The Boys in Gold are looking to continue a hot streak and defend The Castle.
After a trip to South Florida that saw Nashville SC bow out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Nashville SC’s attention turns back to MLS action against the Columbus Crew. The Boys in Gold are performing exceptionally well in the league. They sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference entering the weekend with 25 points, tied for second-most in the league, and nine goals conceded, the lowest in MLS.
Come out to GEODIS Park and cheer on Nashville SC as the team aims to keep pace at the top of the table. Tickets starting at $20 are still available here. Can’t make the match? Watch FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Not subscribed to MLS Season Pass yet? Redeem your one-month free trial today.
Sunday’s match will also air on Fox Sports 1.
Date:Sunday, May 28, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CTLocation:GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
TV:Watch FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1
Radio:104.5 The Zone and the 104.5 The Zone App
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Turn The Page – Nashville SC will conclude the month of May on Sunday after bowing out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday on the road at Inter Miami CF.
The Cup match was the club’s only defeat of May to date.
Head Coach Gary Smith used a heavily rotated lineup on Tuesday in Florida. According to him, that puts his more bona fide league starters in a better position to play extended minutes on Sunday.
“We’re all disappointed that we’re out of the Open Cup,” Smith said. “But there were plenty of other things that suggested that the guys that went out there could get a good job done. I still believe that. The performance was a very good one, but the result in a cup competition is a vital one. However, what that does mean is that the core of the group were not starting on Tuesday night, so they’ve had a little bit more time to recover.”
Key to the Streak – In league play, Nashville SC has gone unbeaten in its last six matches and has won its last three at home.
Smith says the team has been on the front foot on offense during this run.
“I think it’s been a more of a positive, aggressive outlook,” he said. “There’s always been a very good competitive and determined spirit in the group. There’s been some terrific football that we’ve played, and asked a lot of questions of some very good teams in that period of time.”
Scouting the Crew – Columbus currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 5W-5L-3D record. Lucas Zelarayan has led the way in scoring with six goals in 919 minutes played.
Smith had lots of praise for the playing style that first-year head coach Wilfried Nancy deploys.
“This Columbus team is as pure of a team as I’ve seen in a long time,” Smith said. “They’re inspired by having the ball, whether that’s to create or not. And they work hard to keep the ball. Our job will be to make life difficult, to upset that rhythm, and to do what we’ve done over the last three or four weeks, which is to play with a lot of spirit and positivity in front of our home crowd.”
