Sunday, Nashville SC looked like themselves again for the first time since the World Cup break and returned to form with a 4-1 demolition of Atlético San Luis at GEODIS Park.
Here's a look at which players stood out.
• Players begin with a base grade of 6 and can increase or decrease their rating based on performance.
• Players must play a minimum of 15 minutes to earn a rating.
Brian Schwake - 6.5
Brian Schwake truthfully didn't have all that much to do for the vast majority of the game, with Atlético San Luis only managing to register three shots on target, forcing two saves out of the 24-year old keeper.
Schwake could've been a little better with the ball, as he completed just seven of his 18 attempted long balls, but with how often goalkeeper long balls barely count as intentional passes, we'd be splitting hairs to criticize him much for that.
Stock: Unchanged
Andy Nájar - 7.5
Andy Nájar performances are always judged in two phases: in the attacking half, and in defense. With the ball, Nájar completed 28 passes in the attacking half, and four of his five long balls.
Defensively, there wasn't quite as much to do, but Nájar did win four of his seven ground duels. A good all-around performance.
Stock: Up
Jeisson Palacios - 6.5
This rating may be a bit on the harsh side for Jeisson Palacios, but he did get absolutely rinsed in the buildup to San Luis' lone goal on the evening, so he's gotta be knocked a bit extra for that.
In fact, that was the only one of Palacios' six attempted ground duels that the Colombian lost, and he did complete 86% of his 50 attempted passes. But when the consequences of your lone mistake are that large, it's got to ding your rating a bit.
Stock: Unchanged
Maxwell Woledzi - 7.0
Maxwell Woledzi had a fairly similar performance to his counterpart in Palacios, sans the one mistake.
Woledzi won two of his four ground duels, four of his seven aerial duels, and completed 96% of his 46 passes, including an impressive five-for-five on long balls. A good night for the young Ghanaian.
Stock: Unchanged
Dan Lovitz - 7.0
Dan Lovitz again returned to the starting lineup as Nashville continues to work Reed Baker-Whiting back to full fitness, and Lovitz continues to be reliable enough for the coaching staff to take their time doing so.
Lovitz won both of his two attempted tackles defensively and three of his five ground duels. He also completed 89% of his passes and three of five long balls, as well as one of his two attempted crosses.
He even got a shot off! It was blocked, but still a rare event for Lovitz these days.
Stock: Unchanged
Alex Muyl - 6.0
Alex Muyl had stacked a couple very solid performances on the return from the World Cup break, but this was not his night.
He had a couple nice moments early on, and really wasn't bad at all with the ball, but losing six of your nine ground duels, committing five fouls, and picking up a reckless yellow card tends to overshadow that.
Stock: Down
Eddi Tagseth - 7.0
You'll never get the Norwegian to admit it, and it shows up on the scoresheet all the same, but it's hard to believe Tagseth knew much about the assist he registered on Sam Surridge's goal.
But assists are assists, and it's a nice cherry on top to give a boost to what was otherwise a fairly average Tagseth performance. He wasn't particularly great as a passer on the night, completing just 75% of his attempts, and only two of five long balls, but he did win four of seven ground duels to make up for it.
Stock: Unchanged
Cristian Espinoza - 9.5
Welcome back to the team, Cristian Espinoza! In just 45 minutes of action, the Argentine managed two goals, including a scorcher of a free kick, while also completing 83% of his passes, registering a completed dribble, and taking six total shots for a conversion rate of 33%.
Stock: Up
Elias Saad - 7.5
Elias Saad continues to show a remarkable level of chemistry with his new Nashville teammates, having almost a sixth sense for the runs and timing of players like Surridge and Espinoza in this game.
The 14 times Saad lost possession don't look great on the stat sheet, but the one assist and three key passes more than make up for it. Early returns look good on Saad's time in the Music City.
Stock: Up
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Matthew Corcoran - 6.5
Matthew Corcoran has been a key piece for Nashville in the absence of Patrick Yazbek, and his five completed long balls, all of which were big switches, helped keep the Coyotes dynamic as they probed the Atlético San Luis defense for openings.
Corcoran did only win one of his six ground duels, so there's still room for improvement, but he's quietly become one of Nashville's more important players.
Stock: Unchanged
Sam Surridge - 7.5
Sam Surridge could still benefit from some improved service, as the Englishman registered 34 touches, but when you're as opportunistic a finisher as Surridge was on his goal, you can live with what you get.
A Surridge that has the scoring touch back is a dangerous thing for every opponent Nashville faces.
Stock: Up
Substitutes
Hany Mukhtar - 6.5
Hany Mukhtar began Sunday by becoming a father for the second time, so first things first – congratulations to the whole Mukhtar family.
As far as the 45-minute shift Mukhtar played on Sunday, it was mostly positive. Mukhtar got into some very dangerous spots, and on another night perhaps he has an assist to his name. Promising signs all around that all three Coyote Designated Players seem to be trending upwards in terms of performance.
Stock: Unchanged
Famara Camara - 7.0
Famara Camara came on in the 70th minute to make his Nashville SC debut, and while one has to applaud the gumption it takes to attempt the halfway-line shot that he did in stoppage time, the result also can't be ignored, humorous as it was.
Jokes aside, it was a pretty solid debut from Camara, completing 85% of his passes, and winning two of three ground duels.
Stock: Up
Reed Baker-Whiting - 8.0
Happy first Nashville goal to Reed Baker-Whiting! The fullback found himself on the end of a deflected cross from Shak Mohammed and finished to put a bow on Nashville's win.
He also managed to win two of three tackles and all three of his ground duels defensively in just 19 minutes of work. Impressive!
Stock: Up
Shak Mohammed - 7.0
Shak Mohammed has grown tremendously as the season has progressed, and particularly since the World Cup break as he's been tasked with a heavier share of the load than in the spring.
Mohammed completed two of his three attempted dribbles and 87% of his passes on the night.
Stock: Up
Bryan Acosta - N/A
Bryan Acosta played in this game.
Stock: Unchanged
Manager
BJ Callaghan - 8.5
BJ Callaghan brought out most of the big guns for this one to rebuild some confidence in his locker room, and it looks like that decision paid off. Nashville is most likely going to be eliminated regardless of the Coyotes' result against CF Monterrey on Wednesday, so it'll be interesting to see how Callaghan plays the lineup card in that one.
Do you keep it rolling and go full strength, knowing a heavyweight bout with Inter Miami looms at the weekend, or do you rotate knowing that you're still not at full fitness with your best players?
Only time will tell, but in this game, Callaghan got just about everything right.
