Tennessee Tempo FC

2026 US Open Cup Round 2: Chattanonoga FC’s game-winner over Tempo FC “not the prettiest”

April 2, 2026 by Jed Henderson

Nathan Koehler of Chattanooga FC celebrates after scoring a goal against Tennessee Tempo FC in the Second Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Chattanooga FC

Chattanooga FC booked a place in the US Open Cup Round of 32 with a 1-0 victory over visiting Tennessee Tempo. A header from Nathan Koelher was all that would split the two I-24 sides in the Second Round.

UPSL’s Tennessee Tempo entered the match with optimism and bravado after defeating USL League 1’s Chattanooga Red Wolves in the first round. Chattanooga FC advanced past Tempo’s UPSL counterpart, Kalonji Pro-Profile, with a 2-1 victory at Finley Stadium. Both teams knew they were 90 minutes away from facing an MLS side in the next round.

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Hosts Chattanooga FC largely bossed proceedings in the first half, finding early success in attack.

The first big chance of the day fell to Chattanooga’s Daniel Mangarov in less than two minutes. After seeing his initial shot ricochet off a teammate from eight yards out, his follow-up shot grazed the outside of the Tempo post.

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Tempo’s goalkeeper Francois Djiba was called into action in the 17^th minute as he denied Keegan Ancelin’s low shot from opening the scoring.

Chattanooga continued to test the Tempo defense throughout the half and finally made a breakthrough in the 44^th minute. Daniel Mangarov’s perfectly placed corner found the head of defender Nathan Koehler, who nodded over past the floundering keeper to put Chattanooga ahead.

“Those are my favorite kind of goals to score,” Koehler reflected after the game. “Not the prettiest, I don’t take on 15 people and stick it in the top corner. Danny’s played a perfect ball right into that corridor of uncertainty between where the keeper wants to come out or stay on his line. I’ve seen him kind of half go, and I had a run on my man, and he made it really simple for me.”

The hosts continued to press for another goal, even testing Djiba in goal again before halftime.

With a one goal advantage in the second half, Chattanooga continued to push for a second. Chance after chance was blocked or sent wide. Keegan Ancelin even struck the crossbar in the 79^th minute, but a second goal was not forthcoming.

The visitors fought back and created a clear chance to equalize late in the second half. An 84^th minute cutback found Kwadwo Puko, who fired a first time shot from 12 yards out. Finally called into action, Chattanooga’s Griffin Huff made a strong save in goal, preserving the lead.

After ninety hard fought minutes, Chattanooga triumphed, continuing as the lone MLS Next Pro club remaining in the competition.

“We move on, we advance, and that for us was the end goal,” head coach Richard Dixon stated after the game. “We’re super excited for the club and for the guys to move on to the next round to play an opponent from a higher division.”

Chattanooga FC will find out who that MLS opponent will be Thursday morning as the next two rounds are drawn. (UPDATE: Chattanooga FC will host Atlanta United FC of MLS in Round 3)

2026 US Open Cup Round 1: Tennessee Tempo upsets Chattanooga Red Wolves in battle of I-24 teams

March 20, 2026 by Sam Dicus

Geoffrey Oyirwoth of Tennessee Tempo dribbles the ball against Chattanooga Red Wolves in the First Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Tennessee Tempo FC

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.”

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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.

Dominic Oduro’s late goal gives Tennessee Tempo UPSL spring title, spot in 2026 US Open Cup

August 11, 2025 by Kathryne Padilla

Tennessee Tempo FC celebrate after defeating LA10 FC 1-0 to win the 2025 UPSL Spring championship. Photo: UPSL

Tennessee Tempo FC finished undefeated in the 2025 United Premier Soccer League spring season with a 1-0 win over LA10 FC in Sunday’s championship game in Irvine, Calif. The game-winning goal was scored by former pro Dominic Oduro in the 86th minute.

“Great game, incredible team we just played, undefeated all season long; we knew we were going to get our chances, we just had to capitalize,” said Tennessee Tempo head coach Gift Ndam.

With the win, Tempo FC not only earned the club’s first UPSL title, but they also qualified for the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. It will be their second appearance in the US Open Cup, after playing in the 2023 tournament under the name Beaman United.

It was another dramatic win for Tempo FC as they rallied from a goal down in extra time to beat Chicago Nation FC 2-1 in Friday’s Semifinal. Oduro tied the game in the 114th minute and Souleymane Balde scored the game-winner in the 116th minute. LA10 FC, a club owned by Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero, cruised to a 5-0 win over Balboa FC to reach the title game.

