Nashville SC came into this weekend’s game with a chance to finish out the month of May undefeated. The team came in with a good chance of beating middle-of-the-table New York City FC (55% at kickoff). After jumping out to an early lead, they fell apart in the second half. The game ended 2-2, as the Boys in Blue extended their unbeaten streak to ten games (6-0-4), but failed to secure the full points.
Captain and USMNT centerback Walker Zimmerman, sporting his new short hair, returned to the Nashville starting lineup for the first time since his brutal concussion on April 5th. Nineteen-year-old Matthew Corcoran, recently called up to the U20 Men’s Team, got his first start in midfield.
New York City was playing its third game in six days with a mostly unchanged lineup. They were still able to dig deep, with a huge bump from Keaton Parks after halftime, and come back for the tie.
Nashville had a claim for a penalty in the early going, when Sam Surridge had his leg kicked trying to reach a loose ball in the box. The team’s press and solid defense in the back had them applying pressure on NYC, earning several corners and near misses early.
Surridge got the scoring started in the 27th minute. A long pass from Corcoran over the top was taken in with a deft first touch by Hany Mukhtar. A slick backheel was left for an oncoming Surridge, who buried it in the net for his 10th of the year. He has now scored in three straight games.
Nashville keeper Joe Willis made a good save in the 35th minute, one of only two he made on the day, off a solid header in the box to preserve the lead.
A few minutes later, Surridge would net a brace(11) off another beautiful pass by Corcoran. This time, Alex Muyl takes the pass and lays it back to “Super Sam” near the six-yard box to bury it in the 41st minute. Nashville took that 2-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, along with a 92% chance to win.
The start of the second half saw substitutions for both teams. Eddie Tagseth was replaced for Nashville, while Parks came in for NYC. The insertion of Parks by Coach Pascal Jansen would prove to be the spark they needed. Hannes Wolf would pull one back for New York City in the 54th minute after a good move from Parks found him open on the back post.
Jonathan Perez came in at the 61st minute for Nashville and immediately got involved down the right side. Surridge almost recorded his third hat-trick with his current club with a shot off the post in the 63rd minute. That shot was followed by a rebound shot from Mukhtar that looked like it might have crossed the line. MLS doesn’t use goalline technology, so there was no way to overturn the ruling of no goal.
Birk Risa banged a free kick from just outside the box off the crossbar for NYC in the 66th minute that nearly tied the game at two. After a stretch of back-and-forth play, Perez blasted a bouncing ball toward Matt Freese in the 78th minute off a turnover that made the NYC keeper work. Perez has been a spark for Nashville over the past few games, bringing energy and speed.
Wyatt Meyer and Brian Acosta were subbed into the game in the 80th minute, ending Corcoran’s night, and setting up a more defensive shield with five in the back to try and preserve the win. The bend but don’t break strategy wouldn’t pay off this time, though. Wolf would find his brace and the equalizer in the 87th minute after a rather mundane corner kick was knocked straight up in the air before being headed forward by Park. Wolf got the slightest of touches to the ball, and it trickled past Willis and into his net.
Nashville looked rudderless without the combination play of Tagseth and Corcoran in the second half. They showed tired legs for the second straight game and a lack of urgency in stoppage time to go for the win. The mixture of Tagseth’s removal and Parks’ entry switched control of the midfield in NYC’s favor.
BJ Callahan has his Nashville SC team playing with confidence and swagger. Their quick interchanging and one-touch passing are creating chances, while Surridge is finally getting consistent service. Their defense, however, has become increasingly suspect, especially late in games. Callahan’s timing and choice of subs late in games need to be questioned.
Nashville has a three-game road trip awaiting them after the break, starting on June 14th against the Chicago Fire. The last time the two teams met, Nashville sparked their recent run of form with a 7-2 victory. Coach Callahan hopes his team can get back to their winning ways, as they’ve dropped four points in their last two games.
The play from Corcoran opened some eyes, as he led the midfield by covering defensively and sending pinpoint passes forward from his deep-lying position. After a weak showing from the midfield by Nashville last year, Callahan brought in several seasoned midfield players. Can Corcoran find a way to insert himself into the starting lineup on a more consistent basis over those veterans, or will his form dip after the break?
Another glaring question is why the MLS has taken so long to implement goalline technology? In a tight race for the top of the Eastern Conference, dropping two points because a ball that looked to cross the line in real time can’t be verified is outrageous. The MLS claims to be a top league, yet it’s still lagging behind the true top leagues in many areas. Is it time for MLS to add goalline technology at its stadiums?
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