Photo courtesy of Nashville SC
Nashville SC scores four goals to win 7-0 on aggregate against Dominican Republic club Moca FC in the Concacaf Champions League Round of 32 on Wednesday night.
NSC will face Inter Miami in the Round of 16, a rematch from last year’s Leagues Cup Final.
The Boys in Gold scored three of its four goals in the first half. Forster Ajago shined in his debut, scoring two goals, his first in the 38th minute and his second in the 53th minute. Rookie McKinze Gaines started things off by scoring in the 13th minute off of an Alex Muyl assist. Jacob Shaffelburg was stellar all night and scored on a Moca FC deflection in the 45th minute.
Is Ajago Teal Bunbury’s replacement?
Ajago played wonderfully against Moca FC, scoring a brace with opportunities to score a hat trick. The Ghana international and Duke University graduate played the full 90 minutes at the striker position, had an 89 percent accurate passer rating and had six shots on target. He proved in just one game that he can compete on a high level.
His inexperience obviously puts him at a disadvantage. He even missed a penalty late in the game, which would’ve have given him the hat trick. In any other situation, he probably wouldn’t be taking the penalty, so this isn’t something to be concerned over. But with Bunbury’s continual lack of scoring and Surridge’s possible long recovery, Ajago is a clear option to either start or be a strong substitute once Nashville has the international spot to roster him for MLS play.
Goals at home
After three straight home games without scoring a goal (going back to October of 2023) the Boys in Gold scored four against Moca FC. Now, we know Moca isn’t the fiercest competitor the club has faced, but scoring goals, especially that many at home is not something to look past.
This can be a huge morale booster. With players like Shaffelburg and Muyl having great performances, this can help inspire players as well as find out what tactics work and what doesn’t. Shaffelburg needed a big game and he had one the other night, dominating the midfield and showing off his speed on the left side of the pitch. A young player like him needs games like this to inspire and motivate him, especially with Inter Miami coming into town next week.
Can Nashville beat Messi and Miami without Mukhtar?
Messi is still the greatest player in the world and Inter Miami is a better team than they were last year, adding more talent including former Golden Boot winner Luis Suarez. If Nashville is still without Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, do they have a chance to beat Miami on aggregate?
The hope is Mukhtar will be ready by March 7, the first Round of 16 game vs. Inter Miami. But there is still no word on how long Surridge will be out. Without both, it’s going to be very, very, very hard to take down Miami. With Mukhtar, Nashville’s chance skyrocket. For now, we need to wait.
Next up, Nashville SC will head to Colorado to face the Rapids who have continued their awful play after finishing last in the league in 2023. This is another great opportunity for players to build some confidence and score some goals against a subpar team on the road.
After that, Nashville SC will host Inter Miami at GEODIS Park on March 7 for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16.
