The Boys in Gold are back at the Castle for an Eastern Conference matchup against D.C. United on Saturday at 7:30 CT.
After previously going on a 10-match unbeaten streak in league play, head coach Gary Smith and his team are looking to rebuild a positive rhythm at home this weekend. Nashville SC (10W-5D-5L) returns home from a two-match road trip to Montréal and Columbus to face off against D.C. United (7W-5D-8L), who sits just above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.
Can’t make the match? Watch for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone and the 104.5 The Zone App
Scouting the opposition – D.C., who is hosting the All-Star festivities this season is coached by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney, who also played for the club in 2018. Currently sitting in ninth place in the East, D.C. is coming off a 3-0 win against league leaders FC Cincinnati. Their main danger man is Christian Benteke, a former Belgian international who has eight goals and three assists in 19 starts.
“If you look at the players [Wayne Rooney] has recruited, … they’ve got a lot of experience,” Smith said. “They are still, I believe, working through those nuances, to the group. I think their form’s been a little bit indifferent. However, they’ve been an extremely competitive side and what they are capable of doing is scoring from many different dimensions, including dead balls, they look a big strong side.”
Field Dimensions – Playing at home and playing away comes with a handful of differences, especially in Major League Soccer. One distinction that applies to teams and leagues around the world is the variation in size across different pitches. That in turn impacts a team’s style of play and execution in match situations.
“I think one of the main things is that GEODIS [Park} is a lot bigger, the field is a lot bigger than the D.C. stadium,” said Alex Muyl. “I think I noticed right away when we were in D.C. You can hit a ball clean across the field in D.C., so a team like them who likes to switch the field a lot, that’s [going to] help them a lot, because at any point they can completely change the point of attack. GEODIS [Park} is a lot bigger, and I think that does affect the game a lot of ways.”
