NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 31, 2020) – On Halloween night, playoff-bound Nashville SC (7W-6L-8D, 29 pts.) drew 1-1 against Chicago Fire FC (5W-9L-7D, 22 pts.) at Nissan Stadium.
The draw extends Nashville’s home unbeaten streak to nine matches, earning four wins and five draws since the season restart in August. The club’s last home loss came on February 29th against Atlanta United, 245 days ago.
The result placed the Boys in Gold in eighth place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference based on points per game, the new metric for determining the final 2020 standings. Nashville is level on points per game with the New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution, but sits just beneath the two teams due to Red Bulls’ advantage in overall wins and New England’s advantage in total goals, two of the tiebreakers in the standings.
Clinical Daniel Ríos: Striker Daniel Ríos scored his fourth goal of the season, making him the team’s sole leading scorer. He headed home a Randall Leal cross at the near post to open the scoring in the 28th minute. Ríos took two shots on the night and combined well with his teammates to create looks on goal, notably when he and midfielder Aníbal Godoy exchanged passes in the 23rd minute. All four of Ríos’ goals have come in his last six appearances, and all four were scored at home.
Roaming Randall Leal: Designated Player and winger Randall Leal was Nashville’s creative spark, especially in the first half. He assisted Ríos’ goal with a deft cross, bringing his assist total to a team-high four on the season. Leal has been directly involved in five of Nashville’s last six goals with two goals scored and three assists.
“Wall”ker Zimmerman: Walker Zimmerman made 14 clearances, six recoveries, three interceptions, one block and one tackle tonight. His biggest play came when he slid in front of substitute forward Elliot Collier in the 90+1 minute, blocking the ball off the Fire player for a goal kick to preserve the draw.
What’s Next:
Nashville SC will close the regular season with a match at home against FC Dallas on Wednesday and the final one on the road at Orlando City SC for Decision Day, presented by AT&T on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Match Timeline
NSH – Daniel Ríos (Randall Leal) 28th minute: Dan Lovitz free-kick is cleared to the right side of the box. Walker Zimmerman recovers the ball and crosses. Randall Leal receives it on the left side of the box and crosses into the center. Daniel Ríos meets it on the six-yard box even with the near post and redirects it into the back of the net.
CHI - Boris Sekulić (Mauricio Pineda) 42nd minute: Right-back Boris Sekulić drifts towards the center of the field, and times his run perfectly off the last defender. He receives a pinpoint pass from center-back Mauricio Pineda and finishes at the near post.
Notes
- Daniel Ríos scored his fourth goal of the season in the 28th minute, giving him sole possession of the team lead for goals scored
- Randall Leal’s assist on the goal was his fourth of the season, tying him with Dax McCarty for the team lead
- Jhonder Cádiz took a team-high three shots in the game in just 31 minutes of play
- McCarty, defender Jalil Anibaba and forward David Accam all played for Chicago before joining Nashville. McCarty made 86 appearances in MLS over three seasons, while Accam made 78 appearances over three seasons. McCarty scored one goal and had eight assists with Chicago while Accam scored 33 goals and added 10 assists. Anibaba began his MLS career with Chicago, playing as a consistent starter from 2011-13. He scored four goals and added five assists for the Fire.
- This was the first-ever meeting between Chicago Fire FC and Nashville SC
- Nashville has played on a full moon night twice this season (tonight vs Chicago Fire FC and September 2nd vs Orlando City SC). Both matches ended in 1-1 draws.
- Tonight’s official attendance was 3,987
Up Next
Nashville SC takes on FC Dallas on Wednesday, Nov. 4 for the fourth time season. Nashville has a record of 2W-0L-1D against Dallas. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT at Nissan Stadium and will be broadcast live on MyTV30, ESPN 94.9 and El Jefe.
Video Highlights
BOX SCORE
Nashville SC (7W-6L-8D, 29 pts.) vs. Chicago Fire FC (5W-9L-7D, 22 pts.)
Oct. 31, 2020 — Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
Final Score
NSH 1
CHI 1
Scoring Summary
NSH: Ríos (Leal) 28’
CHI: Sekulić (Pineda) 42’
Discipline
NSH: McCarty (caution), 90’
CHI: --
Lineups
NSH: Joe Willis; Dan Lovitz, Dave Romney, Walker Zimmerman, Alistair Johnston; Dax McCarty, Aníbal Godoy, Alex Muyl (Tah Brian Anunga, 70’), Derrick Jones (Abu Danladi, 59’), Randall Leal (Jalil Anibaba, 89’); Daniel Ríos (Jhonder Cádiz, 59’)
Unused Substitutes: Elliot Panicco, Jack Maher, Eric Miller, Taylor Washington, Matt LaGrassa
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Cádiz, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Ríos, 1); FOULS: 14 (Zimmerman, McCarty, Leal, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 4; POSSESSION: 36.9%
CHI: Bobby Shuttleworth; Boris Sekulić, Mauricio Pineda, Francisco Calvo, Miguel Ángel Navarro (Jonathan Bornstein, 76’); Gastón Giménez, Álvaro Medrán, Przemyslaw Frankowski (Elliot Collier, 82’), Djordje Mihailovic (Fabian Herbers, 76’), Ignacio Aliseda; Robert Beric
Unused Substitutes: Connor Sparrow, Andre Reynolds, Wyatt Omsberg, Carlos Terán, Micheal Azira, Brian Gutierrez
TOTAL SHOTS: 12; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 14; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 0; POSSESSION: 63.1%
Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Brooke Mayo
Fourth Official: Marcos de Oliveira
VAR: José Carlos Rivero
Weather: Clear
Statistics are unofficial.
