Nashville SC attack goes quiet, but is happy with scoreless draw against New York Red Bulls
On the stat sheet, Nashville SC had minimal scoring chances on Saturday and zero shots on target in a scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
But a disallowed Alex Muyl goal and Nashville's plea for a foul on Walker Zimmerman inside the penalty box will go amiss. Nevertheless, Nashville's performance against RBNY played a stark contrast to its season opener on Feb. 25 against New York City: four quality shots on goal in a 2-0 win at Geodis Park.
But in both games, Nashville fought fire with fire. NYCFC represents the technical, possession-based side of Gotham City and Nashville's revamped attack dissected them. But Red Bulls' renowned high pressing, physically crunching and high-speed play style meant Nashville did too. Nashville coach Gary Smith saw that coming.
"And you guys are obviously thinking about last week and the enjoyment and excitement and the free-flowing football that we saw. But you've got to put that out of your mind," Smith said. "It's very difficult to do that here … and to that degree, you've got to show even greater fortitude to come away with a point and keep a clean sheet when you know there are other external factors that can make you very, very frustrated."
Mukhtar, Sapong limited; but no Leal
The attack wasn't 100% going into Red Bull Arena, where RBNY is now 8-3-3 in home openers.
Hany Mukhtar came off the bench again, after playing 25 minutes against NYCFC. Against RBNY, Mukhtar played the entire second half and CJ Sapong, who missed the season opener, logged 26 minutes.
But the biggest omission was Randall Leal, who The Tennessean has learned picked up a small injury on Thursday in training. A club spokesperson said it's a hamstring problem. It's unclear how much time he will miss.
No Godoy, no problem
Central defensive midfielder Anibal Godoy injured his right shoulder against NYCFC and was ruled out for Saturday's game. Midfielder Alex Muyl filled those defensive duties well, and scored (kind of).
In the 69th minute, Mukhtar slid the ball behind the defense and into Muyl's running path. Muyl's shot pierced the net, but the assistant referee raised his flag for offside. Defensively, Muyl moved into a central attacking midfield role, plugging RBNY's passing ways, disrupting their ability to break defensive lines.
Unbeaten road streak continues
Nashville is now unbeaten in its last six road games, dating back to July 9 at Charlotte FC.
"Both sides tried their best, I think, to offer a more creative look in a more thoughtful manner," Smith said. "But it doesn't happen very often against this group. Multiple fouls, multiple stoppages. People don't get away because they get pulled over and the game stops. It's all part of (Red Bulls') plan. So to come here and get a point, (I'm) very, very pleased."
For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssoccer and on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC attack goes quiet, but is happy with scoreless draw vs RBNY
