MURFREESBORO, TN – Tennessee Tempo made waves on Thursday night, as the amateur club defeated fully professional USL League One outfit Chattanooga Red Wolves in the early rounds of the US Open Cup.
It's Tempo's first win of the Open Cup proper.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: UPSL side Tennessee Tempo FC pulled of an upset in the early rounds of the US Open Cup, capitalizing on a first-half strike from Goffin Oyiworth to take down Chattanooga Red Wolves, a League One outfit several divisions above Tempo in the US soccer pyramid.
- What we learned: It was a resiliant performance from the young side, who defended resolutely throughout the match to keep the fully-professional favorites at bay.
- Big picture: With Nashville SC not involved in the US Open Cup this season, Tempo are keeping Middle Tennessee's involvement alive, getting their own 1-0 win over the Red Wolves. They're building some impressive momentum in Music City.
Ben Wright
Highlights
Key moments
- 35' | Winger Goffin Oyiworth gets on the end of a ball straight up the middle, cutting past a pair of defenders before finishing smartly to the far post.
- 76' | Goalkeeper Francois Djiba miss-handled a corner kick, coughing up a loose ball in front of his own net. Center back Nathaniel Bedai put in a crucial block to preserve the lead.
- 90+7' | Chattanooga rattle the crossbar in the final second of the match, coming inches away from equalizing at the death.
Standout performers
- Captain Nathaniel Bedai was a rock on the left side of the back three, marshalling the backline, putting in several crucial tackles, and setting the foundation with his distribution.
- Winger Goffin Oyiworth was electric all night, stretching the field with impressive pace and taking his goal incredibly well.
- Former El Paso Locomotive midfielder Emiliano Rodríguez put in a Manof the Match shift in midfield, consistently progressing the ball and covering plenty of ground out of possession. His ability to pick out a forward pass on the half-turn was key.
Lineup notes
Head coach Gift Ndam rolled out a 3-5-2 shape, starting former Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Dominic Oduro next to ex-New York City FC starlet Kwadwo Poku.
Tennessee Tempo FC Starting XI vs Chattanooga Red Wolves: Djiba; Bedai, Gueye, Mwamay; Poku, Oduro, Rodríguez; GrandPierre, Watts, Otuonye, Oyiworth BENCH: Daunhauer, Diop, Amrani, Balde, Sassano, Kamara, Larmond
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2026-03-20T00:49:34.474Z
What it means
It's a huge result for the Murfreesboro team. Tempo had momentum coming into the match after winning the UPSL National Championship last August, but were always going to be significant underdogs against a fully professional Chattanooga side, playing three divisions above them in USL League One.
They're on to the Round of 32, an impressive achievement from the young club, who aren't done yet.
Up next
Tempo kick off their UPSL spring season on Saturday, taking on Tennessee United in their opening match.
