Nashville SC started out a three-match road stretch with a 0-0 draw against New York City FC, controlling the match but unable to make the most of their chances.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: The 'Yotes were the better side for the bulk of the match, able to control the ball on the road against an NYCFC side renowned for their ability to hold onto the ball. Hany Mukhtar's first-half miss was the decisive moment of the match, hitting the crossbar from point-blank range on an open goal.
- What we learned: Nashville approached the match as they have in their last four wins, and were the protagonists for the majority of the evening. Their quality in the final third let them down, but overall the performance was encouraging.
- Big picture: A point on the road against a tricky NYCFC side isn't a bad result, and doesn't derail their chase for the Supporters' Shield and the single-season points record. On the night, though, Nashville will regret not taking more from the game.
Highlights
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Key moments
- 24' | Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge nearly combine for an opening goal, but Surridge's headed pass is just too long for Mukhtar.
- 43' | An unbelievable miss from Mukhtar after a near catastrophe from Matt Freese. The ball falls to Mukhtar six yards in front of an empty net, and somehow hits the bar.
- 49' | Surridge comes close from a corner kick, forcing Freese into a quick reaction save, and he pounces on the rebound before Maxwell Woledzi can poke it in.
- 78' | Augustin Ojeda goes on a promising break, but Woledzi displays excellent 1v1 defending to shut the chance down.
- 81' | Substitute Shak Mohammed gets on the end of a cross, but his shot from a tight angle is blocked out for a corner.
Standout performers
- Brian Schwake earned his 16th clean sheet of the season, passing Matt Pickens' all-time record for Nashville SC, set in 2018 (their first professional season in the USL Championship). The 'keeper had a couple important interventions.
- Maxwell Woledzi was similarly important to the 'Yotes, making a few crucial blocks and coming close to scoring from set pieces a handful of times.
- Hany Mukhtar's first-half miss was shocking by his standards, but he still did a lot of excellent work to set the tempo and keep Nashville moving the ball in the final third.
Lineup notes
With Nashville at essentially full health, head coach BJ Callaghan made no changes to his starting lineup or bench from the side that beat FC Cincinnati 4-0 last weekend.
What it means
The result keeps Nashville firmly on top of the Supporters' Shield lead, but it lessens their room for error in their hunt for the single-season points record. With 2.30 points per game, they're still trending towards 78 points, but can't afford to drop points more than a few times in their final 11 matches.
Ben Wright
Up next
Nashville continue their three-game road stretch. They'll play on Wednesday night in Toronto, before heading directly to Miami for a Saturday matchup against Lionel Messi and co.
Stats
Possession: NYC 44% – 56% NSH
Field tilt (per Futi): NYC 33% – 67% NSH
Shots: NYC 6 – 13 NSH
Shots on goal: NYC 1 – 2 NSH
Penalty kicks: NYC 0 – 0 NSH
Goals: NYC 0 – 0 NSH
Expected goals: NYC 0.96 – 1.36 NSH
Total Passes: NYC 277 – 382 NSH
Fouls: NYC 14 – 13 NSH
Yellow cards: NYC 2 – 4 NSH
Red cards: NYC 0 – 0 NSH
Deserved win (per Futi): NYC 18% – 51% NSH
Announced attendance: 20,393
