After a nearly three hour rain delay, Nashville SC and Atlanta United batted to a 2-2 draw at GEODIS Park. Set to be played on FOX in front of a capacity crowd, the delay pushed the match to FS2 and significantly reduced the attendance, although the on-field performance didn’t suffer.
The XI
Gary Smith named a midfield-heavy lineup, with Aníbal Godoy, Sean Davis and Brian Anunga all together in the center of the pitch, while Eric Miller came in for Jack Maher.
On the pitch
The match began with an energy worthy of national television. Both sides were very open to begin, bypassing midfield in favor of direct balls over the top, frequently resulting in attackers getting in behind the backline.
Just 19 minutes in, the match entered a weather delay with lightning in the area. Despite being delayed for two hours and 53 minutes, the fans stayed loud.
And on-field entertainment was provided.
Just five minutes into the restarted match, Hany Mukhtar and CJ Sapong combined on a breakaway to give Nashville the lead. Atlanta answered within minutes, capitalizing on a poor turnover from Joe Willis. Nashville answered once again, this time with Sapong heading back across goal for Mukhtar to finish.
Just when Nashville looked set for a second straight home victory, Atlanta equalized. Thiago Almada played an inch-perfect pass over the top for Brooks Lennon, who squared across goal to give Dom Dwyer a tap-in.
The big picture
It was one of the more open, attacking performances for Nashville yet at GEODIS Park. The Coyotes opened up all kinds of space around Atlanta with incisive passing. It’s unfortunate that one of their better performances was marred by two preventable defensive lapses.
Still, Nashville have gone 24 matches at home without a loss, and have turned their new home into a significant advantage. They travel to USL Championship side Louisville City FC on Wednesday for a US Open Cup Round of 16 matchup.
Twitter