Nashville SC’s return to action in almost two weeks was apparent, as the Boys in Gold logged a lackluster 0-0 draw Saturday at Geodis Park.
Below are our player ratings.
Each member of the Speedway Soccer crew gives each player that saw the pitch a rating based on their match performance. Below is a quick guideline for our evaluation process.
- A rating of 6 denotes an average performance. Each player starts out with a 6 and their performance either adds or subtracts from that rating.
- Scores are determined after re-watching the match and looking at the stats, and are the averaged total of each Speedway member’s ratings.
Joe Willis – 7.2: One saving grace that came out of the 0-0 draw was the return of Joe Willis between the posts and putting in a great shift after his most recent so-so performances. Willis had six saves on the night, four of them being outstretched attempts.
Dan Lovitz – 7.5: Lovitz had to slide back to the left center back role due to Dave Romney’s absence, which might’ve limited the offense a bit on the flank due to him having to sit back and defend more. He still was on corner duties though and did deliver 58% of his long balls.
Jack Maher – 7: Maher stepped in as the central part of the backline due to Walker Zimmerman being on International duty and played admirably with three clearances and five recoveries.
Eric Miller – 6.3: With Maher moving central, Miller was brought on to the right center back spot. He won 67% of his duels and didn’t put too much of a wrong foot forward.
Taylor Washington – 6.5: Washington put in some good crosses on the night and two key passes. One of his crosses hit Hany Mukhtar perfectly for a header, but the attempt ended up going right at the keeper.
Dax McCarty – 7: McCarty did a little bit of everything on the night, completing 93% of his passes and also winning a couple of tackles, so business as usual for the club’s captain.
Sean Davis – 6.7: Davis completed all 37 of his passes on the night, a truly impressive feat to be that accurate on the night and provide such progressive attacking options for the front line in front of him.
Alex Muyl – 6.5: Muyl’s lack of production on the offensive side was made up for on the defensive end, as he logged four tackles and made 10 recoveries, winning 64% of his duels as well.
Hany Mukhtar – 7.3: Mukhtar should’ve scored a goal if he timed his run from McCarty’s through ball a bit better and wasn’t called offside. In a match that ended 0-0, Mukhtar was still the catalyst behind the Nashville offense, with four of his five shots being on target and also adding five key passes.
Luke Haakenson – 5.3: Had a wonderful opportunity to put Nashville ahead after dribbling past the keeper in a 1v1 situation, but was too slow to attempt his shot which allowed for a well-timed tackle to block it. Other than that chance, Haakenson’s day was a bit underwhelming.
CJ Sapong – 5.8: Sapong was hardly involved on the buildup side of the offense, only getting 27 touches on the ball in 90 minutes of action. In the final third, he was a bit more efficient, getting off four shots, including one big chance.
Squirrel – 10: Put in some fantastic runs through the stands and onto the pitch during the national anthem, where it had the decency to say still until the anthem was completed. Even then, no one could mark the rampant rodent in its quest for a snack of some sort. A truly show-stopping performance.
SUBS
Ake Loba (on ’60) – 6.2:  It was good to see Loba log over 10 minutes of playing time for a change, and he had flashes where there was a reason why he’s on a DP contract with his dribbling.
Brian Anunga (on ′70) – 6: Anunga actually had a quality chance on a shot that fell to him that looked destined for the net in the late stages, but went just wide.
MANAGER
Gary Smith – 5.8: Smith had to shuffle his lineup a bit and create a makeshift backline with his top two center backs out. Although it held together well, the lack of finishing on the quality chances on the offensive side will leave a sour taste in a draw that should’ve been three points. Granted, the Boys in Gold were off for a couple of weeks, but the play will have to improve, as they have another chance to pick up three points against Western Conference bottom dwellers Sporting KC Sunday.
What say you? Do you agree or disagree with our match ratings? Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter and let us know your thoughts.
