Nashville SC will conclude its stretch of four straight home matches to start the 2021 season on Saturday when it hosts New England Revolution at 12:30 p.m. CT at Nissan Stadium. The match is presented by Heineken.
The Boys in Gold will look to secure its first win of the season after starting 2021 on an unbeaten run with three draws. And they’ll look to do it against the current Major League Soccer Eastern Conference leaders.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s matinee match:
Date: Saturday, May 8
Time: 12:30 p.m. CT
Location: Nissan Stadium
Tickets: Click Here
TV: MyTV30
In-Market Stream: NashvilleSC.com/stream
Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+
English Radio: ESPN 94.9
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7
Seeking Win #1 – Nashville SC has started the season on a three-match unbeaten run, and will be looking to add its first victory to the run.
Captain Dax McCarty, who shared his views of the first three matches of the season on Twitter last week, says he’s ready to build on the start of the season and work towards that first win.
“I think we’re trying to evolve as a team, and with evolution comes a little bit of challenge and a little bit of frustration,” McCarty said. “I said it on social media because I believe it. We aren’t happy with three points from three home games. I don’t think it’s up to our standards that we set for ourselves as a club. With a very frontloaded home schedule, we need to be picking up positive results and three points at home.”
Beasts of the East – After making a run to the Eastern Conference Final of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in 2020, the Revolution are once again turning heads around the league. The MLS original club has started its 26th season with two wins and a draw, good enough for first place in the East.
The Boys in Gold are relatively familiar with the Revolution, having played twice in 2020.
Head Coach Gary Smith says he is fully prepared for a tough test against one of the conference’s best teams.
“They are one of the most complete groups in the Eastern Conference,” Smith said. “They’re capable of not conceding, capable of competing, difficult at both ends of the field on set pieces and also incredibly talented at creating their own opportunities. It’s going to be a really tough game. We know from last year that they’ll come and want to force the issue; they’ll want to get on the front foot. I would expect nothing less than maybe the most difficult encounter that we’ve run into.”
Balancing Act– According to Smith, establishing a balance between an offensive explosion and defensive strength will be crucial to the team’s success moving forward.
"Making sure we’re as tough as we were last week to play against is also a key to winning any game. We’re slowly getting there. It’s not an easy process given the past that we were on through preseason, but the guys are in a good place.”
Click here for tickets to Saturday’s match, presented by Heineken.
