Nashville chasing final playoff spot vs. Cincinnati
Nashville SC aims to maintain its winning ways - and its MLS Cup Playoff hopes - when it hosts FC Cincinnati in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday evening.
After dropping eight straight league matches, Nashville (8-13-8, 32 points) is on a two-match winning streak.
It followed a 2-0 win at Atlanta United last Saturday with a 1-0 win against the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday. Forward Sam Surridge netted a 19th-minute goal for the match's lone tally.
With five matches remaining, Nashville is a point out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but needs to pass three teams to get there.
"We've just got to look to Cincinnati, and if we get a nine-point week, who knows what can happen?" Surridge said. "We've got to build momentum and that's what everyone's chasing, and I think we've got that at the moment. So we're positive, we're confident going (into) Saturday."
Cincinnati (17-8-4, 55 points), which has already clinched a playoff spot, currently sits second in the East with five matches remaining. The side trails league-leading Inter Miami (19-4-6, 63 points) by eight points.
A four-match losing streak all but ended Cincinnati's chances at a second straight Supporters' Shield, but its current three-match unbeaten stretch (2-0-1) has helped it hold off archrival Columbus Crew, who are two points back in third place with a match in hand.
Though his team has clinched a postseason spot, Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan understands the urgency for Nashville.
"Every game now, when you look at the opponents and what we're trying to achieve, there's no easy games. Not that there ever really is, but everybody's fighting for a spot," Noonan said.
Noonan and Nashville's B.J. Callaghan will meet for the first time as head coaches, with both formerly serving on Jim Curtin's staff at the Philadelphia Union in 2018.
Callaghan was appointed Nashville's head coach on July 3.
"(Callaghan) worked really hard in his time in Philly," Noonan said. "... Now he's the manager at Nashville, and certainly there were challenging times, I think, in the first couple weeks.
"... But you've seen the last couple games improve, and I'm happy for B.J. with his opportunity because I think he deserves it."
Surridge leads Nashville with nine goals, while midfielder Luciano Acosta paces Cincinnati with 11 scores and is tied for the MLS lead with 18 assists.
