Nashville SC opened the 2019 USL Championship season with a 2-0 victory over Loudon United at First Tennessee Park on Saturday night. After a day of downpour, the skies cleared just in time for NSC’s highly anticipated home debut.
With prolific scorers Daniel Rios and Cameron Lancaster in the starting XI, Nashville SC headed into the game with high hopes for its revamped offense. The offseason roster additions made their presence known tonight with a goal apiece.
The team now turns its attention to a home game on Saturday, March 16 against Saint Louis FC as it looks to continue this promising start to the 2019 season.
90 in a Nutshell
Lebo Moloto was inches from finding the first goal of the season, but one too many touches led to the missed opportunity in the 3’ minute.
Nashville finally unleashed its eagerly awaited attack when Lancaster opened the floodgates in the 59’ minute. The 2018 USL Golden Boot winner headed Moloto’s corner just out of Calle Brown’s reach to make the first mark on Nashville’s 2019 score sheet.
Shortly after, Rios found a goal of his own after capitalizing on a goalkeeping error in the 61’ minute. Brown stood no chance against Rios’ rocket of a shot that was buried into the right corner of the net.
A strong offensive effort was matched by equally inspiring defense. NSC veteran goalkeeper Matt Pickens made a crucial stop in the 73’ minute to preserve the clean sheet, making a diving save to knock away what would have been a Loudoun goal.
Goals
58’ NSH – Cameron Lancaster (Lebo Moloto)
61’ NSH – Daniel Ríos (unassisted)
MLS Signings Open Accounts Early
After Nashville SC had problems finishing chances last season, GM Mike Jacobs and head coach Gary Smith set out to add a scoring punch this past offseason. The pair added the two highest goalscorers from the USL last season in Cameron Lancaster and Daniel Ríos and neither wasted time opening his Nashville SC scoring account. Lancaster scored off a header from a Moloto cross and less than three minutes later, Ríos capitalized on a keeper error to double Nashville’s lead.
Pickens Picks Up Where He Left Off
Matt Pickens finished 2018 as one of the best goalkeepers in the USL as a Goalkeeper of the Year finalist after amassing 14 clean sheets in his 31 starts. Tonight, Pickens was at it again, making three saves to keep his first shutout of the season. It is Pickens’ 16th professional season, and at the age of 36, he shows no signs of aging.
Nashville SC Debuts
While Lancaster and Ríos were Nashville SC debutants on the night, forward Kharlton Belmar and defender Ken Tribbett each also made their NSC debuts. The quartet were among the many high-profile offseason signings for Nashville SC. Belmar recorded a tied for game high four shots, while Tribbett completed over 90% of his passes on the night, the second-highest percentage among NSC starters.
Smith Honored Pregame
Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith was honored prior to the game after it was announced this week that he would transition with the club as its MLS head coach. Smith is one of seven active coaches with an MLS Cup title and is still the only Englishman to win the MLS Cup.
Up Next
Nashville SC will stay inside the friendly confines of First Tennessee Park as it plays host to Saint Louis FC next Saturday at 7 p.m. It will be a battle between teams at the top of the table as Saint Louis beat Indy Eleven 2-1 at home today.
