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USL Nashville SC

Training Report: Nashville SC Grinding Ahead of Massive Indy Eleven Showdown at Nissan Stadium

July 23, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - There are some instances in which a coach must rally his players and motivate them to feel the weight of a given match.

This Saturday will not be one of those instances.

Nashville Soccer Club will be facing off against Indy Eleven on Saturday night under the bright lights of Nissan Stadium, the club's future temporary MLS home. Indy sits five points ahead of Nashville in the Eastern Conference standings, so the points up for grabs will be crucial in the playoff race.

That should be all the motivation Head Coach Gary Smith's players need.

"I don't think this occasion is one that is going to take me an awful lot of raising the guys and inspiring the players," Smith said. "These are the situations that I think all players are after. A fabulous stadium, hopefully a good crowd, and a very good opponent and one that we really have to do our utmost to make a bit of a dent in. In the first period of this season, their form has been more consistent than ours, and that's offered them a little bit of a buffer on us. We want to try and eat into that lead they've got over us and this weekend is probably as good of an occasion as any."

Just about a week removed from a solid 2-0 win on the road over Memphis 901 FC, the Boys in Gold are still feeling the good energy that came from the victory. Even though the team did not take the pitch this weekend, Smith has seen plenty of positive signs from his group throughout this week of training.

"Winning always injects a bit of energy and sparkle in the players," Smith said. "It's that confidence factor that can be the missing ingredient sometimes. We've had a very good period of time, fortunate to have a couple of days off. However, I think on this occasion it would have been nice to have had a game at the weekend on the back of a victory. Sometimes it helps you, on other occasions it doesn't. The work that we've had post-Memphis has been very upbeat and positive, as you might imagine."

Nashville's back line received a boost last week with the addition of Jimmy Ockford on short-term loan from MLS' San Jose Earthquakes. He scored the match-winning goal and stood out at the back in the victory. Smith has been thrilled with how Ockford has integrated into the group in such a short time span.

"Jimmy's a good pro," Smith said. "He's not been at the MLS level for no reason. He's a focused defender, he's a terrific character individual, very determined and I think the time around the group has served him and the other players well. I thought the performance and the way that he slotted into that back line was pretty seamless. There didn't seem to be too many issues, but I think when you get good professionals, they know their role, they know their way around the field very well. It looked pretty straightforward from where I sat."

Last season, Nashville SC played twice at Nissan Stadium in its inaugural professional season. A packed crowd witnessed the club's inaugural home opener against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, and another strong crowd watched Nashville take on FC Cincinnati last July. Forward Alan Winn played in last year's match against FC Cincinnati, and he's excited to be a part of another big night at Nissan Stadium.

"It just shows you how Nashville is," Winn said. "It's becoming a soccer community and a soccer city, and that's good to see. Hopefully we get a big crowd again because that motivates us, but at the same time, you want to show that fans that this is the real deal. We're not just here to lollygag and be here, but to win a championship."

Both matches at Nissan Stadium in 2018 ended in hard-fought 0-0 draws despite plenty of scoring chances. Winn hopes to change that this season and find the back of the net.

"You always want to score goals in every game," Winn said. "It was a bit on us how we didn't score, but third time's the charm, right? Hopefully we put a few in the back of the net this time."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Nissan Stadium. Members of the Nashville SC Fan Club can get tickets to the match for just $8. Prior to the match, be sure to join us for a party all day in downtown Nashville starting at 1 p.m. at Downtown Sporting Club and continuing at 3 p.m. CT in the south lot of Nissan Stadium.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 23, 2019


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