USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Gets Technical in Practice Leading up to Birmingham Friendly

Published on February 15, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - With another preseason showdown ahead of it, Nashville SC hit the field at the training facility at Ensworth High School for a Friday morning session. It was a lighter, shorter session than usual, as the team heads south to Birmingham on Saturday to take on USL Championship expansion team Birmingham Legion FC in a preseason friendly. However, Friday's training was productive and delved deeper into the more technical aspects of the game.

Setting up the Set Piece

The team has been in training for nearly a month now, and as the buildup to the regular season wears on, head coach Gary Smith has started getting into the fine points of the style of play he wants his guys to follow. On Friday, the team worked heavily on different set piece scenarios, including corner kicks.

Smith wants to make sure the team is ready to excel in all aspects of the game when the season begins on March 9, and that includes set pieces.

"Preseason is about layering in all the aspects of any matchday, any game," Smith said. "We've covered a number of subjects within our style of play and the formation that we want to play. Set pieces are a big part of any game, and in terms of winning games, especially the tight ones, we've seen on many occasions that it can come down to that. At either end of the field, we've got to be as clear and concise as we can be."

Locking in on the Legion

On Saturday, Nashville SC will travel down I-65 to Birmingham for a preseason friendly against Birmingham Legion. It will be the home club's first-ever competitive home game, which presents a challenge in terms of scouting. How can you scout a team that hasn't played much together?

Smith was on the other side of that situation last season when Nashville SC started its inaugural season, so he knows the challenge. However, the focus of a preseason friendly will be more on his own roster rather than matching up against Birmingham.

"At this point, it's just about us," he said. "I'm obviously keen to see where Birmingham are at. They're in a very similar place to where we were last year. It's not an easy task getting a side together and bringing 18-20 players and becoming one almost, understanding each other that quickly. It'll be good to get eyes on them, but I'm more interested in us. We're in a particular spot with six or seven new players that have come into the group, four or five of those are going to be close to being regular starters. Therefore, it's important to see how they're blending into the group."

Managing Minutes

In a preseason game in which substitutions are unlimited, the squads that take the field might not resemble what the lineup will look like come March 9. The team will take time to find the combinations and chemistry that will drive the team forward to wins in the regular season.

For now, expect to see players play in limited minutes in order to give as many players as possible a look. However, that will begin to change as the preseason wears on.

"The mindset is that we're at that 45-minute period for most still," Smith said. "Once we move towards next weekend against New York, and then our final main preseason game as I'm looking at it, we've got Lipscomb in between, which will help us with minutes for certain players, I think New York and Indy are going to be the games where you start to see certain guys edge out their minutes and start to prepare for that first game."

How to Follow

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 PM at Legion Field in Birmingham. There won't be a stream, so follow along on Nashville SC's social media channels for updates from the match.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from February 15, 2019


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