Nashville SC visited New Jersey with the firm intention of shaking off the last home tie in a game that they practically had in the bag in stoppage time and taking another positive step to secure their place in the playoffs. Nashville earned its 14th tie of the season thanks to a huge performance by goalkeeper, Joe Lewis. Nashville SC started again with changes to their starting eleven with Lovitz playing down the right instead of Alistair Johnston and Taylor Washington taking Lovitz’s place on the left. Possibly looking to increase pressure in the mid-sector, Gary Smith sent Alex Muyl for Randall Leal and Brian Anunga took the place of Captain Dax McCarty. Immediately, the change of returning to play on a pitch with good conditions seemed to be an invitation for a better performance from both teams. Ball possession and control of the game had not been established and the home team had a couple of scoring chances already.
After these two occasions, Nashville SC almost completely conceded control of the game to its rival and very early on they were already defending from their own half of the field. Nashville SC finally managed to establish some parity by stepping up its lines and thus balanced the game in the middle sector that the Big Apple team had until then. However, NYC almost always managed to cut all the passing lines preventing any possibility of Nashville’s quick transition. The first half ended with the opponent controlling time and the ball once again while Nashville chased possession. Yet, the Golden Boys had their big chance at the feet of Daniel Lovitz when he took a great shot that went slightly wide. Nashville SC changed personnel for the second half with Leal coming in for Muyl and Alistair Johnston for Washington which caused a major tactical shift. The visiting team managed to control more ball and playing time, but the score never changed.
At the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey this is how we saw Nashville SC:
Joe Willis (1): Spectacular! His great saves against Thiago at 73, Medina at 76 and 85 allowed him to gather another clean sheet.
Eric Miller (15): Firm in his third center position, he fulfilled his task well as a great complement to Walker and Romney. It was very good play for a defender with little regularity.
Walker Zimmerman (25): Great duel with Castellanos from the opening minute. He handled himself very well at the edge of the box and won other very important duels.
Daniel Lovitz (2): It was a very good game for Dan on a difficult morning where he could have even scored his goal with a great shot.
Dave Romney (4): One more game for Dave with confidence and poise against a very difficult striker like Castellanos.
Taylor Washington (23): Good first half, but he couldn’t add much to the offense because Nashville didn’t have the ball.
Alex Muyl (19): He ran a lot without the ball trying to press NYCFC step but with little ball on his feet he could not do more offensively.
Brian Anunga (27): Brian’s correct pass to his teammate’s is still his great lack; he had his own chance, but his shot went over the bar. Much more is needed from him in transition to become an effective response.
Anibal Godoy (20): He tried to make a difference in the first half, but always running after the ball. Complicated match without the ball and against a very good opponent.
Hany Mukhtar (10): Without the ball in the first half, he practically disappeared and looked better in the second half, although he was always marked up effectively by NYC defenders. Some of his decisions in terms of opening passing circuits in this match instead of trying something else on his own were questionable.
C J Sapong (17): Full effort, fighting for all balls, pressed rival’s transition very well and even assisted in a good way, very good game for CJ even though he was never close to scoring chances.
Daniel Ríos (14): He ran diagonals well and, in a few minutes, he managed to complicate his rival.
Randall Leal (8): He contributed his own ways always looking to carry the ball on offense, but Randall’s effort was not good for much more.
Luke Haakenson (26): He came in ready to give his best effort in the few minutes.
Alistair Johnston (12): He was able to step up better than Washington, but possession was never there to cause more trouble up front.
Dax McCarty (6): Little could the captain do this time, the game was never there for Nashville SC.
Coach Gary Smith:
Gary’s words after the game referring to his team as lethargic, very flat footed, and with no control of the game (especially in the first half) confirmed that his switches in the starting eleven did not give him the expected results. Certainly, gaining points and especially away will always be very important at this point of the season, but Gary does a good job at pointing out with positive self-criticism the shortcomings of his team far from its usual standard of play. At the same time, it is important to note that Nashville SC has not been able to resume its effective performance since its great triumph in Miami (three games in a row) since now the response of the bench players with a few minutes has not been the same as in other occasions. The cushion of points is in danger of dissipating before the stalking of their strongest rivals in the conference (Philadelphia and Orlando at 5 points) because they will also be rivals to visit this month. It is imperative that Nashville SC comes to good terms with its best level of play and that the positive contributions of all players multiply, not only to maintain their position in the conference, but to reach the playoffs with a better chance of success.
“Well, listen, we’re at that stage of the season where points are absolutely vital. It was imperative today that New York (City FC) were unable to make round of us, given the results yesterday. Absolutely, you know, very, very important that we were able to add something to the board. Whilst our performance wasn’t anywhere near the sort of standard that we’ve shown in the past, we were able to grind out a clean sheet in a nil-nil, when in all fairness probably the best chances did come their way, and they’ll feel very aggrieved by that. But, as I say, we’re at the sharp end of the season here. Results are vitally important.”
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