Like Nashville, Ronny Deila has always seen his side bounce back from a defeat, losing consecutive matches only once all season, and they showed a lot of poise last weekend against the hottest team in the league. Heading into the stretch run of the season, we will have a good idea of what kind of character this team can show, with six of their next seven fixtures taking place on the road, following this game on Friday.
Smith believes that this group are starting to develop an environment and a culture that can be sustainable, and it is hard to argue that, given that they are in a position to earn a home playoff game, having lost the fewest games of any side in MLS (two).ĭefensively they have come a long way since the start of the year, only allowing multiple goals in three matches since July, but with 34 goals scored so far, they have developed a formidable attack that can make you pay for your mistakes. They have to be feeling good about collecting their first road win of this campaign, not to mention putting an end to the Five Stripes' four-game winning streak, holding them to only two shots on target, despite having only 38% possession. It was an emotionally charged match for Gary Smith and his team to not only defeat their biggest rivals but to see their leading goalscorer Daniel Rios return to the starting 11 for the first time this year and score the winning goal. Last weekend, Nashville wrapped up the month of August with another strong bounce-back effort, defeating Atlanta United 2-0 thanks to an injury-time goal in each half.