Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Bio
Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club is a professional soccer team founded on August 1, 2018, and a founding member of USL League One, the third division of American men’s soccer. The club is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and plays home matches at CHI Memorial Stadium, Tennessee’s first professional soccer-specific stadium.
Owned by Robert Martino, the organization operates a pathway of pre-professional teams including the Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves in the USL W League and the Dalton Red Wolves and Park City Red Wolves in USL League Two. Patrick Mashburn serves as general manager and Scott Mackenzie is the club’s head coach and technical director.
Early Life and Background
The Chattanooga Red Wolves franchise was announced by the United Soccer League on August 1, 2018, as part of the newly created USL League One, with play beginning in 2019. Utah businessman Robert Martino founded the club and financed development of CHI Memorial Stadium, a soccer-specific venue constructed as part of a larger East Ridge development that includes mixed-use elements.
The club’s arrival followed an established local soccer presence created by Chattanooga FC, which led to a competitive local landscape and public attention around the new USL franchise. The Red Wolves formalized their identity on September 25, 2018, and named Tim Hankinson as the team’s first head coach ahead of the inaugural USL League One season.
Path to Soccer
The Red Wolves joined USL League One as a founding member and built organizational depth with affiliated pre-professional teams to develop local and regional talent. The club prioritized constructing a permanent, soccer-specific stadium in East Ridge, announcing CHI Memorial Stadium as the team’s home site in April 2019 and later securing CHI Memorial Hospital as the stadium naming sponsor.
From the outset the club emphasized an integrated pathway, operating women’s and USL League Two teams as part of a broader network that supports player development and regional scouting. Those affiliations reflect the ownership’s broader investment in lower-division soccer and community engagement across multiple markets.
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
The Red Wolves began USL League One play in 2019 after the franchise announcement the prior year. Early leadership and roster building set a foundation for the club while plans for CHI Memorial Stadium advanced as a central part of the organization’s long-term strategy.
Construction of stadium amenities progressed through 2020 and 2021, including a major video board and executive facilities. The club’s early seasons focused on establishing competitive credibility in a growing league and building a fan base in the Chattanooga metropolitan area.
USL League One Breakthrough (2021–2022)
The 2021 season marked a breakthrough for Chattanooga as the club set the USL League One record for the longest undefeated streak at 15 matches. That campaign ended with the team finishing third in the regular season with 44 points and an 11-11-6 record. Chattanooga advanced past North Texas SC in the quarterfinals before falling to Greenville Triumph in extra time in the semifinals.
In 2022 the Red Wolves registered one of the most lopsided results in club history, defeating Charlotte Independence 7–1 and setting the USL League One record for most goals in a single game. That result also established a new high-water mark for goals in a professional Tennessee club match, surpassing a 42-year-old state record.
The 2022 playoffs produced Chattanooga’s deepest run to date. The club defeated defending champion Union Omaha 1–0 after extra time and then upset regular season leaders Richmond Kickers 1–0 on the road to reach the USL League One Final for the first time. Chattanooga ultimately fell 1–2 to South Georgia Tormenta in the championship match.
The 2022 season also included a personnel disruption when head coach and technical director Jimmy Obleda was placed on provisional suspension by the club on July 22, 2022, pending an investigation. The organization later appointed Jeff “Ziggy” Korytowski as head coach on December 14, 2022, and then named Scott Mackenzie interim head coach on July 31, 2023, before removing the interim tag and naming him full-time head coach and technical director on October 5, 2023.
CHI Memorial Stadium Era (2023–Present)
CHI Memorial Stadium serves as the Red Wolves’ home and is a focal point of the club’s identity. The venue holds 5,500 spectators and has hosted significant matches, including packed playoff fixtures and regional derbies. In spring 2021 the stadium’s large video board was completed and the club later invested in facility upgrades.
Ahead of the 2024 season the organization replaced the original synthetic turf with a natural grass pitch as part of a roughly $2 million investment in CHI Memorial Stadium. The improvements reinforced the stadium’s status as a professional venue and contributed to a growing home-field reputation for the club.
Playing Style and Strengths
The Red Wolves’ identity combines resilience and offensive capacity, evidenced by a league-record 15-match unbeaten run in 2021 and the club’s 7–1 scoring outburst in 2022. The team has shown an ability to produce high-scoring performances while also mounting deep playoff runs, and CHI Memorial Stadium provides strong home support for competitive moments.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include the club’s founding as a USL League One charter member in 2018, the construction and opening of CHI Memorial Stadium as Tennessee’s first professional soccer-specific venue, the 15-match unbeaten streak in 2021, the record 7–1 victory over Charlotte Independence in 2022, and the club’s first appearance in the USL League One Final in 2022. In 2025 the club contested a high-attendance Open Cup derby against Chattanooga FC that drew 12,131 spectators, one of the largest attendances for a second-round U.S. Open Cup match.
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Career Wins
The Red Wolves’ most notable victories include playoff wins and key regular-season results that propelled the club to its first league final in 2022. Playoff triumphs over North Texas SC in 2021 and over Union Omaha and Richmond Kickers in 2022 stand out as defining postseason achievements for the organization.
USL League One Highlights
USL League One highlights for Chattanooga include the 15-match unbeaten run during the 2021 season, the club record-setting 7–1 win against Charlotte Independence in 2022, and a run to the 2022 USL League One Final where the team finished as runners-up. These results established the Red Wolves as one of the competitive programs in the league and underscored rapid progress since the club’s 2019 debut.
Other Wins & Perfromances
The club’s broader organization has produced success across affiliated teams. The Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves won WPSL Southeastern Conference titles in 2019 and 2021 and joined the USL W League as a founding member in 2022. The Dalton Red Wolves and Park City Red Wolves operate in USL League Two as part of the club’s development network.
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Owner Robert Martino founded the club and has overseen stadium development and the expansion of a network of affiliated teams. His ownership includes the Park City Red Wolves and Dalton Red Wolves in USL League Two, reflecting a strategy of regional investment in pre-professional pathways linked to the Chattanooga organization.
Personal Life
As a professional sports organization the club’s public-facing personal details center on ownership, leadership and staff roles. General manager Patrick Mashburn and head coach Scott Mackenzie are listed as the club’s key executives responsible for roster construction and technical direction.
2025 Season Performance
In 2025 Chattanooga finished second in the USL League One regular season standings and reached the playoffs, advancing to the quarter-finals. The team also competed in the U.S. Open Cup, winning a second-round derby on penalties against Chattanooga FC before being eliminated in the fourth round by Nashville SC, the eventual tournament winner.
The 2025 campaign underscored the Red Wolves’ continued competitiveness at the league level and the club’s ability to draw significant local interest for marquee cup fixtures. With ownership, management and coaching in place, the organization has signaled an intent to sustain competitive performance and maintain CHI Memorial Stadium as a central piece of its identity.