race.
This will be CFC and Crown Legacy’s last of three meetings during the 2026 regular season. Crown Legacy got the better of the first two encounters back in the spring, but Head Coach Richard Dixon and Co will look to get on the right end of the result on Sunday evening as the push to the playoffs continues.
The match has major playoff implications with Chattanooga FC currently in second place and Crown Legacy in first place chasing the conference championship and home playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.
CFC will look to draw inspiration from its visit to the Sportsplex at Matthews in September 2025 when the Boys in Blue came out 4-2 victors.
Coach's corner
Head Coach Richard Dixon previewed the match with media this week and spoke about the opportunity in front of the team.
"For us, the message is simple: continue to do what we're doing and control what we can control and that's the work we put on the training pitch every day," said Dixon. "There's going to be those hidden things that motivate you going into a game. The reality is if you play well but you don't win the game, nobody cares. We want to go in solid defensively with a couple of ideas of how we want to break them down in possession and create chances but also making sure the menality has to be right. We have to go in and do whatever it takes to win the football game."
Know the opponent
Crown Legacy FC sits in first place in the East with a 12W-4L-7D, 5SOW record (48 pts).
The Charlotte-based side is coming off a 2-0 home defeat by expansion team CT United on Wednesday evening.
Forward Hugo Mbongue leads the team with 11 goals this season, while Nathan Richmond has a team-high eight assists on the campaign.
Crown Legacy is led by Head Coach Kevin Sawchak, who has held various roles within the club since 2023.
Match info
Venue: Sportsplex at Matthews | Matthews, North Carolina
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, August 23
Broadcast: MLSNEXTPro.com / OneFootball TV | Talent: James Hadnot
Watch party
Kits for Sunday's match:
Referees
Shaye Lane
Head Referee
Ryan Lindskog
Assistant Referee 1
Nick Goyette
Assistant Referee 2
MJ Tehini
4th Official
