Field Level Media
01 Apr 2023, 10:55 GMT+10
Having fallen short in each of their last two outings, Nashville SC aim to clean up their game and get back in the win column when they visit Orlando City SC on Saturday night.
In their last two times out, Nashville SC found themselves on the wrong side of 1-0 at the New England Revolution on March 18 and at home against FC Cincinnati last Saturday.
Despite going two straight games without a goal, Nashville (2-1-2, 7 points) comes off a match against Cincinnati when it possessed the ball 61 percent of the time and put up 17 shots. The problem? Only three of those attempts were on goal, and now it faces an Orlando defense that has given up just four goals in five games.
And Nashville has tallied only four times this season, fewer than every other Eastern Conference team other than CF Montreal.
"We go to an Orlando group that has started in a very decent mode," head coach Gary Smith told the Nashville FC's team website. "We know how difficult it can be in Orlando. They've made some changes this offseason and added some really bright talents to the group.
"It'll be no different to any other game we have to play away from home. We have to be at our best, but I do certainly believe there's enough good in the group that I'm seeing to warrant earning points more often than not this year."
The offensive challenge may be even tougher for Orlando City (2-2-1, 8 points), as Nashville has allowed teams to score just twice this season. The Lions are coming off a strong 2-1 road win over the defending conference champion Philadelphia Union last weekend. Martin Ojeda and Ivan Angulo stunned the Union with tallies in the opening 10 minutes, marking the first time Orlando City has put up multiple goals in a game in 2023.
"Think that says a lot about the character of this group," Lions coach Oscar Pareja told the Orlando Sentinel after snapping Philadelphia's 24-game home unbeaten streak. "... Tonight we came across a very hard opponent, especially at home, a team that hasn't lost at home after so many games ... but we came with character and needed to bounce back and play well."
Nashville has notched a result in one of its two road tests, gaining a scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls on March 4.
This will be the eighth time that the two clubs meet in all competitions, but the first instance in the regular season since 2021. Most recently, they faced off in the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last year, with the Lions going on to win the tournament.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Orlando Echo news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Orlando Echo.
More InformationGUAM: After Typhoon Mawar brought strong winds and torrential rains, large areas of the US Western Pacific territory of Guam ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: In one of the largest known Chinese cyber-espionage campaigns against American critical infrastructure, a state-sponsored ...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, has said the company could consider leaving Europe if it could ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Reuters has reported that US President Joe Biden's nominee for a federal judge position in Kansas, Jabari Wamble, ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Jennifer Homendy, head of the US National Transportation Safety Board, has said the US will investigate recent near ...
MIAMI, Florida: Four Chinese citizens living in Florida have sued the state over a new law barring citizens of China ...
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota: Reuters reported that after facing a backlash from customers, Target is pulling some products from its Pride Collection ...
MIAMI, Florida: Four Chinese citizens living in Florida have sued the state over a new law barring citizens of China ...
Miami [UK], May 29 (ANI): Boston Celtics defeated Miami Heat on Sunday in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference ...
After falling just short in a three-game series between two of baseball's best teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers will return ...
Bullpen woes hardly are the only culprit behind the Chicago White Sox's sluggish first two months. Still, the club appears ...
Colorado Rockies outfielder Jurickson Profar and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte own the two longest active on-base streaks in ...