Autor: Steven Boero

Previewing Nashville SC’s Second Leg Vs. Inter Miami

Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Nashville SC takes on Inter Miami in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 in what should be one of the most exciting games of the early season.

Inter Miami will host NSC at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:15 p.m. CT.

The Boys in Gold went up 2-0 on the Lionel Messi led side but Miami tied it up behind goals from Messi and Luis Suarez in stoppage time. This game saw the excellence of Jacob Shaffelburg who scored two goals and the return of Hany Mukhtar. But it was the physicality that stole the headlines with cheap shots taken on Shaffelburg, to Anibal Godoy’s scuffle with Miami stars, to the so-called “no call” on Lukas MacNaughton.

The emotions were on last Thursday’s matchup and are expected to be high again with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

Here’s what to look out for on Wednesday night’s game.

Healthy Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge

Hany Mukhtar made the start against Miami and then came in as a substitute in Nashville’s 2-2 MLS draw against LA Galaxy. And to the joy of many fans, Sam Surridge made his second appearance of the season when he replaced Teal Bunbury in the 75th minute.

It will not be surprising if we see Mukhtar starting again against Miami but it’s hard to believe that Surridge is ready to star. The Englishman will most likely make a second half entrance, offering an extra layer danger for Miami they didn’t have to face last match.

Nashville performed very well with a slow Mukhtar and no Surridge but now will have the opportunity to show their stronger side.

Prepare For a Card Show

There was shockingly only one yellow card shown in the first matchup between these two team despite the physicality. Fans got to see replays of cheap shots taken against Shaffelburg and even more complained about a card not being shown to MacNaughton after Messi ran into his cleats on a clearance.

Godoy is by far one of the most physical players on the pitch every game. Things got very chippy when he and Messi and other Miami players got in each others faces. Tensions will be high again. Despite their ages, Messi, Suarez, and Godoy are all fierce competitors and want silverware.

With all this tension and outside attention, don’t be surprised if the referee tries to have a bit more control of the game.

Shut Down Messi, Shut Down Suarez

The key for a Nashville SC win is to shut down Messi and to shut down Suarez. It’s quite simple yet will be the most difficult job for the defense. Both scored goals last game and in the second half, playing all 90 minutes plus stoppage time despite their age.

Now, with Walker Zimmerman likely not to be available, things will be even more difficult for the Nashville defense. NSC will have to rely on MacNaughton, Shaq Moore, Dan Lovitz, and Jack Maher to add pressure on the former Barcelona superstars.

Projected Starting Lineup

Bunbury
Shaffelburg | Mukhtar| Muyl
Godoy | Davis
Lovitz | MacNaughton | Maher | Moore
Willis

martie 13, 2024
Belmont Needs to Play Perfect: MVC Tournament Preview

Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Athletics

The Bruins have entered the postseason winning seven of the last eight games, one of the hottest teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Their three stars (Malik Dia, Cade Tyson, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie) have proven to be top-tier talent, not only in the MVC, but also in the country.

Their efforts have landed Belmont the No. 5 seed in the MVC Tournament, facing last place Valparaiso on Thursday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT in St. Louis.

Belmont is hot but a lot needs to happen if they want the auto bid into the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Near perfect play is going to be demanded from them if they plan on beating teams like North Iowa, Indiana State, and Drake.

Tyson has played brilliantly throughout the season and is one of the deadliest three-point shooters the Bruins have ever had. He is currently averaging 16.7 ppg, 6 rpg, and is shooting 47.8% from the three-point line. Tyson is second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.

He’s scored 16 points or more in six of the past seven games. He needs to be that guy during this tournament. A bad night from Tyson will likely mean an early exit from the MVC Tournament. But this is a similar story for both Mia and Gillespie.

Gillespie has proven to be indispensable this season after being sidelined for a month. His ball movement and athletic ability is unreal as he is averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.2 apg, and is shooting an asinine 57 percent from the field.

Most notably, he scored 23 points against Drake and 26 points against Southern Illinois. We didn’t get a chance to see him play Indiana State or Bradley due to his injury. But this could be to Belmont’s advantage as these teams didn’t have chance defend Gillespie either.

Pending fatigue, Gillespie is a player that has the ability and skill to be the tournament MVP.

