NASHVILLE — Nashville SC returns to Nissan Stadium for the second time in four days to take on Eastern Conference foe Orlando City SC on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be played without fans as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nashville SC’s match against Orlando will mark the sixth match in 21 days for the Boys in Gold. Since returning to play, Nashville owns a 2W-2L-1D record in a difficult stretch that took the team on the road for four of the five matches.
Nashville is coming off a weekend contest that saw the Boys in Gold earn their first home victory in Major League Soccer history with a 1-0 shutout performance against fellow expansion side Inter Miami CF with a goal from Panamanian Anibal Godoy.
Nashville SC
One week after a 3-1 loss at Exploria Stadium, Nashville SC looks to avenge that defeat and win its second game in a row Wednesday night. Nashville SC bounced back well in Sunday’s win. Anibal Godoy scored the lone goal in the 53rd minute as Nashville got back in the win column following consecutive defeats. In the club’s third game in eight days and after back-to-back defeats on the road, coach Gary Smith switched things up in his midfield, giving Brian Anunga and new signing Alex Muyl their first starts.
“Let’s look at Brian Anunga, his very first start in MLS, his full debut, he plays 90 minutes and he was absolutely outstanding in midfield,” Smith said in his post-match press conference. “It was exactly what the team needed, more bite, more energy. The guys that have played in there were certainly needing a rest and it enabled me to rotate that a little bit more. To that degree I’m so pleased for the lad, he’s an incredibly genuine person.”
Orlando City SC
Junior Urso and Mueller scored first-half goals and Nani put the finishing touches on a huge win just three minutes after Brooks Lennon gave Atlanta a lifeline. Orlando’s 3-1 win over the Five Stripes meant much more than just three points in the standings. It was also finally some bragging rights for their fans, who have heard all too often about the Lions record against Atlanta.
In the win, Daryl Dike continued to impress with an assist on Mueller’s goal. That comes after a brace against Nashville and a goal and assist against Inter Miami.
“Daryl is doing very well,” head coach Oscar Pareja told reports on a virtual press conference on Monday. “He’s a young player who has absorbed all the information in the best way, and fast. He has rapidly taken responsibility, concepts and ideas of our game and implemented into his game. He’s been very productive.”
Series Matchup
- This is the second all-time meeting between Nashville SC and Orlando City SC with the Lions winning 3-1 in Week 8.
