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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Ready for Another High-Stakes Clash on the Road at Tampa Bay Rowdies

August 31, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Last week, Nashville SC had a chance to jump into first place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference with a win over New York Red Bulls II.

A second-half red card derailed that chance. However, the Boys in Gold have another opportunity to jump into the top two in the Eastern Conference this Saturday on the road at the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. While the opponent might be different, the attitude from the players remains the same.

"I think you need to go into every game with the same mentality," said forward Cameron Lancaster. "You need to go into every game thinking it's a final basically. You need to go in there, have the right mentality, put in maximum effort. What will be, will be."

Coming off of a dramatic 2-1 win over the Charleston Battery, the players are still riding the good vibe train. The win came on the end of a three-match week that featured the tough loss against New York, and it kept Nashville SC's hopes of finishing in the top spot in the East alive. Even days later, it's still keeping the team's attitude upbeat.

"The team should be feeling confident," said defender Justin Davis. "I think it was a big result for us over the weekend and showed some grit and determination to get that result late on, and I think that's what we need going down to Tampa."

Lancaster made his first start since July 6 on Saturday against Charleston, and he matched a team-high seven shots. Despite not finding the back of the net, Lancaster made a big impression on his coach in his first major minutes since returning from injury again.

"Cameron's had a very broken season so far," Smith said. "We've seen some exceptional moments from him, goals that we maybe come to expect from a guy of his caliber. I think for any player to be sharp, to be ready, to make the most of the few moments, which they were at the weekend, you've got to be playing regularly. 70 minutes under his belt will have gone a long way to making him feel a heck of a lot better about his progress after his latest little setback. He's available for the weekend, he's in a good place, he's had a fantastic week's training, as have plenty of other guys. We're looking forward to it."

This will be Nashville SC's second top-of-the-standings battle in the last week and a half. It could have major implications on playoff seeding with only a handful of matches remaining this season. Smith thinks his team has learned from its May home defeat against Tampa Bay and will be up for the challenge.

"They'll have the same type of mentality that we have," Smith said. "Whoever can come out of this game with a victory would put them in an exceptional position. I think their situation is slightly different being a point in front and a game in hand, so maybe that will play into [Tampa Bay Head Coach] Neill [Collins]' thoughts, I don't know. I can only plan for what I've got with this group and how we're going to affect the game, and it will be in a very positive fashion. I feel as though we're capable of beating them. I certainly want to put the record straight from the defeat at home. I felt as though that was as bit of a kick in the teeth given how the game went. To lose as we did in that fashion from a set piece, I think everyone wants to put themselves well and truly in a great position for the final few games."

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