The other guy that is key for Belmont is Malik Dia. Dia has been great for Belmont, when he isn’t on the bench. Dia has sort of been a work in progress for head coach Casey Alexander. He has had huge games for the Bruins while also having some duds.

Dia dropped 32 points against Drake in early January, going 5-8 from behind the arc. He also scored 22 points against Indiana State and 20 against Bradley. He’s averaging 16.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and is shooting 48% from the field. He is 40th in the country in field goals made with 197.

Sadly, Dia has had some not-so-great performances including his final game of the regular season against Evansville where the sophomore only scored two points in 12 minutes played. In mid-February, he only scored nine points on Southern Illinois and only 12 points in the team’s second meetup against Drake.

His minutes per game are all over the place, from playing less than 20 to over 30 minutes at times. Dia averages 23.2 minutes per game and will most likely not be losing minutes in the tournament unless he’s in foul trouble.

A poor Dia performance may not kill the Bruins early in this tournament but, if they face Indiana State in the semifinals, a bad night from will hurt Belmont’s chances.

First, Belmont needs to beat Valparaiso. They face Beacons on Thursday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT. If they win, they will face UNI the following day at 2:30 p.m. CT. The first two rounds of the MVC Tournament can be watched on ESPN+.

martie 6, 2024
Nashville SC Offense Shuts Down Moca FC 4-0 With Forster Ajago Brace

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.

februarie 29, 2024
Joe Willis Proves He’s Still a Top Keeper in 0-0 Draw vs. the New York Red Bulls

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.

februarie 26, 2024
Music City Grand Prix Moved to Nashville Superspeedway

Photo: Courtesy of IndyCar

NASHVILLE – The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will have a new venue for the 2024 NTT IndyCar season, moving the race to the Nashville Superspeedway.

Due to the upcoming construction of the new Tennessee Titans stadium, MCGP Chief Operations Officer (COO) Scott Borchetta, has announced that the best path forward for this year’s event is to run at Superspeedway on the same weekend as previously announced. This remains the IndyCar Series season finale on Sunday, Sept. 15 on NBC.

“With construction set to begin for the new Titans Stadium, the Grand Prix operations team knew they’d be faced with new challenges, knowing that the course used for the first three years would have to change dramatically for 2024’s race,” Borchetta said. “With several key locations around the stadium not available as in years past and with the proposed course change to run through the streets of downtown Nashville, we simply don’t have the proper space needed by the race teams nor the proper access for downtown businesses and residences to execute the world-class event that is expected by our amazing fans, IndyCar teams and sponsors.”

“With the significant challenges of the proposed new layout and unknowns with the new stadium construction, which has been the center of operations for the first three years of the Grand Prix, the decision has been made to move the 2024 race to the Nashville Superspeedway.”

Borchetta reiterated the strong relationship the MCGP has with both the Titans and the city of Nashville and that they plan to race in the streets of downtown Nashville once it is accessible for both the track and the fans.

“The Music City Grand Prix has been more than a race. It’s a festival that celebrates both Nashville and racing,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “We appreciate Scott Borchetta and Big Machine’s vision and partnership and look forward to the race returning to downtown Nashville in the future. I’ve enjoyed attending all three Music City Grand Prix races and appreciate their continued commitment to Nashville. Racing at the Nashville Superspeedway will add new intrigue to this year’s event.”

The NTT IndyCar Series raced at the iconic, 1.33 mile, D-shaped oval from 2001-08. Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon is the last driver to reach victory lane at the venue, with a commanding “three-peat” in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Nashville Superspeedway is known for its high-intensity, wheel-to-wheel action, and as the season finale it will be the first oval in a decade to decide an NTT IndyCar Series championship (Fontana, 2014).

“Nashville Superspeedway is ideally suited to our highly competitive and extremely intense style of racing, and we look forward to adding a Speedway Motorsports track to our schedule,” Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles said. “Our fans will eagerly anticipate watching a championship be decided on a high-speed oval, with NBC providing a must-see network telecast to viewers around the country. Scott and his team will do a terrific job organizing our finale weekend, and I’m incredibly appreciative of their efforts to pivot and find a fitting venue for our fans, drivers and teams.”

Indy NXT by Firestone, the developmental series for the NTT IndyCar Series, will also shift its 2024 championship finale to Nashville Superspeedway.

