Nashville SC gave a good account of themselves, but once again left empty handed, falling to the Portland Timbers by a scoreline of one-to-nothing. Diego Valeri's 12th minute volley opened the scoring, and would prove to be the winner, as Nashville were not able to find the finishing touch.
The XI
Head coach Gary Smith named an unchanged lineup from the side that fell 2-1 to Atlanta United last week, making only one change to the bench, with Jimmy Medranda returning from injury.
Nashville SC Starting XI for #PORvNSH:
— SixOneFive Soccer (@615Soccer) March 8, 2020
Willis; Miller, Zimmerman, Romney, Lovitz; McCarty ©, Godoy; Accam, Mukhtar, Leal; Badji
BENCH: Zendejas, Anibaba, Beckeles, Jones, Medranda, Danladi, Ríos #EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/FFSZJLN6gy
On the pitch
Nashville opened the match brightly, pressing high and putting Portland's center backs in uncomfortable situations. As the match went on, though, the press faded into a mid-block, with Nashville seeming comfortable to cede possession to the home side.
Portland's goal came out of nothing, when club legend Diego Valeri pulled the ball out of the air and blasted past Joe Willis on the volley.
Diego Valeri! 💫 @TimbersFC are ahead early in this one! #PORvNSH pic.twitter.com/3UhfchT289
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2020
The moment of quality would prove the be both rare and decisive, as Nashville created swathes of chances, but couldn't find the finishing touch. Aníbal Godoy saw a low drive tipped past the post, and Walker Zimmerman put a pair of headers narrowly wide, but ultimately Nashville were left empty handed.
The big picture
They've played two matches in Major League Soccer. They've been the better side in both those matches. And they've been unable to match their opponent's quality in the final third in both. It's still very, very early, but at some point chances need to be finished.
Nashville are on the road again next week, traveling to take on Toronto FC next Saturday at 3 PM central.
