USL Nashville SC

Preview: Nashville SC Closes out Regular Season with Match against Atlanta United 2 at First Tennessee Park

Published on October 17, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Nashville Soccer Club will play its final USL Championship regular season match this Saturday night at First Tennessee Park against Atlanta United 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., presented by Coca Cola.

Even though Nashville SC has locked up at least one home playoff match, Saturday's result will still have an impact on the final standings as a Nashville win give the club a chance to claim the conference regular season title.

How to Follow

Local Television: MyTV30 with John Freeman, Ronnie Woodard Kelly Glendenning

Digital Stream: ESPN+

English Radio: ESPN 94.9 Game 2 with

Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7 with Alexis Martinez and Manfred Villalobos

Social Media: @NashvilleSC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Last Time Out

Nashville SC clinched home field advantage through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs with a 2-0 win over North Carolina FC at Nissan Stadium last Saturday night. Despite a couple of brief periods of sustained North Carolina pressure, Nashville controlled the match and found the back of the net twice. Ropapa Mensah got his head to the end of a perfect Lebo Moloto corner kick to put Nashville SC ahead in the first half, and Moloto got on the score sheet with a brilliant back post header on a cross from Taylor Washington in the second half. With the win, Nashville SC is locked into one of the top two spots in the Eastern Conference.

Scouting Atlanta United 2

Atlanta United 2 comes into this match as one of the hottest teams in the USL Championship. Despite sitting in 13th place and being eliminated from postseason contention, ATL UTD 2 has not lost since September 4 and has taken points from heavyweight clubs such as the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Last week, Atlanta played its final home match and took down Bethlehem Steel FC 5-2 in a midweek clash. This season, Bienvenue Kanakimana has been the team's leading scorer with seven goals in 15 matches, followed by Andrew Carleton and Jackson Conway with five each. Despite the lengthy unbeaten run, ATL UTD 2 has not kept a clean sheet since April 10th when it shut out Memphis 901 FC in the team's fifth match of the season.

Storylines to Watch

First Place in Reach

Last week, Nashville SC clinched one of the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference with a win over North Carolina FC. A win this weekend against ATL UTD 2, coupled with a Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC loss or draw on Sunday, would give Nashville first place and home field advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. Nashville SC will host one of the winners from the play-in round in a Conference Quarterfinal match on Saturday, October 26th at First Tennessee Park. Tickets are available here.

Pickens for Gold

Nashville SC goalkeeper Matt Pickens has had one of the most stellar seasons in USL Championship history. His 0.67 goals allowed average currently rates as the second-lowest in league history behind Brandon Miller of the 2015 Rochester Rhinos at 0.54. That feat is especially impressive considering the fact that he only played for two thirds of the season, sharing the net with Connor Sparrow through the first part of the season. Pickens would clinch the league's Golden Glove award after Saturday's match if he allows two or fewer goals to ATL UTD 2.

Thank You Fans

As a thank you to our incredible fans, we've got a number of deals in honor of our final regular season match in the USL Championship. You can get tickets at a discounted rate. In addition to ticket deals, Nashville SC is offering fan-friendly pricing on concessions, including $2 32oz. sodas and $5 draft beer. Fans can also take advantage of 30% off all USL-branded merchandise, as well was $25 and $40 grab bags valued at $50 and $75, respectively.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 17, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central