June 18, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Nashville SC News Release
Nashville SC (6W-4L-5D, 23 pts.) is back at GEODIS Park this Sunday night for a matchup against Sporting Kansas City (3W-9L-4D, 13 pts.) at 5 p.m. CT.
For the second week in a row, the Boys in Gold will be in the national spotlight on FS1 and FOX Deportes. Nashville is coming off its 25th consecutive unbeaten match at home across all competitions, the longest active home unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer, with last weekend’s draw against San Jose Earthquakes.
Nashville SC will be celebrating Juneteenth and Father’s Day at this weekend’s match. Players will wear special Juneteenth-inspired jersey numbers, with the match-worn jerseys being auctioned next week to support My Brother’s Keeper Nashville. Additionally, adidas Unity pre-match jerseys and jackets that will be worn by the players are available at the Nashville SC Team Store. You can also get your “#1 Dad” shirt for Father’s Day at the Nashville SC Team Store.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s match:
Date: Sunday, June 19
Time: 5:00 p.m. CT
Location: GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
TV: FS1, FOX Deportes
Web Stream: FoxSports.com
English Radio: iHeartRadio Online, Nashville SC App
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7 FM
Finishing Strong – Last weekend, Nashville SC took 14 shots and had six shots on goal, but finished the match with a point in a 0-0 draw.
Head Coach Gary Smith said that his team is looking forward to converting those chances into goals this time around.
“Nobody wants to end up goalless at the end of a home match,” Smith said. “I was delighted that we made enough chances to win the match. I think we’ve seen in the past that we have players in our group that are capable of making a difference, finding that moment when needed. Our home form has been very good, and my hope is that we can reinforce that again this weekend.”
Hitting Our Stride – The Boys in Gold have lost just once since the start of May, earning a 5W-1L-3D in that span across all competitions.
Smith says the team has made tremendous progress since coming home to GEODIS Park on May 1.
“I think we’re hitting a little bit of a groove where we’re creating chances, we’re tough to play against at home, the dimensions and dynamics of the team are getting ever more productive,” Smith said. “Of course, we hope we can maintain the sort of form with the likes of Hany [Mukhtar] and CJ [Sapong], and the wide players have done a great job.”
Kansas City Rematch – This will be Nashville SC’s second matchup of the season against Sporting Kansas City. The last time they faced off on April 9, Nashville won 2-1 on the road thanks to goals from defender Dave Romney and forward CJ Sapong.
In the absence of striker Alan Pulido, who is out for the season due to injury, Sporting Kansas City is led in scoring by wingers Johnny Russell and Dániel Sallói with five and four goals, respectively. This will be Sporting KC’s first trip to Nashville in the club’s MLS history.
Smith said he can take some lessons from the April victory into this match against a tough opponent.
“Any away result is a good away result,” Smith said. “Some lessons to be learned, some areas to appreciate and understand firsthand with how tough they are. I think Peter [Vermes] has done a terrific job to keep them competitive, keep them on a particular pathway that makes them still a tough side to play against. Simply put, the two wide players, Russell and Sallói, have been standout players going forward for them. They’ve still got plenty of experience around the back line and midfield to make life very difficult.”
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