Photos by Danny Villalobos
Nashville SC returned to the Geodis Park field increasingly demanded by their rivals in the table and by their faithful fans hungry for victories. FC Dallas did not seem like a suitable rival due to its place in the classification and the great shape of several of its players. However, Gary Smith’s boys came out determined to change recent history at home and soon took control of the game never to lose it again. Early in the 5th minute, a very good pass combination between CJ Sapong and Hany Mukhtar, put the latter inside the area and without a clear shot angle, he released a tremendous whiplash that slipped near the left corner of the frame defended by Paes for his goal 15 of the tournament. At minute 26 came the second score product of a move by Mukhtar and a bit of luck as he danced in front of defender Matt Hedges inside the area, the ball landed on the left foot of debutant Jacob Shaffelburg who hit it hard and low and goalkeeper Paes could not contain the shot for the 2-0.
Hany Mukhtar confirmed his great night in the 33rd minute with a tremendous free kick goal to the upper left corner of the Dallas frame to put numbers on the scoreboard that were exceedingly difficult to beat. Mukhtar was awfully close to his hat trick in the 61st minute but his shot went too high and hit the horizontal. Dave Romney closed the account in the 72nd minute with an accurate header against a particularly good cross from the corner by Daniel Lovitz. Goalkeeper Paes was a key figure at the end of the game, blocking back-to-back shots from Randall Leal and Hany Mukhtar. In this way, Nashville SC managed to achieve a great victory, not only fair but very necessary, which fans celebrated noisily at Geodis Park.
Even if you are used to massive things in Texas, a double shot of Mukhtar, a greasy Shaffelburger, and a Romney special to top it off was a huge feast for the eyes.
In front of 25,571 euphoric Nashville SC fans, here is how we saw the home team:
Willis (1): Little demanded, he complied without major setbacks.
Shaq Moore (18): Once his great game on both sides of the ball, he has become another offensive weapon that makes a stark difference down the right side.
Walker Zimmerman (25): Confident, efficient, and using his leadership once again. He did not allow anything inside the box.
Dave Romney (4): Returned to being the same old Dave, cutting and serving well and scoring his well-deserved header.
Dan Lovitz (2): Distinguished work in his sector and his great corner cross to Romney鈥檚 head for the fourth goal was spectacular.
Jacob Shaffelburg (14): Great debut in this game and crowned with an excellent score. Jacob could be the answer to Nashville’s left wing, and he showed it in his debut.
芦Since day one, a couple of guys have been amazing. And honestly, after a few sessions, I had a slight feeling that I was going to start with the kind of formations we were doing. But I did not want to get ahead of myself until the day before. And that’s how I knew when we were doing scenes, and I was like, okay. But I didn’t want to tell anyone, keeping it low key, I only told my girlfriend and my parents, but it was amazing.禄
Dax McCarty (6): This time he was the bastion of the mid-sector, together with Sean Davis he controlled the times of the game at key moments to add up.
Sean Davis (54): Tireless from one side of the field to the other, his effort cutting and serving made an enormous difference in the game providing physical display and pause. Randall Leal (8): From area to area once again, an impressive performance by Randall who is still looking for his goal and deserves it.
Randall Leal (8): From area to area once again, an impressive performance by Randall who is still looking for his goal and deserves it.
Hany Mukhtar (10): MVP night with two goals that raised the Geodis grandstand. Hany goes to great lengths to buy all the raffle numbers for the MLS Player of the Season award, and in spectacular fashion.
C. J. Sapong (17): A great game with many great efforts to display, he ran the area zone very well and was always a threat to Dallas.
Substitutions:
脕nibal Godoy (20): He entered to add pause in the middle and rest Dax, he managed to add important minutes that were very necessary for him and his team.
Eric Miller (15): He came into an already controlled game and managed to maintain control of his sector.
Alex Muyl (19): He got into the game right away and helped keep control of the game on both sides of the field.
Brian Anunga (27): Minutes to stretch his legs and provide balance ensuring victory.
Luke Haakenson (26): Came in to rest a weary Leal and ensure control in the middle of the field.
Technical Director Gary Smith: The work of the week gave the desired results this time. The big win was unexpected but not so the victory because his team had looked for it in other games, but the performance did not reach the optimal level as in the game against Dallas. The surprising and refreshing inclusion of Jacob Shaffelburg is obviously a wise move by the coach looking for more offense and speed in transition. The Canadian debutant did not disappoint Gary’s confidence, but even seemed to thank him with the second goal. The climb to the MLS playoffs is by no means flatter with victory, but it does give the team a vital morale boost heading into the tough remaining games. It will always be more pleasant and 芦easy禄 to prepare to visit BC Stadium in Vancouver enjoying the taste of an excellent victory.
芦There is no about it, it’s been a little while coming. I won’t lie, there is a bit of relief in it as well. Four goals, clean sheet, some superb performances, a fantastic debut from Jacob and a result that was obviously much needed for the group to keep us in a competitive position. And as I said more than once, we’re in a fight with a number of teams and tonight was very, very important that we turned today into three points.禄
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