Albion San Diego will take on top-seeded Chattanooga FC on Sunday at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium in hopes of regaining the second-seed and strengthening its chance of earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. Albion is undefeated in its last three matches and is coming off back-to-back scoreless draws against LA Force and Savannah Clovers.

Chattanooga is coming off its first loss of the season after falling 2-1 to LA Force on Thursday at Championship Stadium in Irvine thanks to a brace from forward Francis Avoce. This will be the third meeting of 2023  between Chattanooga FC and Albion San Diego as the team, led by head coach Diego Gomez, plays its final regular season game at Canyon Crest Academy.

“We’re playing against a heck of a team who has demonstrated how talented they are all season,” said Gomez. “I expect us to be at our best. Both teams want to possess the ball and I expect hard battles, particularly in the final third.”

The match will also feature the league’s top goalkeepers when it comes to clean sheets Jean Antoine and Ben Roach. Albion currently has 29 points after 17 games and a victory over Chattanooga would put it one point ahead of LA Force with the two sides facing each other on Sept. 17 in Irvine.

“We’ve had a really good season overall but there’s still a lot to go,” said Albion San Diego defender Anthony Patti. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet, so we’re still hoping to see a lot of drive and passion because this is the most important part of our season.”

Albion will still have several matches left after the game versus Chattanooga including the NISA Independent Cup final against Bay Area United FC on Sept. 27 at Championship Stadium hoping to see a repeat of 2022 when it came out with a 3-1 victory over Capo FC.

Photo by John Cocozza Photography