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Nashville SC shuts out shorthanded Toronto FC for third win of MLS season
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- Nashville SC shuts out shorthanded Toronto FC for third win of MLS season
Rarely has Nashville SC faced an opponent more shorthanded than itself during the 2024 season.
Injuries to Hany Mukhtar , Walker Zimmerman , Sam Surridge , Shaq Moore , Lukas MacNaughton and a host of others have defined NSC's worst-ever start in MLS . Wednesday, though, Nashville fielded a mostly full-strength group to face a depleted Toronto FC side at Geodis Park.
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But for much of the game, Nashville had no answers, as the visitors recognized their disadvantages and packed in on defense. It wasn't until the 81st minute when NSC finally broke through with a goal from Moore, and Teal Bunbury 's stoppage-time tap-in clinched a 2-0 win that came with much more frustration than it maybe should have.
"It was a really tight affair," said Nashville coach Gary Smith, who was fired on Thursday with the team holding a 3-4-5 record. "Two teams that match up identically. It was always going to be a case of one of the teams trying to squeeze a moment, an opportunity."
The victory was the 100th in NSC's history dating to its origins as a United Soccer League franchise in 2018.
Nashville rebounded from Saturday's 1-0 loss at Charlotte FC , and next has a Saturday afternoon home game against Atlanta United .
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Nashville, Toronto play first-half snoozer
Toronto (6-6-1, 19 points) started the game the way you'd expect from a team missing several starters and its coach, John Herdman , due to suspensions stemming from a brawl following the team's 3-2 loss to New York City FC last Saturday. That is to say, conservatively. TFC put almost its entire team behind the ball on defense, daring Nashville to break them down with long bouts of possession.
Acting coach Jason DeVos' bet paid off. In the first half, Nashville had 60% possession and 0.27 expected goals to Toronto's 0.03, but managed just two shots and failed to force Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran into a single save. TFC had the only shot on goal of the opening 45 minutes.
"The balance of the team wasn't quite right," Smith said. "I was uncertain as to who they were going to put out and how they were going to play because of the changes."
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Substitutes make impact for Nashville in second half
Smith subbed off Sean Davis and Dru Yearwood at halftime, replacing them with Moore and Tyler Boyd . The pair helped give Nashville more life than at any point previously. Moore created chances with a pair of long runs down the right flank, while Boyd had Nashville's first shot on goal in the 55th minute.
Anibal Godoy 's accurate long balls were one of a few bright spots for Nashville. In the 81st minute, Zimmerman got a head on one of them, sending it toward Moore as he made a run to the far post. The ball landed in front of Moore's head, but bounced off his body and into the net.
"I was actually surprised how hard (Zimmerman) hit it," Moore said. "I didn't think he was gonna head it all the way to me. I just tried to put myself in a position . . . I don't know what I really hit it with."
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From there, desperation set in for Toronto. Boyd took advantage in the 91st minute, capping off a long run down the right wing with a pinpoint pass to Bunbury, who had come on for Surridge just moments earlier.
Nashville's defense posts shutout
Clean sheets were once a semi-regular occurrence for Nashville, which tied for fourth in MLS with 11 of them in 2023 and allowed 32 goals, tied for the league lead.
This season has been a different story. Going into Wednesday, Nashville's 0-0 draw with the New York Red Bulls to open the season was its only shutout in league play. It ranked 22nd in MLS in goals allowed per 90 minutes at 1.73.
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NSC's streak of 10 MLS matches, and 12 matches total, without a clean sheet was its longest in history.
"It's been our identity since I've been here and before I got here," Moore said. "That's something we really wanted to get back to."
MORE: How hat trick might get Nashville SC's Sam Surridge 'back on the straight and narrow'
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 beats Toronto FC in shutout and third win of MLS season
