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USL Nashville SC

Gary Smith, Matt Pickens Reflect on End of Nashville SC's 2019 USL Championship Season

November 4, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - After the final whistle sounded on Saturday's season-ending Nashville SC loss to Indy Eleven, a few players lingered on the field for a long time. They all came over to thank the Nashville supporters before heading down the tunnel for the final time in 2019.

It was a disappointing end to a remarkable season for the Boys in Gold, and Head Coach Gary Smith wanted to make sure his players knew what it meant to him to coach them.

"I don't think the game was lost tonight on a lack of determination, passion, drive, or commitment," Smith said. "It was lost with probably a lack of quality in the final third and maybe that individual who was going to step forward as they had in their team and make a difference. So for me, I couldn't be prouder to be leading this group. They've been a fabulous group of players. I'm desperately disappointed that we haven't progressed but if you look at the way that Indy have played tonight, I have to give them full credit. They've come away from home, they've played extremely well, they've showed a lot of qualities, and it was never ever gonna be a game that was full of goals or even goal opportunities, and the one goal that we probably all thought would get it done was just that, one goal."

This was the final USL Championship match in the club's history at First Tennessee Park after two years of calling it home. Smith recalled the club's quest to make the venue a home in a short amount of time, and looked back on the memories made in the Germantown stadium.

"I've got to say, it's been a fabulous experience," Smith said. "I hope the fans feel the same way. Part of it is us putting on a good show. The players are the entertainers. And of course, the supporters that come every week and cheer the team on. They're the individuals that come to see us perform and entertain, and I think at certain times they've been able to get behind us and give us a real jolt and get us going. Certainly, when we've won games, or snatched victory out of the jaws of maybe a draw or defeat, they've given us some great times. Being able to celebrate with the supporters that have been here with the way that they have created the environment here has been wonderful. But I do think it's been a reciprocal arrangement. The fans have been great, I think the players have performed well. Our home form has been very good, and I think that creates an environment that was difficult for other teams and always exciting for the home team to look forward to play."

Smith said that the players and staff will reconvene this week to begin discussions about each player's future. No matter who stays and who goes after it's all said and done, goalkeeper Matt Pickens lauded the group of players he got to be a part of.

"It's a good locker room; it's a good camraderie. These are the things that people look back on and they really miss about the game. Locker room here, locker room there. We had the best locker room here, we didn't have the best locker room here. But I can generally say that this past two years have been one of the better locker rooms that I've been a part of. Good young guys that are hungry, that want to work, that want to listen, that come in everyday and make it fun to be out there and play every day. I think a lot of these young guys have got bright futures ahead of them, whichever way they go. They should be proud of what they've been a part of here as well."

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