Nashville SC battled New York City FC to a 0-0 draw, with neither side able to find a breakthrough in an early Sunday kickoff at Red Bull Arena.
Run of play
Nashville started worryingly slowly, nearly conceding a pair of set piece goals to start the match. ValentÃn Castellanos saw a header graze the post, and Alexander Callens put the ball in the back of the net before the assistant’s flag ruled it out for offside.
After the break, Nashville improved significantly. Gary Smith made a pair of halftime changes, bringing on Randall Leal and Alistair Johnston for Alex Muyl and Taylor Washington, and the Boys In Gold found consistent space behind New York’s midfield.
Joe Willis was called into action several times, and the Nashville ‘keeper stood on his head to preserve the clean sheet. He also found himself on the wrong end of a blatant tackle from Castellanos that somehow avoided any action from the referee.
Just like in their prior meeting, the match had a rivalry feel to it. Despite an end-to-end and fiery second half, the match ended level.
Big picture
New England Revolution officially clinch the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the result. No one’s catch them and their 18 point lead, and the conference is now a battle for second place. Nashville hold the edge, with a five point lead over Orlando City.
New York would have hoped for more at home, but a point pulls them level on points with fourth-place DC United, and keeps them very much in the hunt for playoff seeding.
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