Photo courtesy of Nashville SC
The Boys in Gold opened up their MLS season with a 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls with the help of keeper Joe Willis putting on a clinic with four huge saves.
Nashville relied on Willis to keep the game scoreless while they were without 2022 MVP Hany Mukhtar and striker Sam Surridge. Both were injured during the team’s 3-0 Concacaf Champions League win against Moca FC.
The offense was extremely quiet, especially in the first half when NSC only attempted one shot. New York on the other hand took 12 shots along with three corner kicks. Fans got to see newly signed Tyler Boyd put in a lot of work to keep New York out of the Nashville net. In the second half, Nashville showed some offensive prowess, taking four shots and have three corners.
But it was Willis who came out as the star of the match. He made a massive save in the 44th minute on a shot from Emil Forsberg which would’ve found its way into the net eight out of 10 times. He saved another shot in the 63rd minute which he deflected off the crossbar. Without his efforts, Nashville may have walked away with a loss to start the season.
Despite the offensive struggles, Nashville showed that they can still be one of the best defenses in the league. Performances from Shaq Moore, Jack Maher, and Brian Anunga shined as NSC worked tireless to keep the ball in the midfield.
Walker Zimmerman and Anibal Godoy both came in halfway through the second half to help give a push on offense. This is when NSC saw its most opportunities but still failed to come up with a goal.
The obvious negative takeaways from the season opener were the loss of both Mukhtar and Surridge. The team needs to find a way to create offense without their two star scorers, especially if Surridge is out for an extended period of time. The team’s second biggest issue is speed. Outside of Jacob Shaffleburg, Nashville is incredibly slow. And without Fafa Picault this season, they will need to find someone on the bench or on the market, to add speed to the squad. If not, most of the play will take place in the midfield for at least 60 minutes per game.
Next up, Nashville hosts Moca FC for the second leg of Round One of the Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 8:15 p.m. CT at GEODIS Park. No updates have been given on the status of Mukhtar or Surridge.
