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Gary Smith Confident in Nashville SC Going into USL Championship Playoffs

October 23, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - A 90'-minute Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC goal last Sunday afternoon cost Nashville Soccer Club the top spot in the Eastern Conference on the last day of the regular season.

While Head Coach Gary Smith would have liked to claim the Eastern Conference Regular Season title, the team's mindset remains unchanged going into the club's first-ever home playoff match on Saturday at First Tennessee Park.

"I want to win everything I'm involved in," Smith said. "You put a cup on the side of the field at a staff game and we'll fight hard for it. I'm disappointed we haven't finished in top spot, I'm not going deny it. The reality is Pittsburgh have been the best team, they're a point in front of us, and that's the world we live in. We move on. I've won the championship in MLS through the playoffs, incredibly exciting period at the time. I'm looking forward to it mentally with this group and I honestly think it will galvanize us more so having lost out in the way we have on top spot. I look forward to it, and like I've said numerous times, we are more than ready for it. There's no two ways about it. We've built towards it, our form's ready for it, and the players are in the right mindset."

Nashville will take on the highest seed remaining after Wednesday night's Play-In Round. If North Carolina FC beats Birmingham Legion FC, then it would travel to Nashville this weekend. If Birmingham wins, Nashville SC would face the winner between Ottawa Fury FC and the Charleston Battery. Regardless of who the opponent is, Smith thinks his team will be ready for a tough battle.

"I think every team is going to be pretty aware and appreciative of what the challenge is in front of them whenever the team is proposed," Smith said. "We're going to be ready for whoever we get. We've played them twice. There's not going to be an awful lot of change to personnel or style I suspect from what we've seen throughout the year. Ourselves, as I said, we're in a good run of form, we feel confident, we're at home. The team we're playing will have gone through a very difficult evening on Wednesday and I think when you get to this point, any percentages you can pick up in your favor are always going to be good for trying to make the next step and we know if we can win, we've got a second home game which is great and listen, we will look forward tremendously to Saturday. We'll be ready, whoever it is, and I think you've seen the group in the last four, five, six weeks. We're a good group."

Reflecting on the regular season, Nashville had chances to earn more points and ultimately earn the top spot in the standings. However, Smith isn't thinking about any regrets, and is instead focusing on the club's accomplishments in its final season in the USL Championship and the club's strong run of form going into the playoffs.

"I don't think it changes at all to be honest," Smith said. "We had a focus of our own which was, we needed to win the last three games and put Pittsburgh under pressure. We did that. We've performed very well and I feel we're in a good place. The bottom line is though, it's 34 games, and when I certainly look back at it, we had opportunities down in Pittsburgh, two-nil up and we ended up drawing 2-2. And of course the game at home when we played against ten men for 50 minutes, and that will be a coach's angle of saying that was where maybe the season could have changed slightly to be number one, but the reality is this: we've had a great season. I'm very pleased with the group. I'm pleased where they're at, we're in great form, so is Pittsburgh by the way, and it should be a very exciting postseason."

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