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Red Bull New York vs Nashville SC
MLS Matchday 21
Wednesday, August 19 | 6:30 pm CT | Sports Illustrated Stadium | Harrison, NJ
That's it for me tonight. I'm off to watch the Odyssey in Imax 70mm. Showing starts at 11 pm, so keep me in your thoughts.
FT | The final whistle blows, and it's Nashville's first-ever win on the road against the Red Bulls. Not a pretty match by any means, but the type of win that Supporters' Shield teams are able to pull off.
90+2' | Goal! This time it counts! Maxwell Woledzi heads in a set piece from Cristian Espinoza to give Nashville a last-minute lead!!
90' | Seven minutes of added time to close this out.
89' | Schwake gets down really well to deny a low drive across the box. Mukhtar springs on a counter the other way, but his pass to Surridge is cut out by Tim Parker.
85' | Josh Bauer comes on for Reed Baker-Whiting, taking his spot at left back to try and close things down for the final few minutes.
81' | Nashville have the ball in the net for a second time, with Maxwell Woledzi crashing the back post and turning in a low cross from Surridge, but he's called offside. It looks tight, but tough to overturn.
80' | An acrobatic attempt from Mukhtar takes a deflection and goes out for a corner. Nashville are complaining for a handball, but it would have been an incredibly harsh call.
73' | Yet another nearly moment for Red Bulls. Mijahir Jiménez gets in behind the backline far too easily. Jack Maher makes a great sliding challenge to put him off, and his shot smacks into the side netting. Nashville aren't controlling this one nearly enough.
69' | Maher blocked the ensuing free kick, but took a shot to his head. He's getting treatment. In the meantime, Ahmed Qasem is about to come on, along with Patrick Yazbek making his long-awaited return from injury.
67' | This game is getting really sloppy all over the place. Nashville cannot win the ball back against Red Bull's brutal counter press. Jack Maher goes in hard for a challenge and gives away a free kick on the edge of the box, but looked equally like a fould on the Red Bulls' attacker.
65' | A fortunate break for Nashville, with Red Bulls breaking with numbers but firing the shot over. This game is getting really chippy, and Surridge has been fouled hard several times.
62' | Double sub for Nashville. Andy Nájar and Cristian Espinoza come on for Dan Lovitz and Shak Mohammed. Reed Baker-Whiting slides over to the left fo make room for Nájar at right back.
59' | Mukhtar tests Horvath with a blast from range. The former US international does well to tip it around the post for a corner.
55' | Nashville have dominated possession so far in the second half and have gotten close a few times. Surridge whips in a decent cross to Mukhtar, but he can only volley into the side netting.
50' | Forsberg weaves his way through the Nashville backline, but Dan Lovitz pops up with a key clearance to boot the ball out of danger.
47' | ... and the shot is well over.
46' | Ronald Donkor drags Mukhtar down on the edge of the box. Promising position for the free kick...
46' | Second half is underway!
HT: Solid half for Nashville. They created some quality chances but couldn't find the final touch. They'll need to shore things up defensively in the second half, but this is a very winnable match for the 'Yotes.
45+3' | Nashville are consistently getting the ball into great spots in the final third, but the last pass or shot has been off all night.
45' | Three minutes of added time here...
39' | Another brilliant chance for Surridge, who's the only player in Red Bulls' half and has a free run at goal. He takes a heavy touch at the end, though, and puts his shot disappointingly right at Ethan Horvath.
38' | For all of Nashville's promise so far, they haven't actually managed a shot yet. Their best chance was the Surridge goal that was pulled back for offside, but aside from that, it's been sparse.
34' | A brilliant close-range save from Brian Schwake, kicking out with his left foot to get a shin on a shot from Emil Forsberg and somehow deflect it wide.
29' | Jack Maher pops up with another really important block to deny Red Bulls. Eddi Tagseth went down in midfield after a really heavy challenge, surprisingly not called. He's up and moving around, a good sign for Nashville.
26' | This match is wide open. End-to-end stuff out there, and both teams look equally dangerous in attack and stretched in defense. There are goals in this.
24' | Sam Surridge has the ball in the back of the net after a turnover from Ronald Donkor in midfield. A late flag is up for offside, and Nashville are appealing. It's the correct call, though. No goal.
23' | Trademark weaving run from Elias Saad, beating three Red Bull defenders, but he hits his left-footed cross over everything.
21' | The match has evened out a good bit after Nashville controlled the opening few minutes. Both teams are creating chances.
14' | Emil Forsberg whips in a set piece, and Schwake does well to tip it over and out for a corner.
10' | Gorgeous ball from Adri Mehmeti to pick out Julian Hall. He chips Brian Schwake, but it's just wide. Red Bull should be up after that...
8' | Brilliant cross in from Reed Baker-Whiting to Surridge, but he heads well over. The flag goes up for offside, so it wouldn't have counted anyway. The whole sequence was started with an excellent tackle from Corcoran.
4' | Incredible ball over the top from Matt Corcoran to find Sam Surridge. The striker is through on goal, but somehow flubs the shot – or potentially cross – and it's out for a goal kick without any trouble. But that ball, though...
1' | We're underway!
6:34 | Players are on the field for anthems! We're about to do the soccer...
6:09 | Really good to see Patrick Yazbek back in the squad for Nashville. He's missed the last 13 matches after hurting his leg in warmups ahead of their Concacaf Champions Cup loss to Tigres, and missed the entire World Cup for Australia. He was one of their best players in the first half of the year, and makes the entire team better.
5:35 | Lineups are out! Nashville SC rotate slightly, but still a strong XI from the 'Yotes.
Red Bull New York: Horvath; Nealis, Che, Bazan, Dos Santos; Mehmeti, Donkor, Forsberg ©; Cowell, Ruvalcaba, Hall
Nashville SC: Schwake; Lovitz, Woledzi, Maher, Baker-Whiting; Saad, Corcoran, Tagseth, Mohammed; Surridge, Mukhtar ©
5:15 | Hey gang, Ben Wright at the keyboard again today as Nashville go on the road to play a historically difficult Red Bull New York. Would you believe that the 'Yotes have never won a match – or even scored a goal – against the Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium?
Technically, they have won a match in this stadium, but it was against CF Montréal during the 2020 Covid season. Randall Leal scored the only goal in the 33rd minute of a really weird match. That entire season feels like a fever dream...
