CINCINNATI, Ohio (July 15, 2023)– Nashville Soccer Club (11W-8L-5D, 38 pts.) fell 3-1 to FC Cincinnati in a dramatic match that saw the visitors finish down to nine men for the second consecutive match.
Captain Walker Zimmerman scored the lone goal for the Boys in Gold in the 32nd minute when he half-volleyed home a deflection from Cincinnati’s goalkeeper Roman Celentano, following a well-aimed attempt by Randall Leal. The goal marked Zimmerman’s second tally of the season, and his first since the opener at GEODIS Park on Feb. 25.
Cincinnati responded ten minutes later as Luciano Acosta converted a penalty kick after Alex Muyl was penalized for a handball in the 42nd minute.
Coming into the second half, Nashville SC went down two men in a span of two minutes after Taylor Washington and Fafà Picault received their second yellow cards in the 68th and 70th minutes, respectively. Just four minutes later, Cincinnati capitalized by scoring its second goal of the evening.
Nashville continued to push in search of the equalizer through injury time, but Cincinnati buried the final goal in injury time for the decisive 3-1 result.
Gold Cup Finalist: Aníbal Godoy will compete in the 2023 Gold Cup Final when Panama faces Mexico at 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 16 on FOX. Godoy advanced to the Final with a win in penalties against the United States on Wednesday night. Godoy captained the side in the match, playing 102 minutes.
2023 MLS All Stars: Zimmerman and reigning 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar will be joining the best players in the league in the All-Star Game festivities taking place in Washington, D.C. this coming week. This participation will mark Zimmerman’s fourth consecutive appearance and Mukhtar’s second consecutive appearance.
Onto the Next - 2023 Leagues Cup: Nashville SC will now shift gears to the 2023 Leagues Cup, the most anticipated summer soccer tournament for which all MLS and Liga MX clubs will pause their seasons to compete in a clash for the continent that could bring Nashville its first trophy as well as a berth in the Concacaf Champions League. Nashville SC will face Colorado Rapids and Liga MX’s Toluca at GEODIS Park in the Leagues Cup group stage on July 23 and 27, respectively. Tickets can be purchased here.
Match Timeline:
NSH 32’: Randall Leal sends the ball towards the goal, and Walker Zimmerman collects off a deflection from the Cincinnati goalkeeper to score off a half-volley
CIN 42’: Luciano Acosta converts a penalty kick after Nashville SC is called for a handball
CIN 74’: Luciano Acosta threads a ball through the Nashville defense to find Santiago Arias, who chips Joe Willis to score the go-ahead goal
CIN 90’ + 10: Brandon Vazquez finds Aaron Boupendza with space at the top of the box, and Boupendza puts the ball into the lower left corner of the net
Box Score:
Nashville SC (11W-8L-5D, 38 pts.) vs. FC Cincinnati (15W-2L-6D, 51 pts)
July 15, 2023 – TQL Stadium
Final Score:
NSH: 3
CIN: 1
Scoring Summary:
NSH: Walker Zimmerman (Unassisted) 32’
CIN: Luciano Acosta (Penalty) 42’
CIN: Santiago Arias (A: Luciano Acosta) 74’
CIN: Aaron Boupendza (A: Brandon Vazquez) 90’ + 10
Discipline:
CIN: Santiago Arias (Caution) 26’
NSH: Taylor Washington (Caution) 37’
CIN: Luciano Acosta (Caution) 45’+7
NSH: Fafà Picault (Caution) 62’
CIN: Matt Miazga (Caution) 63’
NSH: Taylor Washington (Ejection, Second caution) 68’
NSH: Fafà Picault (Ejection, Second caution) 70’
NSH: Luke Haakenson (Caution) 86’
CIN: Brandon Vazquez (Caution) 87’
CIN: Pat Noonan (Caution) 90’ + 9
Lineups:
NSH Starters: Joe Willis; Lukas MacNaughton, Josh Bauer (Jacob Shaffelburg 90’ + 2), Taylor Washington, Walker Zimmerman (C); Dax McCarty (Sean Davis 57’), Randall Leal (Luke Haakenson 81’), Hany Mukhtar (Teal Bunbury 81’), Alex Muyl, Tah Brian Anunga (Ján Greguš 81’); Fafà Picault
Substitutes: Ethan Zubak, Laurence Wyke, Elliot Panicco
CIN Starters: Roman Celentano; Nick Hagglund (Ian Murphy 90’ + 1), Santiago Arias (Alvas Powell 82’), Yerson Mosquera, Matt Miazga, Alvaro Barreal; Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta (C), Junior Moreno (Marco Angulo 90’); Sergio Santos (Aaron Boupendza 75’), Brandon Vazquez
Substitutes: Alec Kann, Malik Pinto, Raymon Gaddis, Quimi Ordonez, Bret Halsey
Match Officials:
Referee: Ramy Touchan
AR1: Jose Da Silva
AR2: Jeffrey Greeson
4TH Official: Adam Kilpatrick
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
AVAR: Joshua Patlak
Weather: Clear, 78 degrees
