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How a packed, unforgiving schedule has led to Nashville SC's worst MLS start since 2020
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- How a packed, unforgiving schedule has led to Nashville SC's worst MLS start since 2020
There's no getting around it: This hasn't been the start to the 2024 MLS season that Nashville SC wanted.
Nashville (1-2-4, seven points) sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference and 25th out of 29 teams in the Supporters' Shield standings. The specifics don't paint a rosier picture — in truth, they throw a bucket of black paint on the canvas.
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Nashville's goal differential of minus-5 is worse than all but three teams. It suffered the worst loss in franchise history against Los Angeles FC on March 23. It gave up goals in the final 15 minutes against the LA Galaxy , Columbus Crew and the Philadelphia Union , costing it five points in the standings.
Heading into a meeting with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale (6:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, Apple TV ), Nashville has deep-seated problems to solve. Those problems have led to the club's worst start since its inaugural MLS season in 2020, but it's still worth putting that start in context — namely, a schedule that has done Nashville zero favors.
How has CONCACAF Champions Cup affected Nashville in MLS play?
Nashville is one of 10 MLS teams in this season's CONCACAF Champions Cup, which began just before the MLS season and is now in the semifinals.
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With a few exceptions (the Vancouver Whitecaps were eliminated from the CCC before their first regular-season game), teams in the CCC have had jam-packed schedules. That's especially true for the teams that did not have a first-round bye but advanced to the round of 16 or beyond — such as Nashville, which played eight games in the first 24 days of its season with no more than three days of rest between any game.
"If we look around at other teams that have been involved in the Champions Cup as well . . . it's very, very tough for the teams to turn around those groups physically and emotionally," Nashville coach Gary Smith said on March 10. "They're playing high-level games, very tense situations, and get very little time to turn around and to go again."
That's possible to quantify to a degree. This season's CCC teams have performed slightly worse in league play than they did in 2023, taking an average of 1.45 points from each match compared to 1.58 last season. When counting only games a team played while it was actively competing in the CCC, that average drops far lower — to 1 point per match.
| Team |
Points per game in 2024 |
Points per game in 2023 |
Difference |
| Inter Miami |
1.67 |
1 |
+.67 |
| Vancouver |
1.86 |
1.41 |
+.45 |
| Houston |
1.86 |
1.5 |
+.36 |
| Philadelphia |
1.86 |
1.62 |
+.24 |
| Columbus |
1.63 |
1.68 |
-.05 |
| Average |
1.45 |
1.58 |
-.13 |
| St. Louis |
1.38 |
1.65 |
-.27 |
| Nashville |
1 |
1.44 |
-.44 |
| 1.5 |
2.03 |
-.53 |
|
| 1 |
1.85 |
-.85 |
|
| New England |
0.57 |
1.62 |
-1.05 |
While preseason contenders like Orlando, New England and Cincinnati have had similar struggles, the context doesn't mean Nashville has less reason to worry. It has gained just four points from four league matches since Inter Miami ended Nashville's Champions Cup run on March 13.
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Nashville has faced the toughest schedule in MLS
Again, though, there's a caveat. Even with a full week to prepare for games, Nashville hasn't exactly had it easy for the past month.
It has yet to face a team ranked in the bottom half of the Supporters' Shield standings. Its first seven MLS games have included the Union, the defending champion Crew, and LAFC, the team Columbus beat to win the MLS Cup. Nashville also has played the much-improved Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls , who currently sit second in the Eastern Conference, while the Galaxy lead the West.
Nashville's schedule this season not only has been the toughest among teams in the CCC, but in all of MLS. Its opponents have gained 80 points from 48 matches. During a full season, that would average out to 57 points, which in 2023 would have won the Western Conference and finished tied with the Crew for third in the East. The saving grace for Nashville: five of its first seven games have been at Geodis Park.
| Team |
Opponents' record (not including games against that team) |
Opponents' points per game |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville |
21-10-17 |
1.67 |
| Inter Miami |
21-14-18 |
1.53 |
| Columbus |
20-14-19 |
1.49 |
| Orlando |
18-13-16 |
1.49 |
| Philadelphia |
15-14-17 |
1.35 |
| Cincinnati |
18-19-17 |
1.31 |
| St. Louis |
18-19-18 |
1.31 |
| Houston |
15-16-17 |
1.29 |
| Vancouver |
15-21-11 |
1.19 |
| New England |
13-19-16 |
1.15 |
MORE: Inside Taylor Washington's journey from USL to Nashville SC mainstay in MLS
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Nashville's biggest problems in 2024 are all somewhat related. A tough, heavily congested schedule has played a role in the rash of injuries , which in turn has contributed to a surprisingly poor defense and an inability to develop a consistent attack.
With less than a quarter of the season gone by, there's still time for Nashville to jump back into a positive position. After Saturday, four of its next five games are at home, against teams with a combined 10-16-4 record. Consider that stretch Nashville's chance to prove its main challenges have been external, rather than the more troubling alternative.
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 off to worst start since 2020 with tough schedule
