What to expect: Dalton revealed as newest franchise in USL League Two

Published 12:01 am Sunday, January 6, 2019

Very soon, soccer fans in Dalton won’t have to travel far to see professional-level soccer.

Dalton was recently revealed as the newest member of the United Soccer League’s elite amateur League Two, a developmental league under the USL umbrella. The team will be named the Dalton Red Wolves FC and will be the affiliate of the Chattanooga Red Wolves FC, a USL League One member.

Sean McDaniel, the president and general manager of the Chattanooga Red Wolves, said the organization is currently putting the pieces together for the Dalton team, which includes hiring a manager, assistant coaches and filling out a team roster. The 2019 match schedule has been put together as well, and is expected to be released in the next few weeks.

“We’re literally in the interview process right now,” McDaniel said. “Ideally, we’d like to have that all in place by the time our preseason starts up in February.”

USL League Two is an under-23 league that allows players to retain their college eligibility while at the same time train and compete at a high level during the college offseason. The league is unofficially deemed a fourth-tier league in the U.S. soccer pyramid under League One, the USL Championship League and Major League Soccer. The Dalton Red Wolves roster will be made up of college players as well as local talent who aspire to one day play professionally, and the season will run from May through the end of July. Dalton will play in the Deep South Division and home matches will be split between Chattanooga Christian School’s Stanton Field and a yet-to-be-determined venue in Dalton.

According to McDaniel, USL League Two teams can typically carry up to 25 players and the organization will focus on college players and players who are recently out of high school to fill the roster. Since players in League Two are amateurs, there is no pay involved, and Chattanooga holds no contractual rights to the players. However, tapping into the wealth of local talent was one of the reasons Dalton was chosen as a location for a League Two team.

Both Chattanooga and Dalton are owned by Bob Martino, a businessman based out of Park City, Utah. Martino also owns the Park City Red Wolves, which will also be a USL League Two affiliate of Chattanooga Red Wolves.

“USL League Two defines the ‘Path 2 Pro,'” Martino said in a statement. “The transition from youth soccer to a professional career has been a route lacking a clear map, and having League Two teams connecting top youth on one side and professional soccer on the other provides a much-needed conduit.”

USL League Two Vice President Joel Nash said both Martino and the league did their homework when identifying Dalton as a soccer-rich community. The League will add 10 to 12 new teams this upcoming season, and Nash said USL League Two’s “Path 2 Pro” slogan is more than a motto.

“We as a league look at it as cultivating talent,” Nash said. “Bringing a USL League Two franchise to the community of Dalton is special on many fronts. Our league is a tremendous proving ground for future professionals and Dalton’s players will relish this opportunity to earn their place in professional soccer.”

Announcements on staff hires and players are expected to come in the next few months, and the soccer community in Dalton can expect an symbiotic relationship between the Chattanooga club and its Dalton affiliate.

“We’re excited to get the ball rolling here in the next few weeks,” McDaniel said. “There’s an unbelievable amount of talent in the Dalton area and we look forward to getting down there and becoming a part of the community.”