Union II Return Home For Inaugural Clash with Top of Table Rivals Chattanooga FC

Thursday brings along some midweek MLS Next Pro action for Union II and Marlon LeBlanc, with his side returning home to Subaru Park as they face Chattanooga FC for the first time ever in a top-of-the-table clash.

Union II vs Chattanooga FC Preview

While the struggles of the senior team seem to be getting worse and worse as the weeks roll on, with now the whole feeling and relationship between fans and the club turning sour, Marlon LeBlanc and his young side are quietly going about their business, topping the Eastern Conference standings.

Last weekend, Union II traveled up north to take on New England Revolution II for the 3rd time this season and came away with a 2-1 win to complete a sweep against their Eastern Conference rivals. An own goal from a Jamir Berdecio cross opened the scoring for Union II, before an unbelievable first-ever goal by Cavan Sullivan, who skipped past a few defenders before firing in clinically to become the 2^nd youngest goal scorer in league history at 14 years, 9 months, and 8 days.

The visitors for this one are league newcomers Chattanooga FC, one of the very few teams that have pretty much kept up pace with Marlon LeBlanc’s side for the majority of the season, with them just sitting 7 points behind Union II heading into this one. They’re coming off a 2-game losing streak, their first ever as a team, with both losses coming at home, firstly against Carolina Core FC and then a late winner for Crown Legacy FC, both games ending in 2-1 losses.

The Tennessee team will be looking to gain back the ground they’ve lost on Marlon LeBlanc’s side recently and it’ll be a big test to see if Chattanooga can hold their own against the big teams of the league, the ones fully backed by MLS franchises. They pride themselves on their defensive quality, only conceding 21 goals so far this season, which is 3 goals more than Union II who hold the best defensive record in the league.

Marlon LeBlanc should have a full roster to pick from, other than maybe Andrew Rick Jr, who’s currently been performing well for the senior team and earned his first-ever MLS clean sheet recently. CJ Olney, David Vazquez, Olwethu Makhanya, and Sanders Ngabo are all back with Union II after short stints with the senior team to fill spaces left by players out on international duty during the Euros and Copa America.

The game is set to kick off at 6 pm ET and is being played at Subaru Park, tickets are still available to be purchased online or, alternatively, you can stream the game at home on Apple TV with an active MLS Season Pass subscription.