Between injuries and a jam-packed schedule, Nashville SC has seldom caught a break through the first two months of the 2024 season.
Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes came to town representing that break. And Nashville couldn’t take advantage.
Nashville tied the Earthquakes 1-1 at Geodis Park. In the standings, it’s a step in the right direction for NSC after two straight losses. In reality, it’s a missed opportunity. The Earthquakes (1-8-1, four points) came in dead last in the Supporters’ Shield standings, yet Nashville became the first team to score less than two goals against them.
Nashville (1-3-5, eight points) hosts CF Montreal next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Hany Mukhtar puts Nashville ahead with highlight-reel goal
Take enough shots and one of them will go in, right?
Despite losing the first-half possession battle, Nashville outshot the Earthquakes 11-1 and put three shots on goal to San Jose’s zero. A large chunk of them were from distance, among them an outside-the-box effort by Hany Mukhtar in the 19th minute.
While the Earthquakes’ Tanner Beason blocked that shot, the rebound bounced back to Mukhtar. Not a single San Jose defender closed down on the 2022 MLS MVP, and he made them pay with a right-footed scorcher which flew over 30 yards before kissing the inside netting.
Another blown lead for Nashville
Saturday was the fourth straight game in which Nashville gave up a lead, and third straight game it scored first and failed to hang on.
Substitute Jack Skahan equalized for San Jose in the 62nd minute, beating Nashville’s offside trap with his run and capitalizing on a slick lobbed pass by Cristian Espinoza.
Walker Zimmerman and Tyler Boyd, back in the lineup after missing seven and three games, respectively, to injuries, came on as second-half substitutes but couldn’t turn the tide back to Nashville.
What’s next?
By record, Nashville has played the toughest schedule in MLS so far. Saturday, however, was the first in what appeared to be a far more manageable — and pivotal — stretch of games.
Three of Nashville’s next four games are at home, and the one road game during that stretch is at Charlotte, a team NSC has already beaten. With just over a quarter of the regular season gone by, there’s plenty of time to make up ground, but that doesn’t mean Nashville won’t rue the points it couldn’t pick up Saturday.
MORE: Inside Taylor Washington’s journey from USL to Nashville SC mainstay in MLS
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
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