USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC were upset 1-0 by Tennessee Tempo FC, an amateur team from the UPSL, in a thrilling battle of I-24 teams in Round 1 of the US Open Cup on Thursday.
However, the Red Wolves were not the only ones defeated along I-24, as their bus blew a tire on the interstate while traveling to Richard Siegel Park in Murfreesboro, pushing the game’s kickoff back by over an hour.
Even with the delay, it was not enough to quell the Tempo’s spirit in their program’s first-ever US Open Cup win.
“The Red Wolves are an incredible organization, and they pushed us to the limit tonight. But these guys — I love my guys, man,” said Tempo’s head coach, Gift Ndam. “They would die for that shirt, and they have worked so hard for each other.”
Despite the team’s status as a member of the UPSL, the Tempo are far from your average amateur team. With conference championships six out of the last eight years and a 2025 Spring National Championship to boot, they came into this match with the pedigree of a winner.
“Yes, we play in the UPSL. Yes, we’re a fourth-division team,” Ndam said. “But, it doesn’t matter what level you play. It doesn’t matter. When you win back-to-back championships in your conference, you’ve got something.”
However, Ndam assured his team that they could not just rest on their laurels against a talented Red Wolves squad.
“My encouragement to them was making sure that whatever they did in the past, they need to know nobody cared. They needed to come out and prove themselves again today, and they did that,” Ndam said.
The Tempo got the scoring started with a goal from Ugandan forward Geoffrey Oyirwoth in the 34th minute off an assist from Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Poku, and that would represent the only scoring of the night.
They went into the half being outshot 6-3 and outshot on target 2-1, but their one on-target shot was all that mattered.
Coming out of the break, the Red Wolves clearly appeared frustrated, as evidenced by an emotional outburst from defender Eric Kinzner in the 54th minute. This was just one part of a very chippy, back-and-forth game between the two teams that felt like it had more yellow cards than an Uno game.
It also made it clear that the visiting team would not go back home without putting up a fight, as they consistently applied pressure to the Tempo’s defense. This led to two scoring opportunities in the 73rd and 75th minutes, but the Red Wolves still came up empty.
The 89th minute nearly spelled disaster for the Tempo when a shot glanced off defender Moussa Gueye’s head and came precariously close to becoming an own goal.
Gueye may have dodged a bullet, but with eight minutes of added time, the match was far from over.
The Red Wolves continued to be held at bay until frustration boiled over in the 90th+5. That was when Red Wolves head coach Scott Mackenzie ended his evening early with a red card and an ejection.
The Tempo fans’ roar shook the stands as their chanting, which had been present throughout the match, reached an all-time high.
“They were our 12th man. I mean, we couldn’t have done it without the fans. The fans were incredible. Thank you so much, fans, for everything you guys did,” Ndam said.
Even with the hooting, hollering and jeering, the Red Wolves had two chances to suck the life out of the stadium in the final minute.
With 35 seconds to play, Kinzner had a shot from right in front of the goal that, miraculously for some and disastrously for others, bounced off the crossbar.
This led to a corner kick for Aaron Lombardi, which Senegalese goalkeeper François Djiba caught to secure the win and cue the Tempo fans to rush the field.
After the exhilarating, roller-coaster of a game, Ndam had just one thing on his mind.
“I want to have dinner with my wife and get some rest,” he said.
After a well-deserved meal and some relaxation, Ndam will turn his focus to the Second Round of the US Open Cup, which will be played on either March 31 or April 1 against another Round 1 winner.