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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Facing Most Important Game of Season: Pinnacle Preview

September 22, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Most. Important. Game. Of. The. Season. There is no sugarcoating or polishing that phrase. Those are the exact words of head coach Gary Smith on Nashville SC's primetime matchup with the Charleston Battery on Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. SC currently sits on the outside looking in at the USL playoffs, but a win on Saturday would inset Nashville into the top eight.

Charleston Breakdown

The Battery boasts one of the best defenses in the USL, and that great defense has gotten Charleston result after result throughout the season. Balancing out just 12 wins this season is just four losses in Charleston's 29 games. Thirteen extra points through draws have buoyed Charleston into the top four of the Eastern Conference and in position to host at least one playoff game. Charleston has lost just once since June 9, a 3-0 defeat to the hands of USL leader FC Cincinnati in August, but has been susceptible on the road. Despite the great run of results recently, the Battery's last road win came on July 21 and has scored just two goals total in its last four road games.

A couple of key pieces will be missing when the Battery come to Music City. Leading scorer Atauallah Guerra and starting midfielder Jarad van Schaike will both be sidelined, for much different reasons, on Saturday night. Guerra will serve the final game of a three-game suspension handed down last week by the USL for violent conduct. After an apparent handball in the box went uncalled in Charleston's game against Louisville City FC, Guerra was irate and his conduct after the contentious decision was enough to suspend him for three games. Van Schaik on the other hand, will miss Saturday's games after having his appendix removed recently. Charleston will have shoulder both missing bodies in one of the toughest places to play.

Nashville Narratives

When Nashville SC has been at its most successful, it has started with defense. After putting together three fantastic defensive performances in a row that saw SC allow just one total goal from August 4-18, Nashville has had its weakest defensive stretch of the season, allowing eight goals in its last five games. Not surprisingly its record is 1-2-2 in those five with the only win coming in a 4-0 throttling of the Richmond Kickers, maybe the worst team in the USL currently. Great defense can turn spark offense, and Nashville will need to find its early season form on D to generate some important standings points with only six league games remaining.

One encouraging sign for the Nashville offense has been the scoring re-emergence of midfielder/forward Lebo Moloto. Appearing the most on Nashville's scoresheet with six goals and five assists, Moloto has been streaky throughout the season. After scoring the third of Nashville's three goals on June 30 against Atlanta United 2, Moloto had gone 11 games without scoring before getting the equalizer on September 8 against North Carolina FC. He now has goals in two straight and again seems to be on the hot side of the hot/cold meter.

Quotable

Head coach Gary Smith

"I think first of all, it is probably the most important game of the season, just purely in the fact that the games are getting scratched off. We still got four games of the final six at home, but we have to start taking advantage of it.

Watching the East

Like Coach Smith said, three points are critical in this matchup. Not too much standings watching right now. Nashville SC has to worry about accruing points and that starts on Saturday. A win would likely move Nashville into the top eight.

How to Watch

There are still limited tickets available to the Tuesday night matchup available at NashvilleSC.com/tickets. While the game will be available locally on MyTV30, it is also the USL's Game of the Week and is going to be broadcast digitally on ESPN+. Radio broadcasts will also be available in English on ESPN 94.9 Game 2 and Spanish on El Jefe 96.7 FM.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 22, 2018


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