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Nashville SC Looking to Build on Washed out NYRBII Match Going into Road Showdown in North Carolina

June 28, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Just because Nashville Soccer Club's 45 minutes of soccer against New York Red Bulls II was wiped out doesn't mean it was not productive.

The Boys in Gold will still try to build momentum from a half of soccer that saw them go up 2-1 against NYRBII on Wednesday night before lightning forced the match to be postponed and the score to be wiped out. The match will be replayed in its entirety at a date TBD.

They will hope the positives from that half can carry over into this Saturday's match against North Carolina FC kicking off at 6:00 p.m. CT.

"I think the only good thing to come out of Wednesday night was the fact that we actually got 45 minutes of playing time in," Head Coach Gary Smith said. "On top of that, it would have been more difficult mentally for the players had they gone through all of the delays and difficulties and then at halftime we were losing 2-1 or worse. We've actually gone behind, we've scored two excellent goals, we were winning at halftime, so we recovered from that deficit. I thought some of our attacking play, and in particular seeing Cameron [Lancaster] from the outset who looked ever so sharp. Bolu [Akinyode]'s inclusion in the midfield gave us a bit more strength and stability, and I thought honestly the group had taken on board just a little bit of dialogue and video footage from the weekend previous and they've been able to implement that in 45 minutes of soccer. I honestly think it ended up being an extremely worthwhile training exercise because it's not worth anything in the standings, but in terms of how we now feel, I think you can look at that and take a lot out of it."

Wednesday's wiped-out half of soccer also saw Nashville roll out a dynamic forward duo of Cameron Lancaster and Daniel Ríos. It was the first time the two MLS bound forwards started together since March. Ríos is currently right in the mix in the Golden Boot race, while Lancaster is heating up with a goal in each of his last five appearances (his last six appearances if Wednesday's half would have counted). Paired with another red-hot forward in Ropapa Mensah, who has been involved in goals in each of the last three matches, Nashville has quite an elite scoring trio to work with.

"I thought we saw the makings of possibly the best pairing in USL last night, and of course that needs to be reinforced," Smith said. "What I do also know is that the three guys that we currently have picking up the major minutes, and I include Ropapa [Mensah] in that as well. I think they've got such a great competition going on now. They all know that they've got to be at the top of their game, they all know that if they're not scoring goals, the other one will. I do honestly think they all want to be the top goal scorer in the group. Cameron will do his very utmost to chase Daniel down, I have no doubt Daniel will want to be the leading goal scorer for the team now that he's in such a decent spot, and Ropapa looks inspired at the moment and I think that's due to the competition. So whoever plays up front at the moment, I think we can be assured that those two guys are absolutely doing their utmost to hold on to the shirt."

Saturday's match will also mark a homecoming for both Ríos and midfielder Bolu Akinyode, who both spent time with North Carolina FC in the last couple of seasons. For Ríos, it will be his first match in North Carolina wearing a Nashville SC shirt, and he's excited to return to the place where he had so much success in 2018.

"I will be excited this Saturday going back there," Ríos said. "The people treated me so well, they showed me a lot of love last year. It was a good season for me scoring a lot of goals, having good moments. It will be special for me."

North Carolina FC is a resurgent team this season under Head Coach Dave Sarachan. Smith expects a tough test for his squad on the road, where Nashville SC has not lost since mid-April.

"Well I actually think they're one of the surprises and standouts of the early part of season," Smith said. "They lost two or three very decent players, of course one of them being Daniel Ríos to us. And yet, they've been able to find some excellent form. I'd have to say, some of their best results have come against the top teams. Some memorable away victories for that group. And Dave Sarachan precedes any of us being there with his experience and quality at MLS and the national level. He looks like he's got the group into a wonderful shape. They've got a lot of confidence, they play with a lot of positivity and energy, and at home on that field, which is a big open field, great surface normally, they're a very difficult prospect. I think this game on Saturday will be one of the most difficult that we have all season."

Fans can enjoy the match at the official Nashville SC watch party on Saturday at Bavarian Bierhaus. Starting at 5:30 p.m., Nashville SC fans can enjoy a free pretzel, a 15% discount on all food and drinks, plus giveaways and more. Click here for more details.

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