Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
As change runs rampant through Nashville SC, a daunting matchup between second-place FC Cincinnati and a Nashville SC side outside the playoff picture played out in Southwest Ohio on Wednesday night. Nashville entered the match with plenty to prove against its regional rivals who rode Major League Soccer’s longest active win streak into the contest.
A gutsy, attack-minded attitude underlined every move Nashville SC made in the match, a performance that earned the club its first road win of the season and Rumba Munthali his first win as interim head coach.
All of a sudden, a struggling Nashville side rife with turmoil now finds itself undefeated in its last four outings and on the cusp of a playoff spot.
Initial Thoughts
Immediately, Nashville’s lineup reflected that of a midweek rest for several players who ran heavy in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with CF Montreal. Dru Yearwood and Brian Anunga took over for Sean Davis and Aníbal Godoy in the center of the pitch. Up top, Alex Muyl replaced Tyler Boyd while Teal Bunbury manned the No. 9 position for Sam Surridge.
Considering the lineup, being the only club to dismiss its head coach during the season and its opponent entering the match one win shy of MLS’ second-longest winning streak in league history, a single point would have likely felt like a victory for the Boys in Gold away from home.
However, a blistering opening and a clear tactical pivot by Rumba Munthali to press high and throw bodies forward after being shut out four days ago resulted in perhaps Nashville’s highlight win of the season.
The Run of Play
Nashville got off to about as perfect of a start as any fan would dream of. It split the possession with the hosts over the first 25 minutes of play and looked like an entirely different group with the ball at its feet than it did the match prior. Brilliant defending and recoveries from Brian Anunga thwarted two strong attempts from Cincinnati early, keeping thing level until Nashville’s second corner kick of the match.
In the 25’ minute, Hany Mukhtar whipped in a beauty from the corner flag as Maher wiggled into position inside the box. Fighting through bodies and dipping his head to connect with the ball, the center-back drove his header into the ground and through traffic, ultimately bouncing into the net for his first of the season.
Four minutes later, Jacob Shaffelburg scored his first league goal of the season off yet another sensational Hany Mukhtar assist. The play started with a brilliant dispossess by Dru Yearwood in the middle of the pitch, and rather than immediately pass the ball to its backline as it so often does, the ball moved froward and caught the hosts out of position. Mukhtar advanced the ball, found the Canadian international in acres of space on the left wing, and Shaffelburg put enough pace on his shot to deflect off keeper Roman Celentano and into the goal.
Within just 29 minutes, Nashville matched its road goal total since the start of the 2024 MLS campaign.
The second half primarily feature Nashville SC defending against a rabid Cincinnati attack, and they did so in a way that resembled 2023’s best defense in the league. Cincinnati peppered Joe Willis’ goal 14 times over the last 45 minutes and forced four saves from the keeper, and Nashville was clinical in virtually every one-on-one defending scenario.
Three Key Takeaways
1) First, Nashville played with a confidence it had not displayed in weeks, something two early goals will inspire. Its midfielders were not afraid to move forward, its passing in tight areas and while under pressure from Cincinnati was impeccable and its first three substitutions — Josh Bauer, Tyler Boyd and Brent Kallman — all made immediate impacts.
2) Hany Mukhtar was able to play as a true No. 10. As of late, the former MVP has been forced to the back of Nashville’s 4-2-3-1 formation to get the ball at his feet. On Wednesday night, he was able to stay high, play unselfishly and find his attacking support in dangerous areas rather than around the midline. This is the version of Hany Mukhtar that is critical for Nashville to score goals and climb the table.
3) The curse is broken. Nashville SC finally won its first match away from Geodis Park this season, something that took the club seven road matches to do. With its next match at home vs. the last-place New England Revolution on Saturday, this midweek victory could spark a midseason run for the Boys in Gold in middle Tennessee.
Man of the Match
With two assists, four chances created and three shots, you would be hard pressed to pick anybody but Hany Mukhtar. Despite quality efforts from the likes of Maher, Zimmerman, Shaffelburg and Yearwood, Mukhtar looked like his MVP-caliber-self and made the difference in the match.
