Match Recap: Scrappy Nashville SC battle to 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew
First off, apologies for the delay on this one, I’ve been dealing with some illness this week, I’m on the other side of it now however, so back to regularly scheduled programming.
On Wednesday, Nashville SC traveled to Ohio to take on Columbus Crew and returned home with a point following a scrappy 2-2 draw. Sam Surridge opened the scoring for Nashville just over 90 seconds in before an onslaught began from Columbus.
Diego Rossi equalized for the hosts in the 69th minute, before the teams traded goals again, courtesy of Hany Mukhtar and a Jeisson Palacios own goal in the 78th and 81st minutes respectively. This extends Nashville’s unbeaten run in all competitions to nine games.
Let’s take a quick look.
Lineup
There were a couple of changes from the side that beat Toronto on the road, but nothing too crazy.
Joe Willis was in goal behind a back four of Jeisson Palacios, Jack Maher, Dan Lovitz and Andy Najar. In midfield it was again Eddi Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek supporting a front four including Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, though the wingers this time were Jonathan Pérez and Ahmed Qasem.
Off the bench, Walker Zimmerman, Alex Muyl, Jacob Shaffelburg and Wyatt Meyer saw action.
The Numbers
Nashville SC
Shots: 13
Shots on goal: 6
Possession: 38.1%
Corners: 3
xG: 3.4
Yellow Cards: 3 (Hany Mukhtar, Jonathan Pérez, Alex Muyl)
Columbus Crew SC
Shots: 21
Shots on goal: 5
Possession: 61.9%
Corners: 7
xG: 2.1
Yellow Cards: 2 (Dylan Chambost, Darlington Nagbe)
Analysis
Great, great point for Nashville considering the circumstances. Sure, they blew the lead twice, but the xG does not tell the story in this game. Joe Willis’ goal was under siege for about 80 of the 90 minutes of this game.
Excellent effort, and a point in Columbus is always hard to get, Nashville know that firsthand. They face NYCFC on Saturday before a week off, which they have more than earned. See you Saturday morning for the preview of that one!