An undeniably chaotic and grueling month of August will pull no punches at the death, as FC Cincinnati prepare to travel to Nashville. Awaiting The Orange and Blue in The Music City are the Eastern Conference leading “Boys in Gold”
FC Cincinnati:
August began with gusto for FCC, as a string of three consecutive wins in all competitions seemed to set the table for a perhaps season defining stretch. Yet a mid-month blunder in Leagues Cup action has left The Orange and Blue wanting for a boost as fall looms.
Leading the line will be the Brazilian magician and MLS MVP candidate Evander, who leads the league in goal contributions with 24. His tally puts him in rare air, as only Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi has also surpassed the 20 goal contribution milestone.
FCC’s offensive brilliance stretches beyond the star #10, as the squad has collectively tallied an impressive 49 goals in MLS play thus far. In fact they prowl well within club record range for goals in a season, needing only 16 more tallies in their final 13 matches to surpass the previous mark of 64 set in 2022.
Among the challenges the month of August presented, some improvements came from the forge. The defense saw a boost in performance, allowing two or fewer goals in all seven matches hitherto.
Traveling to Nashville will provide a rigorous challenge, with an exponential amount of reward attached to a victory. However this task will be easier said than done.
Nashville SC:
B.J. Callaghan’s third season on the touchline for Nashville has proven to be his magnus opus thus far. Sitting 10 points clear in the East, and 9 points clear in the Shield race, there has been little to slow down this side.
Anchored centrally by Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi, and accented out wide by Andy Najar and Daniel Lovitz, this Nashville defensive has been nothing short of stifling this campaign. Surrendering a mere 17 goals in 21 league fixtures, it should come as no surprise that this side is one of the best in MLS.
Yet holding your opponents scoreless won’t win you points alone, you must have a complimentary attack. This is something Nashville possess in spades.
Led by 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, and boosted by 2025 MLS Golden Boot runner-up Sam Surridge, this attack has found the back of the net 43 times. Extrapolating upon their lethality, newcomer Christian Espinoza has contributed a team-leading 10 assists. All said, this trio has combined for 40 goal contributions this season.
With their form in hand, Nashville will seek to rectify their past proclivity for dropping points to FC Cincinnati at GEODIS Park. It has been five years since Nashville last defeated The Orange and Blue at home, that win coming when the Boys in Gold still shared quarters with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL.
With a win and some favorable results further up the table, FC Cincinnati could claw their way closer to those elusive Top 4 spots in the East on Saturday evening. On their side, FCC will have their first full week of rest during the month, along with a coming-along defense and proven explosive offense. However across the aisle stand the proverbial titans of MLS this season.
Match Info:
When: Saturday, August 29th at 8:30 PM E/T
Where: GEODIS Park
Watch: AppleTV+
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