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Nashville SC Prepared for Gritty Battle against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

September 21, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Nashville Soccer Club is officially back in the postseason, but that doesn't mean the work stops for the Boys in Gold.

Next up is a pivotal clash against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at First Tennessee Park on Saturday night, and the result of this match could have serious implications for each team's playoff position. Nashville SC currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, and a win would put it six points clear of fifth-place Pittsburgh. That would put Nashville one step closer to a finish in the top four and a guaranteed home playoff match.

After a thrilling victory on Tuesday night, Nashville SC wants to keep the momentum going in this important clash.

"I would say as big as any at this point," said Head Coach Gary Smith on the importance of Saturday's match. "It really is an important juncture for both teams. A victory gives us a six-point buffer with their couple of games in hand, so it puts a little more pressure on them. A draw probably keeps them in the stronger of positions, and a defeat is quite damaging for us in the charge for the top four. So yeah, it's a big game. Everyone knows that. I think the mentality and attitude of the group has been great. You saw that on Tuesday night. It wasn't easy having five really full-fledged starters out of the side. The rest of the group stepped up well and I think the determination and that willpower to try and make something happen was there for all to see again. It doesn't do a lot for my stress levels as I said afterwards, but a victory gave us exactly what we needed towards this weekend."

Nashville SC was missing both Lebo Moloto and Cameron Lancaster on Tuesday night due to injury, and leading scorer Daniel Ríos only appeared in the final minutes of the second half off the bench after returning from injury.

Even though Smith should have all three players available for Saturday, he still expects a cagey affair against a stout defensive team in Pittsburgh.

"When you start getting to the business end of the season, I think all teams always want to entertain," Smith said. "If you look at the way the game unfolded the other night, I honestly thought the first half, we still managed to offer up some good enough chances to get in front. It does change the way that the game unfolds. This side is not easy to play against. [Pittsburgh Coach] Bob [Lilley] has made a living out of building very strong, organized groups who are very capable. He knows this league inside out, he knows what it takes to be in the playoffs time and time again, and he also knows what it's like to win a championship. No one's expecting an easy game. Will it be a free-flowing, open exciting game? Unlikely. Really unlikely. Will we see a lot of the ball? Quite possible. Will we create many chances? Again, I'm not expecting many. Their record tells us they've lost four games all year, they've had a lot of draws, they're very tough to play against and I don't expect anything different."

Nashville SC enters this match with a playoff berth in hand. However, the Boys in Gold have much higher aspirations, and just earning the playoff berth isn't going to slow them down.

"I think you've got to be appreciative," said Defender Forrest Lasso. "You've got to be grateful every time you make the playoffs because not every team does make the playoffs, but at the same time we kind of set a standard. Obviously I came in a little late to the picture, but as soon as I got here you could see throughout the group that we had a standard. We had the playoffs, while we are grateful and appreciative that we secured a spot, that was almost a standard from the very beginning since day one, so we knew that that was something we wanted to achieve. I have bigger aspirations and bigger dreams than just the playoffs, so we're thankful we're there. It's the first step in trying to achieve what we've wanted to achieve but I think for us, the coaches and the club believe there's a lot more in it to win."

Tickets for Saturday's match are available for as low as $5.

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