Tuesday’s meeting with Orlando City SC will mark the first-ever MLS Playoff match at GEODIS Park.
After a 1-0 loss to the Lions at Exploria Stadium last Monday, the Boys in Gold must defeat Orlando City at GEODIS Park to force a decisive Match Three in the first round of the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Date: November 7, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone and the 104.5 The Zone App
Pressure is a privilege – Due to the result in Orlando, Nashville SC finds itself in a must win match at GEODIS Park.
“Pressure is a privilege, and I think that that’s kind of the mantra that we have to take going into this game,” said Dax McCarty. “When our backs have been against the wall, specifically in Leagues Cup, I think we’ve shown up and we’ve performed. We know that we’re going to have a great atmosphere, we know that we’re going to have the crowd behind us, and we know that at home, we have no excuses. We have to go out and win the game. It’s good to feel that pressure. It means that you’re alive, it means you’re excited about the game. It’s just managing those emotions, making sure that we don’t let our emotions get the best of us in a big game. I think if we can do that, we have a very good chance of getting this to a third game.”
A familiar foe – With Match One completed and a regular season match played just over a month ago, The Boys in Gold and the Lions have played two matches against each other in a short time span.
“Having been around this group for a long time now, obviously, I’m feeling a group of players that have no fear in the game they’re going into,” said head coach Gary Smith. “I don’t think either of the two games that we played against Orlando in the last month … has there been at any point in time a concern about what they’re walking into. I think there’s a respect for what and how the opposing group are going to play, but if you look at both of those games in recent times, they’ve been such fine margins.
“My hope is that in this game alone, we can show the sort of passion … that’s needed for the game and the moment. The sort of performance that I know we’re very, very capable of at home and we’ve seen on multiple occasions that are not only worthy of winning a game, but the sort of picture that the fans want to see on this occasion.”
