NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC and Club América battled to a scoreless draw on Tuesday night at Geodis Park, with neither side able to find a winner in the first leg of their two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinal series. They'll return to Mexico City next week for the second leg, with the winner set to book a spot in the Semifinals.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: Nashville were held scoreless at Geodis Park by one of the regions most storied clubs, despite holding their own in a very balanced match.
- What we learned: On the plus side, Nashville weren't outclassed, and were the better side for long stretches of the match. Like they did in the first leg against Miami, though, they were wasteful in the final third, and couldn't give themselves an advantage heading into the second leg.
- Big picture: An away goal for Nashville next Tuesday in Mexico City would put them in the driver's seat, but playing at the famed Azteca Stadium is a daunting task for any team, especially one playing in Mexico for the first time ever. It will take a monumental performance from the 'Yotes to advance.
Key moments
- 45' | After a quiet first half in front of goal, Sam Surridge flashes a chance wide, snatching at a loose ball following a corner kick and scuffing his effort just wide of the post.
- 56' | A fantastic chance falls to Surridge after an excellent turn and run from Cristian Espinoza, but he skies his shot well over the bar.
- 61' | A great ball from Matt Corcoran finds Surridge in the box. The striker beats the first defender on the dribble and goes down under contact from Erick Sánchez. No penalty is given by referee Oshane Nation.
- 90+2' | The chance of the night falls to Alex Muyl after fantastic work from Corcoran and Ahmed Qasem in transition. The midfielder has time and space to find the target from the top of the box, and smashes it hopelessly over.
Standout performers
- Jeisson Palacios was nothing short of dominant in the back, keeping striker Patricio Salas anonymous and showing off his distribution to boot. A Man of the Match showing from the Colombian.
- Reed Baker-Whiting was excellent in the first half, making constant runs to stretch the field in possession and impressive in his ability to recover defensively.
- Matt Corcoran had one of his better showings in a Nashville shirt. The 20-year-old was the most forward-thinking passer on the pitch for Nashville, constantly looking to break lines and play the ball into the box. He also put in a diligent defensive shift and helped maintain the pressure deep in América's half.
Lineup notes
To the surprise of absolutely no one, BJ Callaghan rolled out his strongest possible squad for one of the more important matches in club history. Patrick Yazbek regained his starting spot in midfield next to Matt Corcoran, while Reed Baker-Whiting got the nod at left back ahead of Dan Lovitz.
Up next
Nashville will head to Mexico City next week for the second leg, but not before a trip to Charlotte FC on Saturday night in the Southern Championship Belt. Nashville could opt to rotate heavily in North Carolina.
Stats
Possession: NSH 56% – 44% AME
Shots: NSH 13 – 8 AME
Shots on goal: NSH 3 – 4 AME
Penalty kicks: NSH 0 – 0 AME
Goals: NSH 0 – 0 AME
Expected goals: NSH 1.13 – 0.70 AME
Total Passes: NSH 0.95 – 0.38 AME
Fouls: NSH 16 – 9 AME
Yellow cards: NSH 1 – 2 AME
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 AME
Announced attendance: 27,167
