The last month hasn't gone according to plan for Nashville SC.
The Coyotes entered June in second place in the Eastern Conference table, on a 10-match unbeaten run and firmly in the Supporters' Shield race, albeit behind a surging FC Cincinnati. But on Saturday night, in what some billed as a clash between the top two sides in MLS, Nashville continued a concerning slump and have now lost three consecutive league matches for the first time in the club's four-year history.
Equally concerning has been the self-inflicted nature of their slump. Nashville were level in Cincinnati when Taylor Washington and Fafà Picault were sent off for second yellow card offenses within the span of two minutes, leading to a 3-1 defeat. It's the second match in four days where Nashville have finished with nine men after fullbacks Dan Lovitz and Shaq Moore both saw red in Wednesday's 2-0 loss vs. the Philadelphia Union.
"The guys need to take a look inside in this [Leagues Cup] break and really ask some questions," head coach Gary Smith said postgame, with the MLS vs. Liga MX tournament beginning July 21. "Finishing and a clinical edge in front of goal has cost us in some of the other games. Discipline, whether that's officiating or our own self-discipline, it has to be looked at."
While Nashville's lack of discipline has certainly grabbed the headlines this week, their struggles to finish have been the kicker. They've missed opportunities to take points from this stretch of games. According to _American Soccer Analysis_, they've won the expected goals battles in three of their last five losses.
"Out of those six games, we should have got points out of five of them, if I look at the performances," rued Smith. "And we only got points out of one."
With the MLS season heading into a month-long League's Cup break, Nashville have dropped to fourth in the Eastern Conference table. They're 13 points behind leaders Cincinnati, who have a game in hand (as do most of the teams around them). In addition to losing five of six, they've been shut out in four of those. It's been six matches since Hany Mukhtar last scored, and the rest of the attack has failed to cover for him, presenting a consistent theme.
"We need to correct this slump, number one," said Smith matter-of-factly. "As far as our position in the league, I think the games in the early part of the season and especially that 10-game run that we were on, not getting beat, put us in a fabulous position. And I think we were all dreaming of putting ourselves into a challenging position against this Cincinnati team. But there's a lot changed since then."
The Leagues Cup break will give Nashville an opportunity to get healthy and re-group. Smith also hinted at a signing or two, amid reports of a deal to sign Nottingham Forrest striker Sam Surridge as a Designated Player. But in what he described as a "10-game sprint" to close the regular season, they can't afford to continue dropping points.
"We've not got points out of games that we should have," said the English manager. "And the league has tightened right up... When you're not putting points on the board, things tighten up."
