Nashville SC takes to the road again to face off against Inter Miami CF in its quest for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday.
The Boys in Gold turn their attention to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 after a late Rivalry Week victory over Charlotte FC. Hany Mukhtar’s brace, which included a stoppage-time penalty kick to take all three points back to Nashville, was enough to move Nashville SC to second in the Eastern Conference with a 7W-4D-3L record. The win was the first comeback victory of the season for the Nashville.
Watch Nashville’s Round of 16 match on the CBS Sports Golazo Network. The channel will stream live for free on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app for connected TV devices, the CBS Sports mobile app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: DRV PNK (Fort Lauderdale, FL.)
Transitioning to Open Cup – The journey to this point in the Open Cup for Nashville SC has featured two home matches against USL Championship side San Antonio FC and MLS Western Conference opponent FC Dallas. Tuesday’s matchup will be the club’s first away match in the competition this season and comes off the heels of Saturday’s away match in Charlotte. It’s also the first time the Boys in Gold will have played consecutive away matches this season.
“We have to recover,” Mukhtar said. “It’s very important. It’s a Round of 16. It’s the fastest way to win a trophy and we have to take that seriously. It’s a big opportunity for us.”
Hany Mukhtar is on fire – Mukhtar’s 2023 form has picked up where the reigning 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP left off. The German is tied for first in MLS in combined goals and assists with 13, even with Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada. In addition to Mukhtar’s contributions to the score sheet, head coach Gary Smith has noticed an abundance of energy from the Designated Player.
“If you ask Hany, he could probably play three games in the space of a day,” Smith said. “He loves being out in the field, he thrives in the environment, under pressure, under intensity. There have been times before where I would have pulled him off. What he’s looked like just recently, he’s still full of not just energy, but there’s a spring in his stride. He’s got that glint in his eye again. He sees that there’s opportunities, he sees moments. ‘Don’t take me off, there could be a moment late on.’ I’ve had that often thrown at me as well. I got to tell you, I’m absolutely delighted.”
Recent History – The team’s last matchup against Inter Miami CF came less than a week ago at GEODIS Park, where goals from Fafà Picault and Lukas MacNaughton made the difference on the night. The Boys in Gold maintained better shooting, possession, duels, and tackle stats than Miami last Wednesday. Nashville will look to continue its recent form over Miami and a spot in the quarterfinals.
