When Nashville SC traveled up to Cincinnati last weekend, there was no live stream. For NSC fans eager to get any possible glimpse of their club – and particularly against an FC Cincinnati team expected to be one of the USL’s best – that was a major letdown. While there’s still no way watch the whole game, Nashville SC coach Gary Smith fills in what we missed.
“In a nutshell really, I thought the first half, we pretty much dictated,” Smith explained. “I was very pleased with the number of opportunities and the territorial advantage we had. I can remember two or three good opportunities other than the goal itself. I was very, very disappointed that with really one effort on goal, they scored. Of course, all goals, we’ll look at when we concede – all coaches will – and say, ‘it can be avoided.’ I thought in the main, we bossed a game and that, when you look at where Cincinnati are, and the type of rivals and competition they’ll be, was very pleasing.
“Second period, without a shadow of a doubt, Cincinnati were better than they were in the first half. I thought after maybe a three- or four-minute intro into the second half, they were probably the better side for about 20, 25 minutes [until FCC made mass subs]. When I look back at the footage, there was a little bit more, a drive to their game. Whilst they didn’t create many chances, they certainly had us on the back foot. The game was a lot more difficult for us. I thought we finished strong: the last 10-12 minutes, we created two or three good openings, and good sights at goal again. Of course, we earned a penalty out of one of them.
“In the end, chances created, I thought we were the better team, but overall, probably a draw was a fair result in terms of possession and territorial advantage.”
It’s the level of competition faced in a competitive match that has Smith most pleased. His Boys in Gold have faced all varieties of friendly opposition this Spring: three from MLS, a college side, and now their second USL opponent. That FC Cincinnati is the club NSC is probably competing most directly with this Spring made Smith happy his team was able to compete evenly, and come out with a point on the road – friendly or no.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “We’ve had some tough games, and to be honest, when I looked at the games after we’d planned them all, there were a couple of thoughts. One was we’re going to get a really good insight into where we are as a group, but secondly, we could actually end up – if the guys weren’t as determined as they have been with their preparations and the amount of information that they’re taking on board and the way they’ve come together – we could have been on the receiving end of some really difficult games. But it’s turned out to be the opposite.
“We’ve played four, five good teams, obviously including Atlanta being maybe one of the stronger ones right at the very outset. The last four results – results and performances as well – have been extremely pleasing. The Cincinnati game though, as you said, does replicate more what we’re going to find. Cincinnati are going to be certainly in that top echelon of the Eastern Conference. Where? I don’t think anyone knows at this point, but when you look at the guys that they’ve got there, the squad that they’ve got, I wouldn’t think they’ll be far away in those playoff positions, from the top grouping of that.
“I was very, very pleased with how we dealt with the competition, with the way that we applied ourselves, and also how we dealt with the surroundings. It was a slightly different setup for us: 2,000 people, really tight on a track around the field. It was the first time we’d played a match on turf. We obviously have trained on it, but the dimensions of that turf field were very different to the one we train on, and of course ,it’s a match. Therefore, there’s a lot more intensity about what goes on in a match-related situation. Really, really pleased with the way the guys have progressed to this point.”
Nashville SC was very close to more scoring, as Smith mentioned. Lebo Moloto was denied only by an outstanding save from FCC keeper Evan Newton [UPDATE: Cincy fans have informed me that the name in the embedded tweet is wrong; this is actually starter Spencer Richey] on a bending shot from just outside the area:
With several chances created during the course of not only the Cincinnati friendly, but the entire preseason, it’s only a matter of time before more begin to find the back of the net. If that happens against strong teams like the Orange and Blue, it could be a special season in Music City.
Club and Country 