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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Hits the Road to Take on New York Red Bulls II

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


Nashville Soccer Club is on the road for the first time this season, and its first test away from home is on Sunday at Noon CT against New York Red Bulls II at MSU Soccer Park in Montclair, NJ.

The Boys in Gold will be looking to respond after a tight 1-0 loss to Saint Louis FC last weekend. This game will start a tough road stretch for the club, as five of its next six games will be away from the friendly confines of First Tennessee Park.

NYRBII Breakdown

The Baby Bulls are looking to build on a USL Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2018. NYRBII got the 2019 season started on a positive note with a 3-1 win over Swope Park Rangers on opening weekend. Tom Barlow opened the scoring in the 26' minute on an assist from Marcus Epps. After Swope equalized right before halftime, Epps responded with a goal of his own in the early parts of the second half off of a long shot that just curled over the keeper's arms. Barlow put the icing on the cake with a nice finish one-on-one with the keeper in the 62' minute off of a perfect feed from Jared Stroud.

New York Red Bulls (MLS) are playing on Saturday night, so the NYRBII roster might look a bit different than the roster that took the field on March 9 against Swope (NYRB did not play in MLS that weekend). The Baby Bulls will also be missing key defender Allen Yanes, who was called up to the Guatemala National Team during the March FIFA international window.

Nashville Notes

Despite the loss on Saturday, Nashville SC controlled most of the possession, especially in the second half. Much of the offense ran through winger Kharlton Belmar, who was accurate on 84.8% of his passes. He completed 33 short passes on the game and helped to generate much of Nashville's attacking prowess. Belmar has created three chances this season, and he could continue to be a threat against a high-pressing NYRBII squad this weekend.

Nashville's two goals so far on the season have come from the club's two MLS signings in Cameron Lancaster and Daniel Rios. Head Coach Gary Smith talked about getting his scorers in a better position to finish chances after the loss to Saint Louis, and Nashville will certainly look to do that against NYRBII.

The Boys in Gold will also look to get the 2019 road slate started with a positive result. Last season, Nashville SC earned a result in three of its first five road games in 2018, including the club's first-ever win (1-0 over Bethlehem Steel FC on March 31, 2018).

Injury Report

Sunday's game could mark the return of forward Alan Winn, who was upgraded to "questionable" for Sunday's game. He missed the first two games of the season with a concussion. Nashville has no other injuries listed.

Coach's Corner

Head Coach Gary Smith

"I honestly think we're still trying to find the right dimensions, the right understanding and to gel certain players into the group, and that can still take another two or three games. But, what we all know is time is never kind to anyone, and the longer you take, the more difficult it becomes to actually get into a rhythm and be in the position we want to be in. But, we have all the tools necessary. I'm sure everyone will be stunned and hurting from the defeat at the weekend. They'll still understand that there were some good things coming out of it, we just have to combine a couple of other elements that are definitely going to be necessary to beat this New York team."

How to Watch

There will not be a local TV broadcast. However, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on the radio in English on ESPN 94.9 Game 2. Follow along with Nashville SC's official pages on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live coverage as well.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 23, 2019


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