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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Kicks off Busy Month of August with Strong Win over Swope Park Rangers

August 5, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


KANSAS CITY, Kansas - With all of the success Nashville Soccer Club has achieved over the last year and a half, it had still not won three league matches in a row.

That changed on Saturday night when the club took down Swope Park Rangers 2-0 to win its third consecutive match. Saturday's win also started a month of August in which Nashville SC will play seven total matches, including two in the next seven days at home. Head Coach Gary Smith is delighted with his team's form, and with what lies ahead.

"There's some really encouraging aspects of this little run," Smith said. "Of course the clean sheets jump out. We are creating chances. We're six goals to the good in that run. I felt as though we might have extended that certainly tonight, and if we look back over those games, we'll probably feel as though there were other moments. I think in the main, those sort of results where you can get back-to-back wins and shutouts just gives the players tremendous confidence. I think there's a little bit more of a belief, a swagger, however you want to put it. There's a bit more of a ruthless edge about the group and a belief that we're going to get it done.

"I don't think you should ever look at the standings at any point. This team is a talented young group, they've beaten teams here, they've scored goals here. You've got to get the job done, you're away from home, you're always going to feel as though the odds are against you. But I felt tonight it was a professional display, one that we would hope for and expect, but it doesn't always happen for teams when they go away from home. There's a lot of things to consider. I'm very pleased, and it starts off a very important week."

Nashville SC was knocking on the door throughout much of the first half, sending chances that weren't saved just wide or off the post. However, late in the half, Lebo Moloto finally broke through with a brilliantly-placed shot to the lower corner to give Nashville the lead. Daniel Ríos quickly doubled the

Moloto praised his teammates for sticking to the plan and finding a way to take the lead.

"I think, to be honest, it just shows how resilient this squad is, how tough mentally we are," Moloto said. "Even though we had a lot of good chances, we kept on pushing. We kept on encouraging each other, like, you know let's keep going. A goal will come, because the more you create chances, the more optimistic you should be. You know what, we're getting in good spots, it's just a matter of putting one in the back of the net and I was happy to do that before going into the half."

Saturday's victory also marked three clean sheets in a row behind a new-look defense. Jimmy Ockford, who had his loan from MLS' San Jose Earthquakes extended for the rest of the 2019 season, has started at centerback for all three clean sheets, while Forrest Lasso, who was acquired on loan from FC Cincinnati, has started in the last two.

Another common denominator of the clean sheets has been goalkeeper Matt Pickens, who has started in all three matches, breaking a two-match rotation with Connor Sparrow that had been the norm since the start of the season. Smith kept Pickens in net for all three matches for the sake of continuity with his new centerbacks.

"I just wanted to keep a group that had performed so well on Saturday, but probably more importantly for that position, the fact that we had two brand-new center backs that had played for the very first time at the weekend together," Smith said. "I just didn't want to disrupt the sort of synergy or continuity that might have been there from the weekend. Matt was terrific, that played into it. But more so for the two center backs with a bit more experience behind them, I mean there's some considerations in there for Wednesday, a quick turnaround. I'd like to freshen things up a little bit, but I'll be sensible about what that means. I don't want to disrupt too much of that confidence. It's a home game that we desperately want to take advantage of, but there might well be some changes on Wednesday to help us in that quest."

With three victories and three clean sheets in hand, Nashville SC returns home this week to take on Hartford Athletic on Wednesday, as well as Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday. Given the strong run of form for the Boys in Gold, they're excited to get back out there once again in just two days' time.

"You love a couple extra days of rest, but at the same time, but again, we're in a nice little rhythm here," said forward Kharlton Belmar. "We're playing well and we're winning games and it's probably a little beneficial to have some games is succession when we're in our rhythm and guys are firing on all cylinders. I think it can benefit us at this point. We've got a strong group of guys, guys that can come in off the bench and guys that can start as well that can bring the same energy no matter who's in there."



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 5, 2019


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