Nashville SC wrapped up their roadtrip with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Chicago Fire FC. Tonight, they return to Nissan Stadium to face Orlando City. Will Nashville bounce back? Can Orlando break their four game losing streak?
Nashville SC
After an extended road trip, Nashville returns to Nissan Stadium and looks to get back to their winning ways against a struggling Orlando City.

Against Chicago, Gary Smith choose to put out a rotated team do to the number of games and the state of the pitch at Soldier Field. C.J. Sapong and Hany Mukhtar got some well-deserved time off, likely with an eye for this week’s action. I expect to see Nashville back to full strength for the next two matches, both of which are proverbial “six pointers”.
Nashville has a real opportunity to begin to build a bigger gap between themselves and the teams third through fifth especially with Orlando and New York City FC being the next two opponents.
Jack Maher has really established himself as a reliable member of the starting lineup, pushing into a significant role on the right side of the back three. When Dan Lovitz played as an inverted right wingback, Smith often played a natural right back like Eric Miller or Alistair Johnston in a right centerback role, but now that Johnston has moved back to a wingback role, Maher is a logical choice.
He’s defensively strong, good in the air, and an underrated passer. He’s turned into a great complimentary piece next to Walker Zimmerman.
Hany Mukhtar has been on MVP-level form. With him rested and healthy, CJ Sapong and Randall Leal continuing their productivity, and legitimate attacking options off the bench like Aké Loba, Jhonder Cádiz and Daniel RÃos, this side is formidable going forward.
With only three matches left at home, Nashville absolutely has to get three points.
Orlando City
Oscar Pareja’s team is in a bit of a slump. They have lost four straight matches against teams around them in the table and have fallen out of the home playoff spots. They will come into tonight’s match looking to break that losing streak and begin to climb back up the table.



When these two teams played each other in August, Pareja was dealing with a long injury list and while they are still missing a few players, they have some key players back.
Moutinho and Ruan have both faced long injury layoffs during this season but are now available and are starting to return to form. They will be key for this team that is looking to get back into rythm.
Up top, Darryl Dike has returned and got back to scoring this past weekend against New England. He has looked much more like the player who was knocking them in at Barnsley than post Gold Cup Dike. Nashville’s defense will have to stop service into him if they want a win out of tonight’s match.
Orlando looked like a clear front runner to start the season, but their mid-season form dropped off significantly. They’re in fifth place in the table, but have only four points between themselves and Columbus Crew in ninth.
As difficult as Nashville’s remaining schedule is, Orlando will come into the match even more desperate for points. They’re in poor form and have little to no room for error. They need three points before a really tough stretch of games, playing three playoff sides in their next four matches.
Availability report
Availability report for #NSHvORL #EveryoneN
— Ben Wright (@benwright) September 28, 2021
OUT: n/a#OrlandoCity
QUESTIONABLE: Chris Mueller, Uri Rosell
OUT: Joey DeZart, Alexandre Pato
SUSPENDED: Robin Jansson
Pod Picks
Ben Wright
Score: Nashville 2-0 Orlando
Scorers: C.J. Sapong, Ake Loba
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold Prediction: Loba comes off the bench and scores late
Jonathan Slape
Score: Nashville 2-0 Orlando
Scorers: C.J. Sapong, Hany Mukhtar
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold Prediction: Hany returns to the starting Line up and puts in a team of the week performance
Andy Simmons
Score: Nashville 1-1 Orlando
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold Prediction: Late equalizers for Orlando
Chris Ivey
Score: Nashville 3-1 Orlando
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar (x2), Jhonder Cadiz
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold Prediction: Nani scores a goalazo
Josh Young
Score: Nashville 5-2 Orlando
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar (x2), C.J. Sapong (x2), Luke Haakenson
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold Prediction: Dike Remembers how much he enjoyed scoring against Nashville last season and gets two.
Fan Forecast
#EveryoneN are back home at Nissan Stadium as the take on #OrlandoCity.
— Speedway Soccer (@SpeedwaySoc) September 29, 2021
Vote in our #FanForecast and reply with a #BoldPrediction.#NSHvORL
Kit matchup
In the least surprising news of the week, Nashville SC will wear……All Gold for their Wednesday night home match against Orlando City. #EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/FfPWcEzlOu
— Nashville SC Kit Tracker (@NashvilleSCkits) September 28, 2021
Match Info
Teams: Nashville SC (2nd) vs Orlando City SC (5th)
Power Rankings: Nashville SC (2) vs Orlando City SC (16)
Odds: Nashville (-160), Draw (+280), Orlando (+400) via BetMGM
Date: Wednesday, September 29
Time: 7:30 PM Central, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: MyTV 30 (local), ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 94.9 The Game 2 (English); El Jefe 96.7 (Spanish)
Forecast: 86°/63°. Sunny. 0% chance of rain. 59% humidity.

