It was a great first (full) year of coverage here at For Club and Country. From plenty of Nashville SC content – the most anywhere, but a wide margin – to dabbling in the worlds of US Soccer and even some international discussion, it’s been a blast to write. I appreciate everyone’s readership, and encourage you to share with a friend who may be interested in the most in-depth coverage available on Nashville SC (and a little more on the world outside).
Over the course of 502 stories in 2018, I wrote 411,008 words. That’s a lot of soccer. Here are some of my favorite pieces from the year. Consider it a bit of a greatest-hits before moving full-steam ahead into 2019.
What can I do now? – The first post of the year was an important one: a call to action (of course, I made many of those in 2018). It remains relevant, though perhaps some updating is needed. Supporting soccer in the state and region will remain massively important.
You don’t have to wait for our home team to arrive to support the game in the Mid-State. Head to a soccer-friendly bar, join one of the many supporters’ groups for Premier League squads (or supporters of teams from other leagues), and show that Nashville isn’t a soccer city only because a pro team is almost here, but rather because the city simply supports the game.
Photos from Nashville SC practice – Not the most quotable piece, of course, but the first visual evidence of the team on the field in their initial open practice to the media.
Nashville Soccer 101 – intended to be a bit of a living document (as part of the Nashville Soccer University series), but a stand-alone as-is. Look for more general soccer knowledge posts in the future, time permitting.
So what are we playing in? As mentioned above, Nashville SC will play in USL, the second-division professional flight of soccer in our country – whereas most countries with multiple leagues around the world see the best teams promoted to better leagues (unless they’re already in the top league) and the worst teams relegated from each flight, the United States doesn’t have that. NSC will stay in USL the next couple years, and it’s money that sees a team move up to MLS, like we’ll see our team do in a couple years.
From the film room: The first goal in Nashville SC history – I had a blast breaking down individual plays (though had less opportunity to do so later in the year). None was more exciting than the first-ever goal in club history – and this was one of the lengthier breakdowns, as well.
So what did we learn here? This was a pure counter-attack goal. Atlanta was pressing high to try to win the ball back in their offensive end, while (at least) one player missed his assignment, giving NSC an odd-man rush. Atlanta United could never recover numbers, and that was all she wrote.
The Summit for American Soccer – This site evolved to become heavily Nashville SC-focused, but I actually started it with a bigger scope (and occasionally get back to that), with plenty of focus on the larger picture of soccer in our country. Things like Chattanooga FC’s summit are grassroots ways to make the game better in our country.
“My executive committee and I just kind of looked around and said, ‘if not us, then who? We’ve gotta do it,’” explained CFC chairman Tim Kelly. “‘We can do it on a game day, and if five people show up, it’s better than none.’ It turns out quite a few showed up. We just stepped into the gap and put it together over the course of a couple of weeks.
“The crux of the thing was, ‘how do we create economically sustainable teams independent of league.’
Sun come up, it was Blue and Gold – Once upon a time, I was a dude who edits video. I did just a little bit of that around the first game in Nissan Stadium.
Boys in Gold romp over MLS Colorado Rapids – Biggest win in club history so far? Probably.
Nashville created plenty of chances in the first half, but needed help from the Rapids to break the deadlock. NSC left back Justin Davis whipped in a cross, and Michael Azira deflected the ball into his own net past keeper Zac MacMath. It felt a harsh way for the Rapids to go down, but the 1-0 halftime lead enjoyed by Nashville was deserved: even though the shot numbers were level, they created a greater volume of dangerous moments in the offensive third.
From the Film Room: Lebo Moloto presses and finishes against Tampa Bay – This was probably one of my favorite film room posts of the year. Concise and to the point.
To a large extent, this play doesn’t happen without mistakes from the opposition. Moloto’s pressure is fine but shouldn’t force a pass as far behind Morell as Magalhaese dishes. Similarly, it’s possible Morell doesn’t receive the pass… but still manages to not put it on a platter for Akinyode or fall on his face in the process.
#MySoccerStory – I hate talking about myself. Don’t read this.
That’s why this is a story about belonging.
