Nashville SC is headed to the Pacific Northwest this Wednesday for a late-night clash against Portland Timbers. Kickoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. CT.
The Boys in Gold are coming off a 1-1 draw at home against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Forward Teal Bunbury scored in his second consecutive start, while Hany Mukhtar provided the assist for his sixth helper of 2022.
Mukhtar has been the driving force in attack for Nashville, having recorded a goal or an assist in six consecutive matches. He leads all MLS players with 46 goal contributions (28 goals, 18 assists) since 2021.
Wednesday will mark the second and final meeting this regular season between Nashville and Portland. The sides played to a 2-2 draw on July 3. Sean Davis and Mukhtar provided the goals in that meeting at GEODIS Park.
The match will also start a busy week for Nashville SC, as the team will host Toronto FC on Saturday upon its return from Portland.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday’s match:
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 3
Time: 9:30 p.m. CT
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
TV: MyTV30
Local Stream: NashvilleSC.com/stream, Nashville SC App
English Radio: iHeartRadio Online, Nashville SC App
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7 FM
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Teal Time – With two goals in as many matches, Bunbury has been heating up since his return to the lineup from injury. Against the Whitecaps, he found himself open in the penalty area and got on the end of a Mukhtar cross to head it home for his 66th career goal.
Bunbury said his goal came as a result of a lot of pressure from the team in the early moments of the match.
“The first little bit of the game, we were putting them under a lot of pressure with corner kicks, being active and trying to run onto the ball after the sequence,” Bunbury said. “I was able to get on the ball and look up early, get a few passes in the box. I just wanted to create some space, make sure I just hit my header on goal.”
Road Cookin’ - Nashville SC has become very familiar with the road grind this season, having started the season with eight matches on the road before opening GEODIS Park on May 1.
Since that eight-match road trip, the Boys in Gold have earned results in three of their five road matches, including wins over D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids. Overall, Nashville SC has a 5W-5L-3D record away from home this season.
Timbers Rematch – Wednesday will mark the second time the Boys in Gold have visited Providence Park. The only other time Nashville SC visited the Rose City was in March of 2020 in the club’s first-ever MLS road match, taking place just days before MLS paused the season due to COVID-19.
This season, Portland is led in scoring by forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda, who has heated up as of late with six goals in his last seven matches. Midfielder Sebastián Blanco is coming off a two-goal performance at Minnesota United FC, including a goal just 13 seconds into the match.
The Timbers sit just one point behind Nashville in the Western Conference standings in seventh place. A win for Nashville could vault the team into a tie for third place in the conference.
