Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United: A way-too-early predicted starting XI
With mere weeks separating Nashville SC from its debut friendly match against could-be rivals Atlanta United on February 10th, it’s time to take a look at what kind of roster the team has put together so far, and what it might look like in the team’s first game. Given that the team only has 13 players as of writing (December 30, 2017), it’s highly likely that a few more signings will occur before the friendly, which could very well render this entire piece moot — but we’re gonna take a crack at it anyway:
Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith has historically deployed a 4–4–2 formation — and the current makeup of this roster seems to reflect that.
Smith was quick to bring in two players who started on his 2010 MLS Cup championship team with the Colorado Rapids: GK Matt Pickens and DF Kosuke Kimura. Those two players should, for the beginning of the 2018 campaign at least, be consistent starters who hold down the fort while players like GK CJ Cochran develop.
Given that they were among the first four players signed, we can also expect DF Oumar Ballo, MF Matt LaGrassa and FW Robin Shroot to feature frequently. Ballo is coming off back-to-back USL Cup Final appearances, while LaGrassa proved to be one of the USL’s best passers. Shroot is a journeyman with 11 different clubs but appears to be getting better as he enters his prime, having recorded double-digit goal seasons in two of his last four seasons.
Now let’s start to break down this starting XI by position.
GOALKEEPER: Gary Smith is very familiar with C.J. Cochran, having coached him during their time together with Atlanta Silverbacks back in 2015. But Matt Pickens was the man in goal for some of the greatest successes he ever had as a coach. At age 26, Cochran is likely being groomed for the future, while the 35-year-old Pickens is likely going to serve as an on-field leader.
DEFENDERS: Kimura and Ballo should be day-one starters, leaving two spots to be filled by Bradley Bourgeois, Liam Doyle and Taylor Washington. Doyle has experience at midfield and defense, so we could see him in a central midfield role — thus giving Bradley B and Washington the remaining two defender spots.
MIDFIELDERS: Doyle and LaGrassa should be locks, which should leave spots open for USL stalwarts Ryan James and Lebo Moloto to finish up what should be a very interesting midfield.
FORWARDS: With Shroot already working up front, all that remains is to find his partner-in-crime — and will that be Tucker Hume or Michael Cox? Ultimately, Cox seems like a better option up front due to his more impressive finishing rate, leaving Hume to ride the bench with CJ Cochran.
In the end, the first-ever Nashville SC starting XI could look something like this:
Those are my thoughts — what do you think?
