Nashville SC Prepares to Host Charlotte FC After Strong Start to Season
Two months into the regular season, Nashville SC has established the best record in the Eastern Conference while managing matches in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
This Saturday, Nashville will benefit from a rare full week’s rest as it prepares to host Charlotte FC.
Nashville SC (6-1-1, 19 points) had Wednesday off while much of the league was in action. For a change, they also did not have a midweek Champions Cup fixture: Nashville defeated Club America on aggregate last week and is set to face Mexican powerhouse Tigres UANL in the semifinals starting April 28.
“I think when you actually get a full week of training, you can really focus on yourself for periods of time,” Nashville head coach B.J. Callaghan said. “Obviously, when you’re playing every two days, a lot of it has to do with recovery and thinking about what you’re going to do for the opponent.”
Recovery is crucial. Callaghan mentioned that Nashville’s top scorer, Sam Surridge, who has not played since April 11 due to a hamstring injury, is back in practice and available for selection. He is tied with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi for third in the league with seven goals.
The April 11 match marked the first encounter between regional rivals Nashville and Charlotte this season. Edvard Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek scored in either half, securing a 2-1 victory for Nashville.
“We didn’t play well in the first half against Nashville. We never got the ball back,” Charlotte coach Dean Smith said this week. “I didn’t think we pressed as well as we could’ve, with the intensity that we needed to. We certainly need to improve on that.”
Charlotte FC (4-3-2, 14 points) has dropped two of its last three league matches, most recently suffering a 4-1 road loss to Orlando City on Wednesday. This marked Charlotte’s highest goal tally for the season, although Smith insisted that his team performed better than in its previous match, a 2-1 victory over New York City FC. Defender Morrison Agyemang, 21, scored his first career goal in that game.
Smith indicated that defender and U.S. men’s national team captain Tim Ream (adductor) will miss one more match but is expected to be ready for May 2 against the New England Revolution.
“I think they’ve had to make a few adjustments with Tim Ream out,” Callaghan noted, “but what you always see from Charlotte is a really well-coached team, organized in many phases, which allows their individual attacking qualities to shine through.”