New York City Football Club host Nashville SC this Saturday at Citi Field.
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Ben Wright, a soccer writer based in Nashville.
Hi Ben, thanks for speaking with us. How long have you been covering Nashville?
I've been covering Nashville since they started playing in the USL Championship back in 2018, initially as a podcast with a few friends and then evolving into a website. It's been crazy to see how quickly soccer has grown in Nashville, going from an amateur team in front of a few hundred fans in 2013 to now playing in MLS in their own stadium.
What has been your highlight in that time?
That's a tough question. Like I said earlier, it's been wild just watching soccer grow. I'd have to say the two that stand out were either Nashville's MLS debut back in February 2020 in front of almost 60,000 fans at Nissan Stadium, or opening Geodis Park in 2022. Both were huge milestones for the club, but personally it was really exciting to see the city really rallying around the team.
What were your thoughts on the 2022 season?
2022 was all about Hany Mukhtar. I'd argue he broke out in 2021, finishing second to Carles Gil in MVP voting, and he really took a step forward in 2022. He led the league in both scoring and combined goals and assists, but it's even more remarkable when you look at how much he carried Nashville's attack. He had 34 combined goals and assists. No one else for Nashville had more than 10, and no one else scored more than five.
The Coyotes had a down year defensively. They allowed 41 goals in 2022, 10 more than they did in 2021. They also really struggled at home, winning just six matches at Geodis Park and finishing with the 23rd-worst home record in the league. It really makes Mukhtar's season even more remarkable, because he did a lot of it himself. Fans would have liked to see a longer playoff run, with Nashville failing to win a postseason match for the first time in MLS, but they got a bit of a consolation with Mukhtar taking home the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.
What are your hopes for the 2023 season?
I think there were three main hopes for Nashville heading into the season: be better at home, be better defensively, and get help for Mukhtar.
They've been somewhat better at home, winning two (including the season opener against NYCFC), drawing once and losing once. I think the signs are encouraging, and barring catastrophe the should finish with a significantly improved home record from last season.
They've been exponentially better defensively. Through seven games, they've allowed a league-best two goals. Joe Willis is in the best form of his career, while Jack Maher has really stepped up in his new starting role after Dave Romney was traded. Conceding 0.29 goals a season might not be sustainable, but even if their defense takes a step back they still could challenge Philadelphia's 34 game record of just 0.76 goals against.
Their attack is their main question mark. Mukhtar has been productive, scoring one and assisting three, but it's not quite at the level he produced in 2022. Guys like Jacob Shaffelburg and Fafà Picault have chipped in, but strikers CJ Sapong and Teal Bunbury have combined for just one shot on target. Their attack may improve as the season progresses, and I certainly expect them to be active in the summer transfer market, but it needs to improve for this team to live up to their potential.
I think Nashville's attack (or lack thereof) will determine what happens on Saturday. The defense is strong enough to keep the 'Yotes within a goal of NYCFC, but if they can't generate chances and goals of their own, they won't be able to capitalize. Even if they can score a single goal, it's hard not to like their chances of getting out of Citi Field with a point.
What do you think will be the deciding factor in Saturday's game?
I think Nashville's attack (or lack thereof) will determine what happens on Saturday. The defense is strong enough to keep the 'Yotes within a goal of NYCFC, but if they can't generate chances and goals of their own, they won't be able to capitalize. Even if they can score a single goal, it's hard not to like their chances of getting out of Citi Field with a point.
And for any fans that might be in Nashville for the game are there any spots you'd suggest they check out?
There are several pubs around town that show games. Diskin Cider in South Nashville is one of my favorites. I don't think the team has announced their official watch party location for Saturday yet, so keep an eye out for that.
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