Spokane Velocity FC left it as late as possible to snatch all three points against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, with Nil Vinyals striking in the 90th minute to secure a 1–0 victory in USL League One action on Saturday.
For 89 minutes, neither side could find a breakthrough. The match grew increasingly tense and fractious in the second half, with the referee reaching for his pocket repeatedly. Moses Mensah was cautioned in the 63rd minute for Spokane, the same minute Chattanooga's James Vaughan also went into the book. Four minutes later, tempers flared further as both Luis Gil and Leigh Veidman picked up yellows for the home side. Derek Waldeck added a fifth Spokane booking in the 77th minute, meaning four of Velocity's players spent the final stretch walking a disciplinary tightrope.
Despite the card trouble, Spokane kept pushing. The reward came right at the death. Vinyals finished from a Lucky Onyebuchi Opara delivery to send the home crowd into delirium and leave Chattanooga with nothing to show for a dogged defensive effort.
It was an ugly win by any measure — five yellow cards for one team in a single match is never a good look — but Spokane will care little about aesthetics. The Red Wolves, meanwhile, will feel hard done by after keeping things level for so long only to concede with the clock running down.
The result gives Spokane Velocity FC a crucial three points in the League One standings as the regular season enters its final stretch, while Chattanooga's road struggles continue.
USL League One