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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Looking to Start a Strong Run for the Second Half of the Season in Memphis

July 16, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Nashville Soccer Club is one match past the halfway point of the 2019 USL Championship Season, and the club is eager to launch a strong stretch run on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. CT against rivals Memphis 901 FC.

While Nashville is currently sitting safely in a playoff position, Head Coach Gary Smith knows his players can do so much more going forward.

"I don't think we have played anywhere near to our potential," Smith said. "There have been, I think, some difficulties to deal with weekly at the club, and daily for the players. Maybe one or two of those to just mention: we've had three excellent forwards come in, but one of those is not really seeing the field an awful lot in Cameron Lancaster. We are really looking forward to a prolonged period with Cameron in the team. We've seen a brief insight into what he is capable of, but to see him and Daniel out front regularly would be wonderful. Secondly, I think the guys have found that being under this sort of microscope that they have been under, whether it's MLS, whether it's the future, whether it's what happens to USL with us next year, there are emotional things that are very tough to try and contend with. I have a much greater appreciation for the sides that have gone through this process before now, and I never realized just what difficulties you can run into."

Nashville SC is in a unique position in the league as the only club with an eye on MLS for the 2020 season. With only three players currently in the squad signed for the MLS side in 2020, the rest of the players are trying to play their way into an MLS roster spot. Combined with the pressures of trying to just keep your spot in the lineup on the current team, the emotions of these competitors are running high.

"Daily for the players, you know they are having to deal with the expectation of a very good side," Smith said. "They are dealing with the uncertainty of the future and they are chasing a dream. Those three issues are exceptionally tough emotional problems to overcome. In terms of me speaking to other people, I have not gotten on the phone to anyone who has been through this before. Last year, I look at FC Cincinnati's scenario and situation and we were compared to them at the start of the year. There are some very big differences that I think are playing into the way the season has unfolded for us, and the way it unfolded for them. The main one for me is that there were a lot of players in that group that knew their future. There were a lot players that had an eye towards what was going to happen in MLS.

"Did they all go there? Have they all ended up being a feature in that group? Probably not. But when you are playing every week and you know where you are going and what you are going to achieve, then I think that can be a much more calming feeling than 'What is my future? Where am I going to be?' Comparisons are tough. What they achieved was magnificent. What we are trying to achieve is for our own history and future. As I said, we are looking at a lot more stabilizing and a lot more continuity to this group coming towards the second half of the season."

On the pitch, the players are still feeling confident despite dropping two matches in a row for just the second time in club history. There's no panic in the squad given the talent level that's out on the field each and every day.

"We have good players," defender Kosuke Kimura said. "I think all the talent that we have in this group is really high compared to other teams. We should have no excuse. We go out there and everybody knows what we can get out of it in a game, and especially the away games we have done it so well, besides these last two games, but that's what we have. We just keep working on it. That's it. That is what is going to give us more confidence."

Starting with Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night, Nashville SC will begin its push towards the top of the table in the second half of the season. With players on the mend and returning from injury and other players getting their chance to shine with more significant minutes in relief, Smith hopes a heightened sense of continuity in the team will help the team make a strong push at the end of the season.

"I think the second half of the season now gives the players just a little bit of experience to draw on," Smith said. "They've got 17-18 games under their belt now. They've dealt with some problems. They've dealt with some pressures. I've moved the side around a little bit in the early stages of the season. I expect the side to stay a bit more stable and there's bit more continuity in the group. I think everyone has had a great opportunity to show what they are about. The main purpose of the second half of the season is really to bag as many points as possible and for some of those guys to push on and make a real claim for what comes down the line."



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 16, 2019


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