I also encourage you to listen to stories from those who don’t want a stadium to be built. For the most part, it’s a story about belonging for them, too. Many of those involved are simply worried that they’re going to lose the racetrack that gives them a sense of belonging, the flea market that gives them not only a sense of belonging for for many a primary source of income, the State Fair that gives them a belonging not only in Nashville, but a belonging in their own personal stories and a connection to their past.
It’s important to listen and understand the fears of disenfranchisement that they’re threatened with.
Will Nashville SC play in the postseason? Or: How I learned to stop worrying and become an insane spreadsheet person – I mostly like the title of this one, though obviously statistical/analytical content is a major point of pride for the site writ large.
Audio: Tim Sullivan on Cincinnati Soccer Talk – Didn’t do a ton of audio this year, but hopping on CST was super-fun.
It’s the Nashville SC offseason. What now? – Nashville’s No. 1 call-to-action soccer blog.
From an even more local perspective, check out college and high school soccer in the area. Those seasons are ongoing as well, and in addition to staying mentally engaged in the game, it’ll help you show support for the sport.
If you’re already two-feet in on soccer, encourage friends (who may not be) to join you. Bring a buddy along to watch parties at those Saturday morning bar dates, let them know the season ticket details on NSC, get them some gear, etc.
Lebo Moloto giving back to his hometown – I didn’t do a ton of feature-type stories this year, but this hit all the high notes: Lebo’s a great guy, charitable soccer initiatives are very much my thing (see the post linked immediately above this one), and it was an important story to tell.
“Every time I’ve been home, there’s been situations where I’ve seen kids that – young kids – they’re sitting on a corner, doing drugs. I look back and I’m like, ‘when I was that age, we had a soccer team.’ We didn’t have a lot, but we had a few balls that we could train with. Now you look at it and you say, ‘what can I do to make a difference?’ I think also just having a baby changes your perspective on life. I think that might be the main push, because I’ve always wanted to do it. It was just a matter of the right time, and I think this was the right time.”
Those who know Moloto aren’t surprised that the 28-year old would want to give back to the community that he grew up in.
Profile: Daniel Ríos – I profiled every Nashville SC signing extensively, and this was one of the more difficult (and therefore fun) ones to do the comprehensive research for. I would encourage you to check out the entirety of the player signings tag, though.
He’s mostly right-footed, but can finish with the left, too. He was much more header-oriented in Mexico, which is probably more a stylistic choice of NCFC (they scored 10 headed goals last year total, with four from midfielder Austin Da Luz, and had only three total goals from set pieces) than any diminishing in his skillset. A little bit of tight-area technical ability allows him to find the space to get a shot off in traffic, and he finds room to pick out passes (preferably so he can make a run and get it right back) near the top of the 18.
Building a Nashville SC roster: Departing Championship clubs and Players with coaching connections – This is more recent and therefore still relevant. I love to do a little speculating here and there, and considering NSC has signed a player from each of these lists already, I’d say they were pretty solid guesses.
D Ken Tribbett – The 26-year old was almost certainly Penn’s best player as a defender this year, and made two USL Team of the Week lists. He’s a Colorado native whose high-level soccer career has been entirely on the East Coast (Drexel University, then sticking in Philly with the Union organization between iterations of the Harrisburg USL franchise). He’s going to be in high demand, and a Nashville team whose defensive depth was exposed when Bradley Bourgeois was injured could use a player like that – as could basically any USL team.
Swope Park/Sporting Kansas City forward Kharlton Belmar – Belmar had a tough time seeing the field for the parent club, so he spent most of 2018 down with Sporting Kansas City. Making $68,200 on an MLS contract, he’s one of the more bargain-y players on this list. Could a loan agreement from SKC to a USL team that’s likely to be one of 2019’s most ambitious in pursuit of a league championship help him take the next step in his development? Could Nashville buy him outright in hopes he’s ready to be a full-time MLS guy the following season?
Nashville SC plus/minus for 2018 – While acknowledging the limitations of a +/-90 metric in soccer, this was up my alley in terms of statistical analysis, in-depth research, and being an insane spreadsheet person. It was also the last post of the year, so gotta give it some love.
I can’t thank everyone enough for becoming a reader of the blog and member of the FCAC community, whether on the site itself or through social media channels. Looking forward to bigger and better things in 2019!
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