As the first half got underway, LA10 FC were swift in establishing the momentum for the match. However, that ended with a yellow card awarded in the 2nd minute.

The aggressiveness would not phase Tennessee Tempo as they returned with the same level of intensity, but would face the same outcome shortly after. In the 6th minute of the match, Tempo’s Nathaniel Biedel would be given a yellow card for a foul outside of the goalie’s box.

Both teams would break through each other’s defensive line but fall short of raising the score. The match would remain scoreless as the end of the first half was called.

“They suffer a lot behind the ball, and there were moments when it also seemed like we didn’t have space to even breathe with the ball at their feet,” Ndam said.

The second half continued to play out much like the first. Both teams would find any moment to capitalize on an offensive attack, but the tight formation from the defensive line would stop them in their tracks. The goalkeepers also played a huge role in this scoreless match and provided huge saves from goal attempts.

“When you play a team that is that good, that organized, that possession oriented, you have to be very disciplined defensively,” Ndam said.

It wasn’t until the 86th minute that Tennessee Tempo’s Souleymane Balde, the hero from Friday’s Semifinal, broke free on a run towards the goal. Balde crossed the ball to the center of the 18-yard box where it would rebound off of players and fall to the feet of Oduro. He took the opportunity to score, and his shot would narrowly miss the fingertips of LA10’s goalie and hit the back of the net.

Oduro, who spent a number of years playing professionally with teams like the Charleston Battery, Memphis 901 FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, has the most Open Cup experience out of anyone on the roster. Oduro has played in seven Open Cup games with FC Golden State Force (USL League Two), the Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship) and with Beaman United in 2023.

In the final minutes of the match, LA10 FC didn’t let this affect their play and used it as motivation to find a chance to even the score.

However, as the final minutes of extra time came to an end, Tennessee Tempo would remain victorious.

“These guys have been working hard together. They are impressive. It’s a big family,” Ndam said, “ We don’t have like big superstars, but at the end of the day, you have a bunch of guys that would die for each other.”

2024 US Open Cup Qualifying Final Round: South Carolina United puts past behind them, qualify with rivalry win

November 21, 2023 by Ronan Briscoe

After so much trial and error in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying tournament over the past three seasons, the South Carolina United Heat finally broke through. The Heat became the first Open Division Local club to qualify for the tournament proper out of the state of South Carolina with a 4-2 win this weekend over fellow UPSL side, Tennessee Tempo FC.

Led by two late goals from Alejo Binaghi, the pain and heartbreak of the past is now nothing but a memory, as SCU Heat get to go dancing.

The two clubs, who are more than familiar with one another, met on a cold Saturday night in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The sides have met in the national playoffs in league play in each of the last two seasons.

In addition, both of these sides came into the game familiar with this stage of the Open Cup, with SCU Heat reaching “Win & You’re In Weekend” each of the last three seasons without progressing further, while Tennessee Tempo (formerly Beaman United) qualified for the tournament proper last season (they lost their opening round game vs. Des Moines Menace of USL-2).

With all that familiarity came a great intensity and fireworks early. In the 4th minute, Tempo took the lead off a finish from Chijioke Otuonye. However, the advantage in the scoreline would last a mere five minutes.

SCU Heat was able to clip in a set piece opportunity and shuttle the ball back across the face of goal, fooling every defender wearing red — along with the goalkeeper — to set up a tap-in for Coby Atkinson in the 9th minute.

About 26 minutes later, after chances for both teams, SCU Heat found themselves in a 2-on-1 counter attack and made this opportunity count as Ronaldo Fortune finished it off, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, things looked much like they had immediately before halftime for the first 15 minutes. However, as the hour mark passed, Tempo quietly took control of the run of play. A succession of corners and possession in the final third paid off in the 74th minute as Eli Brady was able to head home the equalizer at 2-2.

With the minutes ticking away, and the flow of the game returning to a much more even state, Tempo player/coach and former MLS player Kwadwo Poku subbed himself on to try and give his team the boost in the final minutes. However SCU Heat took control of the scoreline less than 60 seconds later as Binaghi found himself in space and fired the visitors back in front to make it 3-2.

Tempo desperately threw both players and the ball forward, but that left them vulnerable at the back, and the ball once again found Binaghi, who made it 4-2 with the last kick of the game.