Northern Colorado heads East to face off with Chattanooga.
WINDSOR, Colo. – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC are going hunting this weekend as they travel to take on Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. The clubs have split the points against each other thus far, with Chattanooga taking the first game 4-1 and Northern Colorado winning the second match 2-1. Both teams come into Saturday with 20 points, tied for the final playoff spot in the standings.
USL League One’s Player of the Month for June, Juan Galindrez, is a key factor to watch for Chattanooga in this matchup. He notched six goals in the month of June and has added another in July, scoring from the penalty spot in Chattanooga’s last match. Galindrez enters this weekend tied for second-place in the golden boot race. His eight goals are equal with Garrett McLaughlin from North Carolina FC and only behind Greenville Triumph’s Jacob Labovitz, who has 10.
Chattanooga has been consistent with the keeper selection this season, starting Carlos Avilez in 14 of their 16 contests this season. Avilez has kept two clean sheets and registered 22 saves at a 55 save percentage. He has also made one save on a penalty attempt this season.
Marky Hernández has made his presence felt this season. With two goals and three assists in his 17 appearances this season, he has been a player for head coach Éamon Zayed to turn to off the bench to change the game. Hernández is making another return to his previous home in Chattanooga, looking to make a difference in this one and bring home three points.
Thomas Olsen will miss this match due to his red card against the Charlotte Independence. Johan Peñaranda is expected to be in goal for Northern Colorado. This season Peñaranda has made five starts for the Hailstorm and came off the bench after the red card was shown to Olsen on Sunday. In matches that Peñaranda has played this season, the club has picked up an average of 1.5 points per match.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. MDT at the CHI Memorial Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Expect the temperature in the 90’s at kickoff with humidity in the 40 percent range. The game, as with all USL League One games this season, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The future home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium, 2,500-seat Future Legends Field, multiple baseball diamonds, and multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports tournaments, events, leagues, and more.