Image: Courtesy of Nashville SC
Watching B.J. Callaghan from inside Geodis Park on Wednesday night told a story of frustration and confusion, confirming plenty of work needs to be done to rescue a sinking Nashville SC squad that hasn’t earned a point in any competition since June 22.
Nashville retained 66% of the ball in its Leagues Cup clash with Mazatlán FC in Callaghan’s Nashville SC debut, but rarely advanced the ball. The Boys in Gold managed seven shots, only one of which was directed on target, and the new gaffer was clearly frustrated by his group’s early refusal to attack.
He frequently threw his arms in the air and suggested with his hands to move the ball forward, pleading for his players to put pressure on the opposition. A defeated sigh and quick 360-degree turn to lock eyes with his assistants were frequent reactions to his midfield playing a ball back to its center-backs rather than opt for an aggressive pass.
Callaghan preached maintaining a high line, something the Boys in Gold did well throughout most of the match despite needing the occasional ushering of bodies up the pitch by Callaghan from the technical area following a clearance.
These reactions are indicative of two things. First, Callaghan truly wants to play attacking soccer. Every coach says they do during interviews and in press conferences, but it is easy to revert to safe tactics and defending in your club debut. Second, Nashville SC does not know how to play that brand of aggressive, attacking soccer that Callaghan so desperately desires to play.
With incessant backward passes and attackers regularly forced to play with their backs to the goal due to slow, indecisive build up play, new blood will need to be brought into the locker room that fit Callaghan’s scheme — and players that do not will need to be sent elsewhere.
Three Takeaways from the Match
1) Patrick Yazbek Excites in Debut
The boss was not the only Nashville man to make his club debut on Wednesday. Patrick Yazbek impressed in his inaugural outing, moving the ball with ease and delivering 13 passes into the final third. His off-ball movement was excellent to boot, frequently finding himself along the sideline or in open space after dishing the ball to a teammate in an effort to spark a forward move.
While his defense left a bit to be desired (winning only two of 10 duels), the Australian provided an energy in the middle of the pitch that Nashville has severely lacked this season, especially when paired with Amar Sedjić in the second half who had a brilliant showing of his own.
2) Fearful Defending
Both of Mazatlán’s goals were courtesy of its 19-year-old winger Ramiro Arciga. Each strike was worthy of finding the back of the net, although the first took a deflection of Dan Lovitz. In both instances, Lovitz and Jack Maher played far too passively.
Both defenders allowed Arciga to run directly at them as they continued to backpedal, ultimately getting caught on their back foot and creating an easy shooting lane for the opposition. Had Lovitz taken a step towards his defender in either scenario, perhaps he could have disrupted Arciga’s run.
Being more afraid of making a mistake in one-on-one defending scenarios than getting beaten has been commonplace among Nashville’s backline this season. Considering Callaghan’s aggressive mentality, we will see if he encourages his players to risk a step towards an attacker to cut down on free real estate afforded to him.
3) Things Will Take Time
While I would like to say I was shocked to see several complaints about Callaghan and calls for a new head coaching search to commence on Instagram and X following the match, that’s how sports are — fans want to win, and they want to win now.
That being said, Nashville SC faces a plethora of problems that need to be solved, not the least of which is needing to overhaul its roster. It is absurd to expect this club to turn around overnight, and I would not expect the results to improve drastically until Callaghan and Jacobs get the chance to retool the squad in the offseason.
However, fans were afforded a glimpse of what Nashville SC soccer could look like in 2025 — high lines, midfielders who are strong on the ball and an urge from its head coach to advance the ball. Possession isn’t good enough for Callaghan. He wants to create chances and force the opposition into the same defending predicaments Nashville has been thrusted into time and time again this season.
Expect plenty more changes over the final few months of the season. Callaghan needs to assess his players under match pressure, not just on the training pitch. I bet we see plenty more of Yazbek in the upcoming matches as Callaghan asses his midfield pairing options to conclude 2024.
It’s an exciting time for Nashville SC, but there will be losses. Likely many more of them.
