The NISA fall season simply refuses to stop, and this week is no different as Chattanooga FC hosts Chicago House Athletic Club at Finley Stadium on Wednesday night.

Chattanooga were beaten this past weekend, falling to the Maryland Bobcats in a close contest. The lone goal of the game came moments into the start of the second half, and that proved to be the difference at the end of the day.

Things went better for Chicago, as they defeated New Amsterdam FC 2-1 on the road. They opened the scoring through Wojciech Wójcik early on, but the opposition equalized via a penalty kick from Mayele Malango. The House would not be denied, though, as a late strike from Derek Huffman meant that they ended the night with the win and all three points.

Those results meant that Chattanooga were jumped by Chicago in the standings, with three points now separating the two sides going into this contest. Will the gap increase, or will the teams swap spots once again? Only time will tell.

Predicted lineups

Chattanooga FC: Redington, Kasak, Russell, DaSilva, Robertson, Spielman, Hernandez, Dixon, Hoffstatter, Jackson, Rodriguez

Chicago House AC: Novotny, Requejo Jr, Abidor, Sulia, Bowie, Bennett, Conner, Cerro, Bartman, Wójcik, Huffman

Ones to watch

Daniel Jackson
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it’s almost certainly going to be a bit chilly on Wednesday night.

For a brief moment in time during the reverse fixture, Daniel Jackson thought he had given Chattanooga the lead. Getting onto the end of a loose ball in the area, he somehow knocked it past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. He celebrated the goal with a teammate, and all was looking good.

However, the goal would not stand. After a quick talk with the sideline official, the referee chose to call the goal back, awarding Chicago a free-kick due to an apparent foul on the goalkeeper. It wasn’t clear what happened live, and the highlights from the contest don’t really help either. All things considered, it looks like the referee might have gotten the call wrong, which proved to be vital as the House only won 1-0 on the night.

Jackson likely hasn’t forgotten about that. He may be having a quiet season, with his two goals on the campaign both coming in the same match, but he’ll definitely look to find the back of the net against Chicago once again. And this time, he’ll make sure it stands.

Derek Huffman
It had been a long time coming.

On Saturday, the 33-year-old Huffman scored his first-ever professional goal, poking home from close range to put Chicago in front late on. That initial statement is a tough one to believe at first since he’s a striker, but it’s one that makes more sense with context.

Huffman had previously spent his career playing at the collegiate, amateur, and indoor levels. He’s been quite the journeyman, featuring for the likes of UIC-Chicago, RWB Adria, the Cedar Rapids Rampage, the Orlando Seawolves, and the Milwaukee Wave. That all led him to the House, where he’s since become a key player.

An absolute workhorse up top, the number 99 simply does not quit. He runs and runs and runs, whether he’s pressing the opposition or making runs in behind. He’s more than a track star, of course, as he’s got the talent in the final third to either score or assist given the circumstances, which is proven by his goal contributions as of late.

Here’s hoping that Huffman won’t have to wait as long to score his second professional goal.

(Also I’ve had this thought for a while now but he just absolutely looks like the kind of guy that would work out to the Rock’s rap in that one song. It’s about drive, it’s about power after all.)

Last time out

It’s only been a few weeks since these two sides last faced off.

Taking place at SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago were the better team for most of the matchup. 

It was the away side who thought they had scored first, though. A loose ball following a poorly defended set-piece was poked home by Daniel Jackson, but the goal would not stand as the referee ultimately called a foul since someone seemingly collided with the goalkeeper. However, it’s still not clear whether or not that was the right decision, and it may have actually been the wrong one.

That proved to be a key moment, as the House broke the deadlock right before the half-time break. Derek Huffman picked up the ball out wide before laying it off to an onrushing Ian Cerro, who hit a first-time shot into the top corner past a relatively helpless goalkeeper.

The rest of the game was pretty lackluster, to be fair, which meant that the hosts were able to hold on to secure the clean sheet, the victory, and all three points.

How to watch

The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. EDT, and it will air live on Eleven Sports, chattanoogafc.com, chicagohouseac.com, and nisasoccer.com.