Sean Davis photo courtesy Nashville SC
While we didn’t get to see it happen, Nashville SC earned a 3-1 win in its preseason opener against incoming expansion side Charlotte FC. Starting a mostly first-choice XI against CFC, Nashville benefitted from two first-half goals by CJ Sapong (both assisted by Aké Loba, while the first added a secondary assist from Hany Mukhtar).
Charlotte answered with a goal from Titi Ortiz in the second half – after wholesale lineup changes from Nashville – before longtime New England Revolution forward Teal Bunbury got comfortable, scoring his first in Gold to provide the final margin.
Nashville appeared to begin in a 3-4-3 formation similar to the one utilized throughout the stretch run of 2020, with a switch to the 4-2-3-1 (head coach Gary Smith’s formation of choice prior to the switch) after the subs entered the field.
Starting/Second-half lineups
Match events
- 12′ NSH GOAL – 17 CJ Sapong, assisted by 9 Aké Loba and 10 Hany Mukhtar
- 16′ NSH GOAL – 17 CJ Sapong, assisted by 9 Aké Loba
- 45′ HT
- HT Substitutions (see above)
- 55′ CLT GOAL – 10 Titi Ortíz
- 77′ NSH Substitution – On 14 Daniel Ríos, off ??
- 76′ NSH GOAL – 12 Teal Bunbury
- 90′ Full time
Club and Country 