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MLS Nashville SC

What to Watch for as Nashville SC Faces CF Montréal at Nissan Stadium

April 23, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Nashville SC News Release


Nashville SC will look to build momentum following an opening weekend draw as it faces CF Montréal this Saturday at Nissan Stadium.

The matinee contest will see the Boys in Gold face a Montréal side coming off of a surprising 4-2 defeat of Toronto FC last weekend. Meanwhile, Nashville SC will look to replicate its Major League Soccer club record 32-shot performance from its 2021 debut, but take all three points this time.

This will be the second meeting between Nashville and CF Montréal in regular season play, with Nashville claiming a 1-0 victory in October 2020. That victory allowed Nashville SC to clinch a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs the next night.

Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's clash. Tickets are still available here.

Date: Saturday, April 24

Time: 1:00 p.m. CT

Location: Nissan Stadium

Tickets: Click Here

TV: MyTV30

In-Market Stream: NashvilleSC.com/stream

Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+

English Radio: ESPN 94.9

Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7

Keep Building - The Boys in Gold did not start last weekend's opener against FC Cincinnati in the way they wanted to, giving up two early goals. From there, the home side dominated, owning more than 57% of possession and scoring a pair of goals.

That was enough to claw back and earn a 2-2 draw, but now the club wants to build on that momentum and translate that into a notch in the win column.

"The focus, the determination, the energy was there," Head Coach Gary Smith said. "I looked at some data on the players postgame and compared it to the opening game last year against Atlanta [United FC], and the average distance and high-speed movements of the players were way in excess of where we were last year. There's a lot of progression athletically, we showed that in that 75-80 minutes, and I'd like to think everyone saw a much brighter, positive and exciting group with 32 efforts at goal that really should have won the game in the end."

Crest and Coach Changes - This CF Montréal side has undergone major changes since over the last few months. The club rebranded with a new goal and crest and hired a new coach in Wilfried Nancy to replace the departing Thierry Henry.

Montréal also added new faces to the mix, including forward Mason Toye and midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. Toye and Mihailovic played a major role in the club's opening weekend win over Toronto FC.

Smith is preparing for a tough test against the new-look Canadian club.

"I would have to say looking at them as a team, they've come together well as a group," Smith said. "The coach has been able to get them aligned and on the same page and they look to be a bright, energetic, focused and very exciting group to run into. It's certainly not going to be an easy challenge. They've got a lot of quality attacking pieces on the field. We certainly won't be taking this lightly."

Home Means Nashville - Nashville SC felt the energy from the 40% capacity crowd last Saturday against FC Cincinnati. It was the club's first match in front of a significant crowd since the club's MLS debut on February 29, 2020.

The Boys in Gold hope to hear the Nashville noise once again this weekend.

"It felt great to have that crowd back in there," defender Alistair Johnston said. "That energy they brought, that was something else. It was just a lot of fun to be a part of and I'm looking forward to a whole season of that. Coming into the next few years when they open up the new stadium, this place is going to be rocking. Just a good sign and a good showing from Nashville as always."

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 23, 2021


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