It’s easy to forget, at the conclusion of a scoreless draw, that it’s still the preseason. When Nashville SC drew MLS side Chicago Fire in Bradenton, Fla. this afternoon, there’s naturally some disappointment.
Ropapa Mensah and Alan Winn – the two players who combined for what is to date the only goal in club history just over a week ago against Atlanta United – were among the Boys in Gold who squandered chances in what could have been a statement-making performance (as much as any friendly can stand as a statement) this afternoon. Defender Kosuke Kimura also pulled a shot across the frame of goal in the first half, only to find nobody home on the back post for a tap-in. Twice, forward Robin Shroot earned one-v-one opportunities against the Fire’s keeper, and neither time was he able to find a teammate to finish the play or put it in the goal himself.
That’s not to say the Fire were without chances of their own. MLS standouts Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nemanja Nikolić (last year’s Golden Boot winner) were second half subs intended to breathe a little life into an otherwise listless Fire attack. The duo combined to create some chances, but were repeatedly stymied by Nashville keeper CJ Cochran, who entered as a 60th minute sub (in a nearly complete line change for NSC, with only Taylor Washington – who had entered at halftime for Kosuke Kimura – remaining on the field as the ten players around him were changed out).
Eleven days after battling Major League Soccer’s most expensive side, Atlanta United, in a 3-1 loss that felt closer thanks to two of the Five Stripes’ tallies coming on avoidable errors (exacerbated by the weather), the result felt like something of a letdown. However, it’s important to maintain some perspective here, too: the Fire finished ahead of ATL UTD in the Eastern Conference last season, and while the ownership group in Chicago hasn’t spent the astronomical sums of Arthur Blank down in the Peach State, certainly this Fire squad isn’t expected to be among the weaker groups in MLS.
Nashville SC showed that the defensive might is there to sow down talented attacks, even when those attacks boast the likes of a former Germany captain and MLS’s leading scorer from the previous year. The offensive unit was able to create several chances against top-flight defending, and on another day, the finishing could have been a little more slick. It’s probably not going to be a common occurrence to see Mensah shoot low against a diving keeper in an otherwise open net, nor will it be to see Winn mishit one well over when the entire goal is open for the taking.
These are pretty minor mistakes that can be chalked up to the bloody-mindedness of the universe (at least unless and until they are established as a pattern), and we can expect them to be finished more often than not. Against USL opposition, those chances may even occur more frequently, and will likely be finished at a higher rate of consistency.
No, Wednesday’s game was not a perfect one – indeed was far from it – but there are plenty of positives to take from a 0-0 scoreline. There’s also a bit of light shed upon areas of improvement, and it’s up to NSC to get incrementally better with each preseason contest. The next one comes on short rest, with fellow USL Eastern Conference squad Ottawa Fury wrapping up the Florida trip with a Friday afternoon tilt. In the same stadium, will the Boys in Gold be able to get a better result?
Club and Country 