Match Recap: Sluggish Nashville SC keep winning, defeat DC United 1-0
On a not-quite-as-hot-but-still-muggy Saturday evening, Nashville SC entered Audi Field dead set on extending their unbeaten streak to 13 against DC United. Not only did they do so, they left the capital with all three points, keeping pace with the top of the Eastern Conference.
An 18th minute penalty by Sam Surridge, his 16th goal of the year, provided the difference, and the Boys in Gold never needed to get out of second gear after that, though they did create further chances that didn’t result in anything.
The win keeps Nashville in third in the East, though other results alter the situation a bit. Thanks to Columbus’ win over Philadelphia, the Boys in Gold are just two points behind the conference-leading Union, and also thanks to Cincinnati’s victory over Orlando, a bit of a gap has opened behind the top four.
The gap between Columbus in fourth and Orlando in fifth has risen to four points, meaning that regardless of results around the league on 4th of July Weekend, Nashville cannot fall out of the top four.
Let’s take a look at the game that was.
Lineup
Joe Willis started in goal behind a full-strength back four of Jack Maher, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Najar and Dan Lovitz.
The suspension to Eddi Tagseth left a gap in midfield alongside Patrick Yazbek that head coach B.J. Callaghan tasked Gastón Brugman with filling. They supported a front four of Alex Muyl, Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Jonathan Pérez.
Off the bench, Callaghan required the services of Ahmed Qasem, Josh Bauer, Teal Bunbury, Matthew Corcoran, and MLS debutant Alan Carleton.
The Numbers
Nashville SC
Shots: 7
Shots on goal: 2
Corners: 3
xG: 1.3
Possession: 57.1%
Yellow Cards: 1 (Alex Muyl)
DC United
Shots: 7
Shots on goal: 1
Corners: 4
xG: 0.5
Possession: 42.9%
Yellow Cards: 3 (Lucas Bartlett, Jared Stroud, Gabriel Pirani)
Analysis
As mentioned in the intro, after Surridge’s penalty, Nashville never really needed to get out of second gear. As usual, Andy Najar was fantastic, and his return to Audi Field was a joyous one.
Hats off to Alan Carleton on his MLS debut, I’d bet money he’s on a Nashville contract this time next year. Not only did Carleton not look out of place, he looked like he understood exactly what was expected of him.
This is huge from a club philosophy standpoint. Nashville tried to enter this “2.0” era by instilling a club philosophy from the top down, something that wasn’t the case in the past. Carleton’s tactical knowledge of his responsiblities in this game shows it’s working.
For clarity, Carleton can feature in three more matchday squads in league play, and make one more on-field appearance before he must be offered a first-team contract.
He can feature in unlimited games in non-league fixtures. Hello Open Cup quarterfinal against this very DC United.
Sam Surridge just keeps scoring. What more can you say about the guy. He leads the Golden Boot race, and he’s creating a gulf between him and the chasing pack.
Speaking of gulfs, remember that tiny gulf between the top four and everyone else that just opened up that I mentioned earlier? Nashville may make use of it over the coming weeks.
A July 5th home date with conference leaders Philadelphia is just the appetizer for a month of July featuring games against Inter Miami, Columbus, and San Diego FC. Oh, and also that Open Cup quarterfinal I mentioned. That too.
It’s about to get busy again in the Music City, but the Boys in Gold appear to be up to the challenge. At the very least, we shall see, won’t we?