Nashville SC started the night in a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference with the Columbus Crew, and ended the night in a tie game with them as well. The Boys in Gold extended their unbeaten streak (6-0-3) to nine with the 2-2 draw at Lower.com Stadium.
Sitting only three points behind Philadelphia for the lead in the conference, Nashville had a chance to make a massive statement with a win on the road. They fell short and will lose ground as Philly won 2-1, extending their lead over both teams to five.
Nashville was playing on the road for the third straight game, still without Walker Zimmerman in the starting XI. The Crew played tough and determined ball, constantly keeping SC under pressure.
It didn’t take Nashville long to find the back of the net. Sam Surridge scored his ninth goal of the season less than 90 seconds in on a first-touch finish off a cross to the back post from Patrick Yazbek. The early goal would be the only highlight of the first half for the visitors.
Sloppy giveaways by Nashville gave Columbus confidence and chances. The Boys in Gold played on the back foot for the majority of the half, facing an onslaught as keeper Joe Willis was peppered with shots. Recent USMNT call-up LB Max Arfsten had several good looks at goal early for the Crew, but couldn’t find the net.
Against the run of play in the 40th minute, Jonathan Perez found himself in the box but banged a wide-open shot off the right post. The miss sums up Nashville’s lack of production this season from anyone not named Surridge or Hany Mukhtar. The duo has accounted for 16 of the 28 goals the team has scored this year.
The second half began with Jack Maher being substituted out for Zimmerman, making his second substitute appearance since returning from a concussion. This ended Maher’s streak of playing every minute of league play for Nashville this season.
Alex Muyl and Jacob Shaffelburg came on in the 62nd minute, giving Nashville a momentary spark. They utilized great link-up play down the right side to create another chance on goal for Surridge, which forced a vital save from Nicholas Hagen.
Seven minutes later, Diego Rossi equalized for Columbus in the 69th minute. A blast from outside the box by Steven Moreira sent Willis down to his right, deflecting the ball into the path of Rossi. The tying goal energized the Crew as they threw even more pressure at Nashville, which came into the game leading the MLS in shots on target. They managed only five shots on goal and gave up 62% of the possession to Columbus.
After a shot off the post by the Crew’s Jacen Russell-Rowe, Nashville gained a throw-in deep in Columbus territory. Surridge took the throw quickly, getting it to Shaffelburg near the touchline. A quick toe poke got the ball to Mukhtar, who slammed it home for his seventh goal of the season in the 78th minute.
Nashville barely had time to celebrate before an unfortunate own goal would level the score at two. Malte Amundsen fired a low cross into the box in the 81st minute that slid past two Columbus players and deflected off defender Jeisson Palacios’s foot and into Willis’s net.
In the 88th minute, after more pressure from Columbus, Nashville would replace Mukhtar with young defender Wyatt Meyer to try and salvage a point on the road. The game was end-to-end at this point, but the Boys in Gold were able to hold on through the five minutes of stoppage time for the tie.
Nashville SC will return home this Saturday night to take on middle-of-the-table New York City FC. A win or a draw will keep them undefeated for the entire month of May and maintain their position in the hunt for the Eastern Conference lead.
After a night where Nashville looked like they were feeling the long road trip, they were still able to come away with a point. Their 9-game month of May is coming to a close this Saturday, and the team will take a much-needed two-week break before playing again on June 14th.
Tired legs and sloppy passing were punctuated tonight with two fantastic strikes from Surridge and Mukhtar. Can Nashville finish the month having gained 24 points, or will they show up Saturday looking forward to their break?
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