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USL Nashville SC

Nashville SC Road Form to be Tested against Charlotte

August 30, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - With four road games left against teams below the playoff line, including Saturday night's game against Charlotte Independence at 6:30 p.m. CST, there is no better time for Nashville SC to solve its road woes then the last six weeks of the season. This will be the third and final matchup between the two sides this year.

Charlotte Breakdown

Charlotte has been really poor lately. Dating back to June 2, when it beat Ottawa Fury 1-0, Charlotte is 1-8-6. The Independence have picked up four red cards in that stretch, been blown out twice each by Louisville City FC and Bethlehem Steel FC and, most recently, lost 6-2 to North Carolina FC, a team that itself is outside the playoff picture. The one lonely win over the last three months? A 1-0 victory over Nashville SC at home. Outside of that clean sheet, the Independence have allowed 34 goals over the other 14 games this summer. On June 6, Charlotte was sitting in 4th place today in the East with a 6-3-2 record and 20 points. Today? It is in 12th, sitting at 29 points and all but eliminated barring a massive turnaround.

A key reason for the prolonged slump could be significant players missing time. Leading scorer Jorge Herrera has missed the last two games after being subbed off in the second half on August 18. Midfielder Kay Voser has missed the last three games since he last played on Aug. 8. Another weapon, Cordell Cato hasn't played in more than a month since being subbed off on July 21. Those potential lack of those three pieces could again spell trouble for Charlotte on Saturday night.

Nashville Narratives

Could a 4-0 win be enough to kick things into gear for Nashville SC. Coming off its best performance of the season on Tuesday night, Nashville will need to take the momentum from that victory on the road, where it has struggled. SC has just two road wins in 2018 compared to six losses. The tide might be turning away from home though as the last two road games featured draws against the top two teams in the USL Eastern Conference, FC Cincinnati and Louisville City. Nashville was not at its best on July 11 when it fell at Charlotte, but if SC can take its August road form into the Carolinas, it should come out with a good result.

Despite a poor July and a loss last weekend at home to Bethlehem, Nashville still has a shot at a top-four position in the Eastern Conference standings. A win on Saturday could put SC just three points behind Charleston Battery for fourth place with a game still in hand (Charleston plays at Louisville on Friday night). Regardless of Charleston's outcome, Nashville would move within one point of Bethlehem with two games still in hand. The race is tightening, and Nashville SC is right in the thick of it.

Quotable

Head Coach Gary Smith

"We've got a tough couple of road games here. I think we've shown some good form on the road. We've been into a couple of really tough venues recently and shown very well.

Watching the East

Like described above, Nashville is in the mix for a top-four spot, but will need to take advantage of games, like the one on Saturday, against teams below it in the standings. Nashville has the best record of any of the three expansion franchises (Fresno and Las Vegas are both out of the playoff race in the Western Conference). As other teams' schedules get more difficult, Nashville's gets easier and with plenty more at home, three points on Saturday is vital.

How to Watch

The only way to tune into the game on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CST will be on ESPN+. Of course, fans can follow along with highlights and updates by following @NashvilleSC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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