Randall Leal secures a point for Nashville against a hot Orlando side

Randall Leal finally got off the mark in MLS, scoring a second half equalizer to give Nashville SC a point against Orlando City. Despite a sluggish first half start, the Boys in Gold improved after the break to win a point against one of the hotter sides in the league.

After rotating heavily at the weekend, head coach Gary Smith returned to a more typical starting lineup, bringing Hany Mukhtar and Dax McCarty back into the XI.

#NashvilleSC Starting XI for #NSHvORL:

Willis; Johnston, Zimmerman, Romney, Lovitz; McCarty, Godoy; Muyl, Mukhtar, Leal; Badji

BENCH: Panicco, Anibaba, Miller, Washington, Jones, Anunga, Danladi, Accam, Ríos#EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/OuGSLemTGF

— Speedway Soccer (@SpeedwaySoc) September 2, 2020

Nashville never quite looked cohesive in the first half. McCarty and Godoy seemed uncharacteristically reactive in midfield, and Mukhtar had to drop deep to get on the ball, leaving Dom Badji on an island up front. A rare mistake from Godoy in the 17th minute gifted Orlando possession in midfield. Benji Michel took advantage, hitting a world-class strike off the inside of the far post to give Orlando the lead.

? BENJI BANG! ?

An absolute banger from @AlmightBenji puts #OrlandoCity up 1-0. #NSHvORL pic.twitter.com/qL3lSMEdxh

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 3, 2020

Nashville continued to look disjointed until the final ten minutes of the half, when they started to build momentum.

The real change, however, came after the break. From the gates, the home side looked purposeful and progressive in possession, exposing gaps in Orlando’s midfield and moving the ball quickly.

That paid off, with Randall Leal capping off a great passing move with a tidy finish.

Quick start to the half for @NashvilleSC. ?

Randall Leal scores his first MLS goal on a beautiful build up to tie it at 1-1. #NSHvORL pic.twitter.com/rnGZmm1tvd

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 3, 2020

It was a relief on several levels for Nashville. Obviously, equalizing the match was huge in the short term. In the bigger picture, getting both designated players involved in a goal from the run of play took a weight off the collective shoulders of Nashville SC.

Nashville continued to push for a winner, with Daniel Ríos, Abu Danladi and David Accam all entering the match. The home side created a couple half chances to take three points, but ultimately had to be content with a single point against an Orlando side that has been in great form since finishing second in the MLS is Back Tournament.

“I thought this was going to be a real test, and the game proved that,” noted Smith. “However after a scrappy first half, and a fantastic strike from Michel, I felt that we made corrections on the last game and got ourselves into reasonable spots… The second half started out on a different note and showed what we are capable of, if only we could do that more consistently.”

Nashville is back in action this weekend, traveling to Inter Miami on Sunday for a primetime clash against their fellow expansion side.

Stats

Shots: Nashville 8 – 7 Orlando
Shots on goal: Nashville 4 – 3 Orlando
xG: Nashville 0.68 – 0.41 Orlando
Goals: Nashville 1 – 1 Orlando
Possession: Nashville 41.6% – 58.4% Orlando

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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