NASHVILLE - Nashville Soccer Club’s playoff push begins in earnest as the Boys in Gold pay a visit to the New England Revolution (5W-3L-6D, 21 pts.) on Saturday night.
Saturday’s match will kick off the final phase of the Major League Soccer regular season, leading up to Decision Day on November 8. Nashville (4W-5L-4D, 16 pts.) currently sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points above the playoff line with a match in hand.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match:
Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Gillette Stadium
TV: MyTV30
In-Market Stream: YouTube TV, AT&T TV, NashvilleSC.com/stream
Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+
English Radio: ESPN 94.9
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7
Broadcast FAQs
Playoff Push Begins - Saturday’s clash marks the start of a 10-match stretch to finish the regular season. The Boys in Gold ended September strong with a four-point week featuring a win over D.C. United and a draw with Houston Dynamo.
Head Coach Gary Smith says the team was disappointed to concede a late goal in the draw against Houston, but he praised the team attitude going into the stretch run.
“The players, after feeling very disappointed at the weekend conceding a late goal, have been in good spirits,” Smith said. “I would expect nothing less. We've shown our belief very, very well, in the last few games. You don't always get what you want. But I think the vein that goes through the group, and the form has been progressively decent. And we look forward to the next challenge at the weekend.”
Scouting The Revs - New England has been one of MLS’ most consistent clubs this season. The Revolution only have three losses and have not lost back-to-back matches in 2020. Buoyed by the addition of Lee Nguyen in a trade from Inter Miami CF, the Revolution are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and poised for a playoff run for the second-straight season.
Smith says he knows New England will be a challenging opponent in their building, but also thinks his team is ready to face whatever comes their way.
“I think all of our guys will expect a very, very tough challenge,” Smith said. “They've proven with their league position at the moment, and it doesn't lie, that they're one of the in-form sides. And it certainly won't be easy out there. But I think we've shown over the past, and I don't think anyone should be writing us off. We're more than capable of going to these places, even in the very early stages of our franchise, we're capable of going to these places and getting results.”
300 Games for The Gaffer - Saturday will mark Smith’s 300th professional match as a head coach. It’s quite an honor for a coach that has been involved in the game at multiple levels in both the United States and England.
Smith says it won’t change his approach to the match, but he’ll look forward to celebrating afterwards.
“It's a nice landmark, and I'm pleased I've made it to 300,” Smith said. “There's certain times I felt that it certainly wouldn't get that far. So I'm pleased to be at 300 games, but the game this weekend is all about the performance and points on the board. It will be nice to have a beer or a glass of wine afterwards to celebrate a decent landmark. But until I double that, then I don't think I'm going to be too excited.”
