The draw streak continues for Nashville, who came away from their match against Columbus Crew SC with a 1-1 draw. Tonight, they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Union in a battle between the second and third-placed teams in the Eastern Conference. Can Nashville pick up three points? Will Philadelphia be able to pass Nashville and take possession of second place?
Philadelphia Union

Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss against Minnesota United broke Philadelphia’s 6 match unbeaten streak and saw the Union miss the opportunity to move above Nashville in the table. However, a win tonight would mean that the Union moved to second place based on the win tie breaker.
Can Philadelphia take advantage of Nashville’s struggling offense and get that important win?
Coach Jim Curtin has several formations that he will deploy for this Philadelphia Union Team but when faced with a team that utilizes a three centerback formation, he tends to favor a 4-3-1-2.
Leon Flach, Alejandro Bedoya and José MartÃnez will look to overload the Nashville midfield and dictate play from the center of the pitch. The numerical advantage in the center should keep Nashville from being able to break out quickly when they win the ball back.
In the attack, Dániel Gazdag or Paxten Aaronson will play behind the forwards and look to operate in the gap between Nashville’s midfield and attack. They will try and draw one of the three Nashville center backs up the field and create space for
Kacper Przybyłko and Sérgio Santos.
The game will be won or lost by Philly in the midfield.
Nashville SC
Coach Gary Smith and team went into this week with the goal of having MLS Cup Playoff qualification wrapped up by week’s end. With the point against Columbus, these are the scenarios that see Nashville achieve that goal:
From #EveryoneN ’s communications team: Nashville can clinch a playoff spot tomorrow with a win vs #DOOP and ONE of the following:
— Ben Wright (@benwright) October 22, 2021
• a #CFMTL loss to #TFCLive
• a #RBNY loss/draw to #Crew96
• a #NYCFC loss/draw to #DCU
h/t @BodiMatt



Along with just qualifying for the playoffs, Nashville is also chasing a second place finish in the Eastern Conference. A win tonight against Philadelphia would build a gap between themselves and the rest of the Eastern Conference teams. A tough match will be made even more difficult without MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar.
Due to the yellow cards they received against Columbus, Hany Mukhtar and Luke Haakenson are both suspended against Philadelphia. The absence of Mukhtar will especially hurt but could open the doors for several players. Post game, Coach Gary Smith said, “We’ve got one or two players who have been hurting over the fact that they’re not in the team. I would hope this is their opportunity to say, ‘you know what, you’ve been wrong’.”
It is safe to assume that one of those players who is hurt over his lack of inclusion is Aké Loba. He came off the bench on Wednesday and played the most minutes he has since his 45 minutes against New England. Loba looked very bright and was a direct contributor to Nashville’s equalizer. If Loba does not get the chance tonight, when will he?
C.J. Sapong has been prolific for Nashville this season but has failed to register a goal or assist in 5 matches. I would expect to see him get a rest and Daniel RÃos be given an opportunity to partner with Loba. RÃos and Loba looked to have good chemistry against Columbus and could be the spark to reignited Nashville’s attack.
Availability report
Pod Picks
Ben Wright
Score: Philadelphia 0-1 Nashville
Scorers: Daniel RÃos
MOTM: Daniel RÃos
Bold Prediction: RÃos scores a late winner
Jonathan Slape
Score: Philadelphia 1-2 Nashville
Scorers: Aké Loba, C.J. Sapong
MOTM: Aké Loba
Bold Prediction: Sapong gets the winner against his former club
Andy Simmons
Score: Philadelphia 1-1 Nashville
Scorers: C.J. Sapong
MOTM: Walker Zimmerman
Bold Prediction: Union grab a late equalizer
Davey Shepherd
Score: Philadelphia 0-1 Nashville
Scorers: Aké Loba
MOTM: Aké Loba
Bold Prediction: Loba puts in a Man of the Match Performance
Chris Ivey
Score: Philadelphia 0-0 Nashville
Scorers:
MOTM: Davey Romney
Bold Prediction: Willis makes several key saves
Fan Forecast
After another draw, #EveryoneN are back on the road to take on #DOOP. Vote in our #FanForecast and reply with a #BoldPrediction.
— Speedway Soccer (@SpeedwaySoc) October 23, 2021
Kit matchup
KIT NEWS: All-Gold for Nashville SC against All-Navy for Philadelphia Union Saturday night at Subaru Park.#EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/90g3Gns6Zz
— Nashville SC Kit Tracker (@NashvilleSCkits) October 22, 2021
Match Info
Teams: Philadelphia Union (3rd) vs Nashville SC (2nd)
Power Rankings: Philadelphia Union (9) vs Nashville SC (3)
Odds: Philadelphia (+110), Draw (+210), Nashville (+260) via BetMGM
Date: Saturday, October 23
Time: 6:30 PM Central, Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
TV: MYTV30 (local), ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 94.9 The Game 2 (English); El Jefe 96.7 (Spanish)
Forecast: 63°/45°. Cloudy. 44% chance of rain. 72% humidity

