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What to Watch for as Nashville SC Hosts Minnesota United FC at Nissan Stadium in Front of Fans

October 5, 2020 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE - Nashville Soccer Club is back home for a Tuesday night clash with Minnesota United FC (6W-5L-4D, 22 pts.) at Nissan Stadium.

The Boys in Gold will look to extend their home unbeaten run to six matches. They will also look to build off of a strong 0-0 draw on the road at New England Revolution on Saturday that kept Nashville SC (4W-5L-5D, 17 pts.) solidly in the mix for a playoff spot.

Tuesday's match will mark the return of fans to Nissan Stadium for the first time since Nashville SC broke the Tennessee attendance record for a soccer match with 59,069 fans supporting the Boys in Gold in their inaugural Major League Soccer match on Feb. 29. The fans will return to Nissan Stadium under strict capacity limits and safety guidelines. Click here for tickets and safety information.

Here's everything you need to know about Tuesday's match:

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6

Time: 7:30 p.m. CT

Location: Nissan Stadium

TV: MyTV30

In-Market Stream: YouTube TV, AT&T TV, NashvilleSC.com/stream

Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+

English Radio: ESPN 94.9

Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7

Right Back to It - Nashville SC faces a quick turnaround for this match, having just drawn New England Revolution 0-0 on Saturday night on its longest single-day trip since the season restarted.

Head Coach Gary Smith says his players will make sure they take care of their bodies as they prepare for Tuesday's match. He also says the team should be in much better spirits after taking a point from New England.

"The recovery of the players, we'll do everything we can to get them in the right place," Smith said. "No doubt in my mind it's a lot easier to turn around on Tuesday having put in a performance like they did and earned points than it is if you get beat and there's lots of questions. They've had a week off, there's some lumps and bumps, but I'm sure they'll be in the right spirits for Tuesday."

Willis' Work - Goalkeeper Joe Willis earned his career-best sixth clean sheet of the season on Saturday. He was recognized on the Major League Soccer Team of the Week for his efforts. The netminder has been a stalwart for Nashville SC this season. In the club's last home match, Willis made seven saves, tying a career high.

Smith says Willis has been a key leader for a defensive unit that has helped Nashville stay in the playoff race by allowing just 14 goals this season through 14 matches, tied for fewest by an MLS expansion team with the 2009 Seattle Sounders.

"I think what we're seeing from Joe is reliability," Smith said. "His shot-stopping has never been in question, he's making good choices, he's always been a leader of this group. This group has shown great endeavors not only to compete, but to make life incredibly difficult [for opponents] when things have gone against us. We knew in our inaugural season that things weren't going to be going swimmingly for us all the time, but these players have really shown some real backbone."

Welcome Back, Fans - Tuesday's match will be Nashville SC's first home match played in front of fans since February 29. This time around, a limited capacity of fans will be allowed into Nissan Stadium under strict COVID-19 safety guidelines, including mandatory mask, social distanced seating pods, over 300 hand sanitizing stations and more.

While the match might not sound as loud as it did back in February, the players say they're looking forward to having some energy back in the building.

"We're all looking forward to it," defender Alistair Johnston said. "It's been a long time coming, but it's kind of the next step in hopefully returning to normalcy. We're just excited to be able to experience the game with our fans. We had a great time in that first game at home in February, and it's been a long time since we've been able to share a moment with them. We're hoping to get a couple goals and be able to celebrate with the fans again."

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