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Nashville SC overwhelms Moca FC in CONCACAF Champions Cup opener
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- Nashville SC overwhelms Moca FC in CONCACAF Champions Cup opener
The 2022 Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player got back to his scoring ways. So did the designated player striker with a $6 million price tag. The much-hyped trade pickup did, too.
And as a result, Nashville SC looked as dangerous as it has in a long, long time.
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There are only so many conclusions to be drawn when a squad with an estimated value of nearly $44 million overwhelms a foe almost 200 times less expensive . But that hardly means there's no enjoyment to be had, and Nashville will savor Thursday's 3-0 win over Moca FC in the Dominican Republic in its first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup game.
"It was a very challenging fixture from the start," Nashville coach Gary Smith said. "Not an awful lot to understand or know about Moca. New coach, some new players. Most importantly, in terms of the facility, the field, the environment was always going to be difficult to adjust to and adapt to. It was a fantastically professional performance."
Hany Mukhtar scored in the 12th minute, Sam Surridge followed suit 13 minutes later and Tyler Boyd put the game well out of reach with a 75th-minute strike. It wasn't long after kickoff in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, that it had become clear Nashville had too much quality to succumb to the fate of the last MLS team to take the pitch at the Estadio Cibao FC — Austin FC, which suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Haitian side Violette in last season's Champions Cup.
Nashville will look to finish off Moca at Geodis Park on Wednesday (8:15 p.m. CT), needing only to avoid a defeat by more than three goals to advance in the competition and earn a date with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the round of 16.
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Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge combine on pair of goals
In 2023, Mukhtar couldn't build on his MVP season, thanks largely to a second half in which he struggled as much as his team. Nashville was shut out in eight of its final 12 matches, while the German forward ended the season on an eight-game scoreless streak.
He snapped that streak when he fed Surridge with a right-footed flick on the edge of the box. Surridge laid the ball back to Mukhtar, who struck a roller to the left of Pascual Ramirez.
Surridge, who finished last season having failed to score in 11 of 12 games, was a force. The Englishman used his 6-foot-3 frame to box out Moca defenders with his back to goal and made effective runs off the ball. Mukhtar laced a through ball to Surridge on one of those runs, and Surridge dribbled around a defender before shooting and scoring.
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Mukhtar, Surridge exit with injuries
Mukhtar went down in the 35th minute after a challenge from a Moca player away from the ball and was immediately replaced by Jacob Shaffelburg . Surridge left the game in pain not long after halftime, the result of a hard fall on his shoulder. Broadway Sports Media's Valair Shabilla reported that Surridge, unlike Mukhtar after his exit, went straight to the locker room.
"Hany was a precaution, really," Smith said. "He came over to the line and said, 'My hamstring's tightened up, I'm sure I can push through this.' At that point, we were two goals to the good, and I didn't want to take that chance.
"Sam's is slightly different. ... I don't think we can know exactly what the problem is until we get back home. He seemed in good spirits in there, not too much discomfort, so I'm hoping that's a good sign."
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Successful debut for Tyler Boyd
Boyd, the winger acquired from the Los Angeles Galaxy in December with the aim of jump-starting a stagnant offense, was exactly as billed Thursday. He and Teal Bunbury executed a one-two move through three Moca defenders as Boyd became the ninth player to score in his Nashville debut.
"Very, very versatile attacking player," Smith said. " . . . He picked passes out well, he slides other players in, he uses himself as a sacrifice, and his performance today was of a very, very high level on what was a really difficult pitch to control."
Nashville played what resembled a 4-2-2-2 formation with Anibal Godoy and Sean Davis in defensive midfield, Boyd and Dru Yearwood ahead of them and Mukhtar and Surridge up top. In actuality, Yearwood played a bit more inside, allowing right back Shaq Moore to get forward and letting Boyd link with Mukhtar and Surridge as an attacking trio.
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"Tyler, Hany and Sam had a little bit more freedom to link together, to be a little bit more unpredictable," Smith said. "All three of those guys, very good footballers, they're very intelligent and they've enjoyed being around the ball in attacking areas. There were some great moments today."
MORE: Here's what's at stake for Nashville SC in 2024 MLS season: 'Go from good to great'
MORE: Names to know besides Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman for 2024 Nashville SC MLS roster
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 defeats Moca FC in CONCACAF Champions Cup opener