More details on weekend festivities, schedule and ticket options will be forthcoming. The event remains committed to a presence downtown leading up to the race, with activations and entertainment celebrating the finale to be unveiled at a later date.

februarie 20, 2024
A Nashvillians Guide to the 2024 NASCAR Season

Photo: Courtesy of Trackhouse Racing.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla– The NFL season has come to an end, NASCAR will be taking center stage with the Daytona 500 kicking off the 2024 NASCAR season on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Since Covid, NASCAR has grown in popularity, seeing a boost in attendance and TV ratings. NASCAR has also grown a lot, adding new qualifying rules, adding dirt tracks as well as racing through the streets of Chicago. With all this growth, it’s hard not to get excited. But if you’re not a NASCAR fan or haven’t followed the sport in a while, where do you start?

For Nashville, this is one of the best times to be a NASCAR fan since the late 1970’s. The Ally 400 race is becoming a must-see and must-attend event and Music City has hosted the annual NASCAR Awards the past three years. Plus there are a handful of Nashville teams and drivers that fans can get pumped for.

Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing team and Ross Chastain

Ross Chastain celebrating his Ally 400 win on Victory Lane. Photo: Courtesy of Trackhouse Racing.

One team that is really easy to get behind is the Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing team. They launched in 2021 with Mexican-born driver Daniel Suarez. Ross Chastain joined in 2022 after a quiet debut season. Chastain gave Trackhouse its first win at the 2022 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. He would win again at Talladega before Suarez picked up his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma. Chastain finished second in points and Suarez finished 10th.

Suarez’s No. 99 car was sponsored by famous honky tonk Tootsie’s at multiple races throughout the past two seasons.

In 2023, Trackhouse continued its success with a huge win at the Ally 400 at the Nashville Superspeedway when Chastain won the pole (the team’s first) and then won the race. He would finish the season ninth in points with 10 top-five finishes and a win in the final race of the season.

This season should be another big season for Trackhouse as Chastain has solidified himself as a legit championship contender and a driver who is not afraid to make enemies on the track. His rough-and-tumble personality has made him into a bit of a heel in NASCAR. This team and driver is a great choice to follow going into the 2024 season.

Chastain is starting 21st and Suarez is starting 13th at the 2024 Dayton 500.

Hendersonville native Josh Berry joins the Cup Series

Josh Berry after winning at Dover Motor Speedway. Photo: Courtesy of JR Motorsports.

Another highly anticipated driver going into 2024 is Hendersonville, TN native Josh Berry. Berry had major success the past two seasons with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team JR Motor Sports at the Xfinity Cup level. Last season he signed with Stewart-Haas Racing to take over the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Kevin Harvick who retired.

Berry won five races for JR Motor Sports including three races in 2022. These include wins at Dover, Martinsville, and two in Las Vegas. He finished 2022 and 2023 with 11 top-five finishes in each season. Now he has the chance to show off his skills in the Cup Series full-time.

He already has Cup experience, making 10 Cup Series starts, with a second-place finish on April 2 at Richmond Raceway while subbing for the injured Chase Elliott.

Berry is starting in 30th at the Dayton 500.

Big Machine Racing back with a new driver in 2024

Scott Borchetta and Parker Kligerman. Photo courtesy of Big Machine Racing

Another Nashville team to keep an eye on this season is Big Machine Racing in the Xfinity Series. The team started in 2021 with driver and Nashville native Jade Buford.

It was founded by CEO and founder of Big Machine Label Group Scott Borchetta who is an avid racing fan and driver. He grew up racing in California and has raced in the Trans Am Series for a number of years.

Though the team didn’t see much success in 2021, it picked up its first win in 2022 when Tyler Reddick took over the No. 48 car and won at the Texas Motor Speedway. But in 2023, the team decided to make Parker Kligerman the full-time driver of the No. 48 car.

He went on to have a solid season, picking up seven top-five finishes including a second-place finish at Road America. His efforts put him and the team in the playoffs for the first time ever.

The team is entering its fourth season and will need to pick up steam if it wants to be a competitor in the increasingly competitive Xfinity Series. Kligerman has proven himself as the driver. The team will have a lot to prove to NASCAR if they want more sponsors and possibly a second driver.

Kligerman will start fourth at the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Fans can catch the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. CT.

februarie 16, 2024