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Nashville SC loses 2-0 to New York Red Bulls, shut out for second straight game
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- Nashville SC loses 2-0 to New York Red Bulls, shut out for second straight game
You know exactly what you're getting when you face the New York Red Bulls — pressure, pressure and more pressure. On Saturday, Nashville SC folded under it.
Nashville fell 2-0 to the Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, suffering its first loss of the 2025 MLS season . The Red Bulls, last season's MLS Cup runners-up, swarmed Nashville (0-1-1, one point) from the opening kickoff and scored twice within the opening half-hour.
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"It took us a while to adapt to their speed," Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said. "It's something you can't replicate until you experience it."
Playing without a handful of key players, including midfielder Gaston Brugman and forward Jacob Shaffelburg , Nashville was held scoreless for a second straight game after drawing its season opener 0-0 against the New England Revolution . It's the first time in franchise history Nashville hasn't scored a goal in its first two games.
Nashville's winless history against RBNY continued: In seven games between the teams, New York has won three games, the other four ending in ties. Nashville has been outscored 6-1 in those matches.
Nashville is back at home Saturday when it plays the Portland Timbers at Geodis Park (7:30 p.m. CT).
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Red Bulls' pressure leads to early Nashville deficit
On Thursday, goalkeeper Joe Willis alluded to the difficulty of building out of the back against a team that presses like the Red Bulls (1-1-0, three points). Nashville has tried to play a more possession-based style under Callaghan, and New York took advantage of a team still in the process of changing its approach .
The Red Bulls dominated the opening sequences and got on the board in the seventh minute after forcing a turnover. After several bounces around Nashville's defense, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting shot off the post and Mohammed Sofo cleaned up the rebound. They added to the lead in the 30th minute on a curling strike by Emil Forsberg , a goal that was set up when Sofo beat defender Walker Zimmerman to a loose ball.
"I thought we actually broke through their press quite a few times, but then we failed to really push the tempo once we did," Zimmerman said. "Obviously, they turned us over plenty of times, especially early. We did a better job in the second half of trying to have bravery, build out of situations . . . It's just when you go down in the first seven minutes, you're behind the eight ball."
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Learning experience for young midfielders
With Brugman and Bryan Acosta hurt and Patrick Yazbek , who's still recovering from an injury, on the bench to start the game, Nashville went with a central midfield duo of Matthew Corcoran and Wyatt Meyer , who started the season opener.
Corcoran and Meyer, both playing just their second MLS games, showed solid flashes — Meyer completed 93% of his passes, and Corcoran completed a long, lofted chip over the RBNY back line to Hany Mukhtar (though he was offside) in the first half. However, Meyer was caught in possession leading to the Red Bulls' first goal, and both he and Corcoran were subbed out after 57 minutes.
"They're not gonna be defined by one game, they're not gonna be defined by one play," Zimmerman said. "They're playing for a reason. They've earned that. It's a matter of learning and continuing to evolve. Those guys are top pros. They're their hardest critic. They're evaluating their own game, but it's our job to encourage them."
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Mar 1, 2025; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; Nashville SC defender Daniel Lovitz (2) heads the ball during the first half against the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Bright spots in second half
Nashville tipped the momentum to its side in the second half thanks to some changes in shape, according to Zimmerman, as well as a handful of substitutions. Yazbek and Ahmed Qasem entered for Corcoran and Meyer and helped NSC press forward more.
Qasem assisted Sam Surridge on a goal that was called back due to offside, and he beat multiple Red Bulls off the dribble, while Yazbek completed 36 of his 38 passes and brought "really good energy," according to Callaghan.
Nashville connected on several one-two passes to set up chances, including a shot by Surridge off a slip pass by Dan Lovitz , one of just two shots it had on goal.
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"The message at halftime was to stay committed to what we're doing, stay committed to each other," Callaghan said. " . . . We're proud of the way that we stuck to what we wanted to do, and the guys stuck together. We'll be better the next time a team wants to come out and press us like they did."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC loses to New York Red Bulls in first MLS road game
