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Nashville SC Putting Three-Match Winning Streak to the Test against Hartford Athletic

August 6, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - The last time Nashville Soccer Club and Hartford Athletic took the pitch against each other, Nashville narrowly prevailed 3-2 thanks to a late goal by Cameron Lancaster.

Now, with the rematch between the two Eastern Conference sides set for Wednesday night at First Tennessee Park, the Boys in Gold know they'll get a tough test from a Hartford team out for revenge.

"I have not seen a game at this level where you can look at a team that you're playing against, home or away, and say 'We should be taking serious advantage of this,'" Head Coach Gary Smith said. "You've got a very experienced group of players coming in. They've just added two lads from MLS teams. Listen, if anyone expects us just to roll this team over, they are greatly mistaken. I expect a tough encounter. I would think the way that [Hartford Coach] Jimmy [Nielsen] goes about his work and his teams, they're physically very capable, they're very well-organized, they'll be tough to break down, and with their new additions, they're going to be a little bit of a threat going forward. They seem to have found their scoring tough against Bethlehem. And the most important thing for us is to enter this game in the right frame of mind."

While Hartford Athletic has brought in a couple of new faces since that epic clash in June, Nashville SC has also bolstered its roster in that time. Jimmy Ockford and Forrest Lasso have both come in on loan from MLS sides and performed admirably while helping the team earn three consecutive clean sheets. Smith has been delighted to see his two new centerbacks develop a strong rapport on the fly through the last couple of matches.

"I'm pleased," Smith said. "Am I shocked? No. There's many things that can go wrong, of course, bringing in a couple of new players into a central defensive pairing. But for guys of quality and good character, Forrest is not long removed from this league, rightfully had his chance at the MLS level, which is a big part of the reason he's here with us as well. The pair of them are a solid, no-nonsense, straightforward type. We're forgetting about a couple of the other guys we've got around. Ken Tribbett is still fighting to get back in the team after a long-term injury, his form before that was magnificent. And of course Bradley [Bourgeois] who was magnificent for us last year. There's an awful lot of strength there. The two guys at the moment have done a wonderful job and it creates great competition."

Lasso is also not surprised at how quickly he's been able to jell with Ockford on the backline. While the pair never played together prior to their arrivals in Nashville, that didn't mean they weren't aware of each other before coming to Nashville. Those mutual connections helped the two of them establish a solid relationship.

"That's one of the cool things is I'm good friends and have played with or against players that Jimmy has played with or against," Lasso said. "I kind of knew who he was coming in. Every chance we get in training or on the road or at meals or in the locker room, every chance we get to just get to know each other, get to know each other's personalities, it just helps iron things out on the pitch. Obviously, it's been two 90-minute segments each, but I think we built off of our first performance together against Indy and at Swope over the weekend, we didn't concede any shots on goal. I think as defenders that's something to build off of, but it's getting to know each other every single day. It takes all 11."

This week will feature two home matches for Nashville after playing just one at home in the entire month of July. Smith and his team are very excited to start a three-month stretch in which the Boys in Gold will play at home nine times.

"It's been a good place for us in our short history span," Smith said. "The fans have been terrific. They've gotten behind us at the most important moments. They've given us a little bit of a lift or advantage when we need it. We'll be looking for that Wednesday. The players are very pleased to be on a couple of game homestand. We've done a lot of travel. We've been away more than any other team, so we're looking forward to this."

Kickoff between Nashville SC and Hartford Athletic is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.



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