NASHVILLE - Nashville SC is back home for its final regular season match in Major League Soccer to host FC Dallas (8W-5L-7D, 1.55 ppg) on Wednesday night at Nissan Stadium.
Nashville (7W-6L-8D, 1.38 ppg), having already clinched a berth in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, is looking to lock up a home play-in round match as the seventh or eighth seed or a bye to the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the sixth seed.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday night’s match:
Date: Wednesday, November 4
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Nissan Stadium
TV: MyTV30
In-Market Stream: YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, NashvilleSC.com/stream
Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+
English Radio: ESPN 94.9
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7
Broadcast FAQs
Click here for tickets
Click here for stadium safety information
Four-Peat - This will be the fourth time Nashville has faced FC Dallas this season. Three of those four matches are make-ups after both sides missed out on the MLS is Back Tournament. Nashville SC and FC Dallas last clashed on October 20, with Nashville earning a decisive 3-0 victory in front of a national TV audience. Overall, Nashville has two wins and a draw against Dallas and has yet to concede a goal against them this season.
Since that match, Dallas has strung together some solid results, including a 2-1 win over Inter Miami CF that helped Nashville clinch a playoff berth. Head Coach Gary Smith says he expects a hard-fought contest against Dallas.
“They've got a very bright and creative frontline, who have shown in the last couple of games that they're in a good place again,” Smith said. “They went through a little bit of a barren spell with results that weren't quite going their way, but I think they’re starting to show their true colors again. We need to make sure that we come with the same sort of energy and the same sort of desire that we did in the last 3-0 victory. It looked bright; it looked purposeful. Since then, we've had a couple of very tough games here against sides that have been really, really committed. And we need to try and get back onto that front foot and be a little bit more aggressive in our own approach to the game on Wednesday.”
Randall Rounding Into Form - Nashville is on a five-match unbeaten run going into this match. During that stretch, winger Randall Leal has been leading the line for the Boys in Gold. He has two goals and three assists in his last four appearances, including an assist on Daniel Ríos’ goal on Saturday night against Chicago Fire FC.
Pair Leal’s run of form with the potential return of Designated Player and midfielder Hany Mukhtar from injury, and Smith says you could have a strong recipe for success going into the postseason.
“As far as Randall goes, I think we've seen the best run of form of his time here,” Smith said. “He’s got goals and assists and is a real catalyst for the rest of the group. I think there are numerous players looking at him now and really trying to offer him as many opportunities as they can to make a difference. Adding Hany back into the group will be an added dimension and a real positive as we work towards the end of the season and towards the playoffs. My hope is that by the time the season and the schedule is over, we're as close to full health as possible. We'll get a minimum of two weeks to work and prepare, and at that point, if everyone is in the right place, it will give us a wonderful opportunity to be ready for whoever our next opponent is.”
Keeping Focused - Nashville SC has been through a lot to get to this final week of the regular season. Between the tornado, the season shutdown, injuries, compact travel schedule and more, making the playoffs in its inaugural season is a huge accomplishment for the club.
Its recent form has been stellar as well. The club is riding a five-match unbeaten streak, the longest unbeaten run it has recorded in its inaugural MLS season. Nashville’s previous high for matches unbeaten was four, which was accomplished twice. Nashville’s last defeat came on Oct. 11 in a road match against Sporting Kansas City in which the Boys in Gold played with 10 men for most of the match. In this current stretch, Nashville owns a 3W-0L-2D record.
With all of the challenges and successes, Smith says he wants to keep the team’s accolades and recent form in perspective, and keep his players focused on the task at hand.
“We've had a tremendous run of games with just two defeats in 14 or 15 now,” Smith said. “Unbeaten in the last four, we have eight points out of the last 12 aiming for the playoffs. That's not to be scoffed at, and the players are constantly looking for areas that they can improve, and they're always keeping their teammates accountable. So, I want to keep some sort of reality about this. We are building, and we are going to make mistakes. And when we do, I want everyone to know that we're working as hard as we possibly can to keep that development and form going. But I also want to be cognizant of the fact that we’ve done a terrific job, and we've come through an awful lot of difficulties like a lot of other teams. So, we'll keep ourselves honest. The players work tremendously hard. With a home playoff game now at minimum, we desperately want to put that sixth spot under pressure. And we're doing everything we can to try and make that happen on Wednesday.”
Limited tickets for Wednesday’s match are available here.
