Nashville SC (8W-7L-7D, 31 pts.) rounds out July with its first-ever clash against Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7W-10L-5D, 26 pts.) this Saturday night at GEODIS Park.
The Boys in Gold are coming off a 1-1 draw against cross-conference rivals FC Cincinnati on the road last Saturday night. Forward Teal Bunbury scored his first Nashville SC goal off a first-half set piece.
Nashville sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, just three points shy of third place. With just four points separating third place from eighth place, every point counts in the playoff race.
With seven of the club’s next nine matches at home, there’s no better time to Get N at GEODIS Park and be a part of Nashville’s most unique sports experience. Tickets for Saturday’s match are still available here.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s match:
Date: Saturday, July 30
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
TV: MyTV30
Local Stream: NashvilleSC.com/stream, Nashville SC App
English Radio: iHeartRadio Online, Nashville SC App
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7 FM
Tickets
A-Z Matchday Guide
GEODIS Park Policies
Parking and Transportation Info
Matchday Lineup
Looking for Moore – Saturday's match could potentially mark the Major League Soccer debut of defender Shaq Moore, who was acquired last week from CD Tenerife in LaLiga2.
Head Coach Gary Smith says Moore has integrated into the group very well, and he will have to decide when the right opportunity will be for the U.S. Men’s National Team defender to make his debut. With winger Alex Muyl out due to yellow card accumulation, Moore may have the opportunity to slot into the lineup in front of the home crowd.
“He’s a great lad, very astute individual, very intense and he’s had a really good week,” Smith said of Moore. “There’s was always going to be more competition on that right-hand side. The fact that Alex is suspended means that there are choices to be made. Shaq’s put himself in a much better position, certainly than he was last weekend, but there are still some questions to be answered about what, where and how we make that debut.”
Home Cookin’ - The Boys in Gold have kept up a solid scoring routine in its first few months at GEODIS Park. Nashville has scored in all but one home match this season, including four multi-goal performances in league play.
Smith says he thinks the upcoming stretch of seven out of nine matches at home can be a catalyst to keep building its attacking mojo.
“In terms of stats, we’ve always got to look at the way the schedule has unfolded,” Smith said. “We come into a run of games that are going to be pretty pivotal not only in the way we play, but also in some confidence we can build in our attacking play coming back home.”
‘Caps Comin’ to Town – Vancouver Whitecaps FC is the final team Nashville SC has yet to face in MLS play. The two teams will face off twice in a month, with Saturday’s match at GEODIS Park and an Aug. 27 matchup at BC Place.
The Whitecaps sit in 10th place in the Western Conference, just four points below the playoff line. The team recently acquired defender Julian Gressel from D.C. United to bolster its back line. In attack, Vancouver is led by Lucas Cavallini with seven goals. Ryan Gauld has made an impact as well with his team-leading five assists.
Vancouver won the Voyageurs Cup this week by taking the Canadian Championship Final over Toronto FC on penalties.
Defender Taylor Washington says he’s excited to face a new opponent for the first time.
“I watched some of the Canadian Championship game,” Washington said. “They’re a team that at any given moment can have an incredible attack. They like to throw numbers forward, they’re good at switching the point of play. They haven’t played us either, though. They haven’t played against our defense. I think it’s going to be an excellent matchup.”
