Mired in an eight-match losing streak, Nashville SC have had two weeks to re-evaluate.
Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan hinted at playing-time shakeups when his team visits Atlanta United on Saturday.
“I think it’s not only an opportunity for our team to close the gap and try to achieve the goal of making the playoffs at the end of the year, but at the same time a great opportunity for a lot of players,” Callaghan said. “Every guy’s gonna be called upon to help us in this next three-game stretch.”
Nashville (6-13-8, 26 points) sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, yet the postseason isn’t out of the question. The club is a mere six points out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the East with seven matches to go, including three in an eight-day span.
But to make playoff aspirations realistic, Nashville must start scoring again. It has been shut out in four straight MLS outings, failing to score a goal in league play since July 13. It has managed just three goals during the eight-match slide, and Hany Mukhtar, a former Golden Boot winner and league MVP, hasn’t scored since June 29.
Callaghan — winless since taking over in early July — will have more options when selecting his next team. He said that midfielder Sean Davis (knee) and defender Dru Yearwood (hip) are back and available to play. Midfielder Randall Leal (hip) is also practicing again, while defender Lukas McNaughton (leg) will not be back for the match.
Like Nashville, Atlanta (8-12-7, 31 points) made a midseason coaching change, replacing Gonzalo Pineda with Rob Valentino. They’re in a slightly better position than Nashville, entering the weekend one point behind ninth-place D.C. United in the East with a match in hand.
“For us, we’re expecting a team that probably has the same exact goals and objectives as we have, same amount of games left,” Callaghan said of Atlanta. “And we’re gonna expect their best punch, and in return I hope they expect our best punch.”
Ajani Fortune scored his first career goal in Atlanta’s last match, powering the Five Stripes to a 1-0 win over Charlotte on Aug. 31.
Saturday will mark the home debut for Atlanta’s big summer signing, midfielder Alexey Miranchuk, a goal-scoring threat during his career in Russia and Italy.
“He glides with the ball,” Atlanta captain Brad Guzan said of Miranchuk, per the Journal-Constitution. “The ball stays attached to his foot quite well. We tend to get in the attacking third, we get into dangerous areas. We just need that, whether it’s a final ball, final shot, the final action, I think he’s got the quality to help us.”
–Field Level Media
