Nashville’s afternoon got off to a good start in Harrison, N.J.: Ropapa Mensah made a clean steal, and calmly beat NYRBII keeper Evan Louro for the game’s opening goal just seven minutes in. Mensah’s second chance on a similar play was saved by Louro for a corner.
It was the third chance out of the big Ghanaian that generated plenty of controversy just before half.
On a set piece, Bradley Bourgeois’s back-post head found Lebo Moloto on the originating post, and Moloto heded it back into the middle for an impressive bicycle kick for Mensah. Alas, the attacking midfielder was inches offside when Bourgeois’s ball was played (it was extremely close – on a luckier day he’d gotten away with it, and NSC fans will remain unconvinced until the mid-week Zaprudering that is inevitable), and Mensah’s impressive effort went for naught.
A 44th-minute golazo would have been a solid way to go into the half for Nashville SC, which had let the Red Bulls take over the front foot after Mensah’s goal, including an equalizer in the 27th minute and a couple other dangerous opportunities.
All things told, a tie game at the half is fair. Who will respond after the break to capture all the points?
Match events
- 4′ NSH Yellow card – 11 David Edgar
- 7′ NSH GOAL – 3 Ropapa Mensah
- 17′ NY Yellow card – 47 Hassan Ndam
- 27′ NY GOAL – 88 Vincent Bezecourt from 80 Christopher Lema
- 45’+2 – Half-time
Club and Country 