Nashville SC puts three past Atlanta United 2 in dominant home victory

NASHVILLE — There were moments where you wondered if Atlanta United 2 had the superior individual talent — Laurent Kiessiedou was a sight to behold when he was on the ball — but there can be no doubting that, on Saturday night, Nashville SC were the superior team. After absorbing a strong push from United in the early stages, Nashville began methodically probing the gaps in the Atlanta defense and by halftime they had a 2–0 lead that they comfortably saw through to the final whistle, growing the advantage to 3–0 in the 85th minute on Lebo Moloto’s fifth goal of the USL campaign.

The three points vaults the Boys In Gold to third in the USL Eastern Conference table, ahead of newly coachless Louisville City. Nashville got a big assist from New York Red Bulls II on Saturday, who secured a massive draw against newly coachless Louisville City FC. It could have been worse for the defending champs, though, who were set to drop all three points before a 95th minute equalizer saved the day.

Man of the Match

You could tell pretty early on that it was going to be a good day for Alan Winn. Taking Matt LaGrassa’s usual spot on the right wing, the speedier Winn was finding plenty of space to run into behind the Atlanta defense. The first hint of trouble came in the 11th minute, when Lebo Moloto lofted a through ball over the United backline and Winn ran onto it, sending a cutback pass to Brandon Allen once he reached the byline. The pass didn’t connect, but it was clear Nashville had found a weakness to exploit, so they kept poking at it until, seven minutes later, it yielded a goal.

Then, in first half stoppage time, Winn created something out of nothing on a counterattack that had fizzled, with Atlanta getting five men back to defend Nashville’s three-man move. But Winn played a heavy touch to his right to create a yard of space from the defender, and it was all he needed to deliver a lethal strike to the far post.

And as you can see at the beginning of the clip above, Winn begins the counterattack staggering back to his feet after having been knocked to the ground.

Injuries and lineup notes

Bradley Bourgeois was a surprise omission from the matchday 18. We’ve been told the centerback is dealing with some soreness and was held out of action tonight as a precautionary measure. And with a clean sheet secured, it looks like that calculated gamble paid off for the club.

It was just the third time in the past 12 matches across all competitions that Alan Winn made the starting lineup, and boy did he take advantage. Part of the reason for Winn’s absence is his ongoing battle with a leg injury, but there’s no doubt that Gary Smith values what LaGrassa brings to the table, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two continue to rotate, based on the opponent, form, and health alike.

Up next

On July 7 at 7:30 p.m., it’s the climax of Nashville SC’s #SummerOfSoccer: the club’s first regular season clash with top-of-the-table and MLS-bound FC Cincinnati. The team is pushing for another record-setting attendance figure at Nissan Stadium.