NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 11, 2022) – Nashville Soccer Club advanced to the Round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after earning a 3-2 victory over Atlanta United FC on Wednesday night at GEODIS Park. In the club’s first-ever match in the Open Cup at the MLS level, Nashville SC scored three unanswered goals in the form of Hany Mukhtar, CJ Sapong and Ethan Zubak to complete the win.
Better Late Than Never: Nashville SC forward CJ Sapong scored the equalizing goal in the 92nd minute of play to send the match to extratime. Sapong has now scored goals in back-to-back matches, both of which have come in stoppage time at the exact same minute, after scoring the insurance goal against Real Salt Lake on Sunday.
The Zu Keeper: Nashville SC forward Ethan Zubak secured the game-winning goal tonight in extra time, notching his first goal as a member of Nashville SC. Zubak entered the match as a second half sub, scoring in just his second home appearance in his Nashville SC career.
Welcome Back Neighbors: Nashville SC’s match against Atlanta United on Wednesday marked the seventh all-time meeting between the two sides. The Boys in Gold now own a 3W-2L-2D all-time record against their Southern rivals, while remaining undefeated against them since Sept. 12, 2020, (3W-0L-2D), scoring two or more goals in each match with a goal-differential of plus 7.
Defending The Castle: With the victory on Wednesday, Nashville SC extended the club’s home unbeaten streak to 22 consecutive matches in all competitions. The Boys in Gold remain undefeated at home in 2022 with an 2W-0L-1D record in all competitions after coming off a 2021 season where they became the seventh team in MLS history to go undefeated at home for a full season.
Nashville SC will find out the details of their Round of 16 matchup tomorrow night in the Round of 16 Draw which will be televised on Fútbol Americas which can be seen on ESPN + at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Nashville SC will return to MLS action this Saturday when the Boys in Gold take on Houston Dynamo FC at PNC Stadium in Houston, Texas. Fans can follow all the action on MyTV30 and the NashvilleSC.com/Stream starting with the pregame show at 7 p.m. CT. They can also listen to the call via the free iHeartRADIO app by searching Nashville SC for English and on all three El Jefe stations 96.7FM, 105.3FM, and 810AM for Spanish.
Match Timeline
ATL 13’: Andrew Gutman saves a ball on the endline feeding Thiago Almada who slots home the opening goal
ATL 29’: Luiz Araújo receives a pass inside the 18 and after a first touch banks home the attempt
NSH 50’: Hany Mukhtar converts a penalty attempt after a stutter step
NSH 90 +2’: After consistent pressure, Tah Brian Anunga lays in a pass where CJ Sapong heads in the equalizer
NSH ET 93’: Hany Mukhtar at midfield delivers a wonderful ball that finds a streaking Ethan Zubak and takes care of the finish to give Nashville SC the win
Notes
Nashville SC:
- is now 16W-2L-15D overall at home
- owns a 18W-0D-6L record when scoring two or more goals in a match
- is now 21W-10L-23D against Eastern Conference opponents in all competitions
- has now come from behind to earn results against Atlanta United FC three times, twice now erasing two goal deficits
- scored three goals for the first time this season
- used more subs tonight (six) than they have all season in a match
- earned its first-ever victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as an MLS Club
- has always earned a result in the month of May in all competitions at the MLS level (4W-0L-4D)
- has suffered just one defeat since April 1, 2022
- converted its second penalty of the season, both coming at GEODIS Park
- scored the first goal of the season in the South End of the field at GEODIS Park, all previous goals have come at the North End in front of The Backline
- had five players play 120 minutes (Walker Zimmerman, Dan Lovitz, Tah Brian Anunga, Dave Romney and Joe Willis)
- Head Coach Gary Smith managed his 150th match as the manager of Nashville SC in all competitions dating back to Nashville’s USL era tonight
- Hany Mukhtar converted his first penalty kick of the season, registered an assist and led the squad in total shots (3)
- Tah Brian Anunga earned an assist on the Sapong goal, his first of the season
- CJ Sapong has scored in back-to-back matches
- Walker Zimmerman led the team tonight in touches with 67 and wore the Captain’s armband
- Ethan Zubak scored his first goal as a Nashville SC player
Box Score:
Nashville SC (1W-0L-0D) vs. Atlanta United FC (1W-1L-0D) Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
May 11, 2022 – GEODIS Park
Final Score
ATL: 2
NSH: 3
Scoring Summary
ATL: Thiago Almada (Andrew Gutman, Marcelino Moreno) 13’
ATL: Luiz Araújo (Marcelino Moreno) 29’
NSH: Hany Mukhtar (Penalty) 50’
NSH: CJ Sapong (Tah Brian Anunga) 90 + 2’
NSH: Ethan Zubak (Hany Mukhtar) ET 3’
Discipline
ATL: Franco Ibarra (caution) 46’
ATL: Alan Franco (caution) 48’
ATL: Dom Dwyer (caution) 86’
NSH: Tah Brian Anunga (caution) 88’
NSH: Handwalla Bwana (caution) ET 30’
Lineups
NSH: Joe Willis, Jack Maher (Eric Miller 69’), Walker Zimmerman ©, Dave Romney; Daniel Lovitz, Alex Muyl (Handawalla Bwana 77’), Sean Davis (Dax McCarty 88’), Tah Brian Anunga, Luke Haakenson (Ethan Zubak 76’); Hany Mukhtar (Taylor Washington ET, 23’), Aké Loba (CJ Sapong 90 +2’)
Unused Substitutes: Bryan Meredith
ATL: Bobby Shuttleworth, Alex De John, Alan Franco, Andrew Gutman (Brooks Lennon 58’), Ronald Hernández, Thiago Almeda (Santiago Sosa 81’), Franco Ibarra (George Campbell 68’), Moreno (Emerson Hyndman 69’), Matheus Rossetto ©, Neto, Morell Cisneros (Dom Dwyer 81’)
Unused Substitutes: Rocco Rios-Novo, Amar Sejdic
REFEREE: Elton Garcia
AR1: Justin Howard
AR2: Tiffini Turpin
4th: Wes Caouette
Weather: Clear, 86 degrees
