Nashville SC Tournament Guide
The MLS is Back Tournament starts on July 8. Here's everything you need to know about Nashville SC before kickoff.
Welcome to the Music City Sports Report.
It’s hard to believe over four months have passed since Nashville SC’s first game as a franchise. A lot has happened since that 2-1 loss to Atlanta United on an electric opening night in Nissan Stadium.
Now, after a couple of setbacks, the boys in blue and gold are in Orlando and ready to step on the pitch for the first time since March. With the MLS is Back Tournament kicking off on Wednesday, I put together a guide with everything Nashville SC fans will need to know.
*Note: As of late Sunday night, Nashville SC’s first game was on the verge of being delayed but a new date had not been selected yet.
How Does the Tournament Work?
The 26 MLS teams have been broken down into five groups of four teams and one group of six. Each team will play three group stage games, all of which will count toward the 2020 regular season standings (the regular season is set to resume after the tournament if everything goes to plan, which is huge if in 2020). Nashville SC was placed in Group A, which is the group with six teams.
16 teams will advance to the knockout stage: the top two teams from each group, the third-placed team from Group A, and the three best third-place teams from the rest of the groups or the fourth-best team from Group A. So, NSC is competing for up to four available slots with the six teams in its group.
During the knockout stages, there will be no extra time. Any matches tied at the end of regulation will go straight to penalties. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, taking the usual spot of the regular season conference champion that did not win the Supporters’ Shield. There is also a $1.1 million prize pool for players to win additional earnings.
Schedule
Nashville is part of the opening night doubleheader on ESPN with a game against the Chicago Fire at 9:30 for their first group stage match.
Their second match will take place on July 14 at 7 p.m. against the Philadelphia Union.
NSC will close out the group stage on July 20 at 8 a.m. (!) vs Orlando City on ESPN.
The round of 16 will take place on July 25-28, the quarterfinals on July 30-August 1, the semifinals on August 5 and 6, and the final on August 11.
The Competition
At first, it seemed like NSC landing in the group of six teams was a potential death blow. But after a rule change from the MLS, up to four teams can now advance from Group A.
When the regular season stopped (after an extremely short sample size of two games), the Fire had three points, Orlando City and the Union each had one, and Inter Miami and New York City FC joined NSC with zero points. These aren’t exactly world-beaters, but should still provide stiff competition for advancement.
The club had yet to play any of these teams in the regular season (again, only two games were completed before the shutdown), however, they did face the Fire in an exhibition match. Unfortunately, it was their only preseason loss, a 3-1 drubbing in Tampa. Last season, they missed the playoff by three points. In the offseason, the roster received a complete overhaul, with a number of players being shipped out including NSC captain Dax McCarty.
The Union fared better in 2019, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. This is the best team NSC will face in the group stage. Goalkeeper Andre Blake played well in the team’s early season matches. Former USMNT vet Alejandro Bedoya controls the midfield.
Orlando City are the “hosts” but who knows what that means without fan attendance. In 2019, they only finished above lowly expansion squad Cincinnatti FC in the East. Like the Fire, they have a new manager in 2020. The group stage will see the first action of the season for high-profile players Nani and Dom Dwyer.
The other two members of the group, Inter Miami and NYFFC, are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The former joins NSC as 2020’s other expansion squad, while the latter was the top Eastern Conference team during the 2019 regular season.
With NYCFC and the Union looking like the favorites to win the group, NSC has a good shot at earning the third-place spot for Group A, or maybe even earning enough points in fourth place. Overall, the move to the Eastern Conference will probably provide a slightly easier path to the knockout rounds.
Projected Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Joe Willis
Traded to NSC in the fall. Started each of the first two matches
Defenders: Eric Miller, Walker Zimmerman, Dave Romney, Daniel Lovitz
NSC selected Miller in the 2019 Re-Entry Draft, traded for Lovitz and Romney in the fall, and traded for Zimmerman in February. Zimmerman scored the franchise’s first goal on opening night, and the USMNT-er should continue to lead the backline. Miller will be in a fight for his job with Brayan Beckeles and Alistair Johnston. Jack Maher and Jalil Anibaba should also see the pitch in Orlando.
Midfielders: Dax McCarty, Anibal Godoy, Hany Mukhtar
McCarty and Godoy arrived via trade in 2019, while Mukhtar was the first designated player signing in franchise history. This trio is the strongest position group in the starting 11. Derrick Jones, a Union product, will also factor in here.
Wingers/Forwards: Randall Leal, David Accam, Dominique Badji
All three were traded to NSC in 2019. Everyone’s eyes will be trained on this group. Daniel Rios, the club’s first-ever MLS signing and the only USL holdover to receive significant playing time so far, and Alan Winn will also be important to the attack. Some combination of this crew has to produce goals. NSC looked downright dominant on defense at times during the first two games, and teams like that have a history of advancing in knockout tournaments, but someone has to provide some scoring punch up front.
Links
The Tennessean’s Adam Sparks reported that a Vanderbilt football player who was expelled for sexual assault was allowed back on campus for football activities for months.
In surprising news, Austin Peay football coach Mark Hudspeth resigned on Friday.
TSU AD Teresa Phillips, a longtime women’s basketball coach prior to her stint as AD, retired on June 30.
The NFL cut two preseason games from the schedule (let’s make this a permanent decision!), with the Titans losing matchups at Washington and vs Chicago.
The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was officially canceled this week, marking the first year without pro baseball in Nashville since 1977. Maybe the floating free agent squads idea will actually happen.
The Athletic’s Adam Vingan on whether Alexis Lafreniere is worth more than a shot at the Stanley Cup this season.
Also from The Athletic, a really interesting story that I missed from Feb. by Omari Sankofa on how the National Civil Rights Museum became a must-see stop for NBA teams traveling to Memphis.
After a player tested positive for COVID-19, the Jackson TN Underdawgs had to drop out of the 2020 TBT Tournament.
The NBA released its scrimmage schedule for Orlando. The Grizzlies will face the Sixers on July 24, the Rockets on July 26, and the Heat on July 28.
Nashville MMA fighter Luke Sanders’ fight with Chris Gutierrez was added to UFC’s August 1 event.
I, too, always think of Steve McNair on the Fourth of July. RIP Air.