It’s still early in the season, but Nashville SC’s match against Charlotte FC on Saturday could significantly affect the standings in the Eastern Conference.
Nashville (4-1-1, 13 points) currently leads the East, despite a recent 1-0 loss in Chicago. Charlotte (3-1-2, 11 points) has a chance to take the top position with a strong performance, riding a four-match unbeaten streak after a 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Union.
Wilfried Zaha, who scored the winning goal for Charlotte last week, will miss this match due to a one-match suspension from yellow-card accumulation.
Coach Dean Smith expressed concern over his team’s failure to adapt to Philadelphia’s halftime adjustments, which could provide future opponents with strategies to exploit his team.
“We need to improve our decision-making when teams adjust their game plans at halftime,” he stated.
In Zaha’s absence, Liel Abada is expected to take his place, despite not scoring this year. Additionally, Rodolfo Aloko, a 19-year-old top performer in MLS Next Pro, has been promoted to the team.
On the other side, Nashville is looking for a way to improve their away performance, having scored 17 goals at home over six matches across all competitions but only managing 4 goals on the road.
“Playing away is always challenging,” midfielder Matthew Corcoran remarked. “We’ve shown our scoring ability at home, and we believe it will translate to away games soon.”
This away struggle isn’t new; last season, Nashville earned 36 points at home, the third best in MLS, but only secured 18 points on the road, ranking 19th in the league.
Coach B.J. Callaghan is hopeful that not having a two-week break, unlike last week, will help his team be more effective in finishing opportunities.