Red-hot Nashville SC look to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches on Saturday when they host Orlando City SC.
Nashville (3-0-1, 10 points), which boasts a positive six-goal differential, has allowed an Eastern Conference-best two goals in four matches this season.
Last time out, Hany Mukhtar scored the tie-breaking goal in the fourth minute of extra time to give Nashville a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew.
For head coach B.J. Callaghan, who had his contract extended before the start of the season, the message is to not be content with stalemates. Nashville SC wants a three-point outing each time they leave the field.
“We don’t look to draw,” Callaghan said. “We always try to play to win the game. As long as the referee’s going to let us play, we’re going to compete and try to get the goal. Just a really tremendous effort by the whole group (in Columbus). So many guys stepped up and we’re really proud of that.”
A season removed from tying for second in the MLS with 24 goals, Nashville star Sam Surridge has netted four goals in three matches while Mukhtar has added a pair of tallies.
Goalkeeper Brian Schwake has starred in the first four starts of his MLS career, posting two clean sheets.
Orlando (1-3-0, 3 points), meanwhile, is hoping to carry momentum on the road after its first victory. The club surrendered 11 goals through three season-opening losses before posting a 2-1 win over CF Montreal last Saturday.
More notably, last week’s win was the first under interim head coach Martin Perelman. The lackluster start resulted in the mutual parting of ways with Oscar Pareja on March 11.
In a whirlwind of a first month of the season, Perelman wants to bring stability to Orlando.
“Being honest, I’m only thinking of the players,” Perelman said of his first MLS win. “I’m happy for them. They deserve this.”
Now the attention turns to building an early winning streak against the impressive Nashville squad.
“It’s always about being balanced. Never too high or too low,” Perelman said. “We want to perform at a high level to keep the confidence high. … Nashville is a team we respect a lot. They have a clear game model and you can see the work they put in.”
Martin Ojeda’s two goals lead Orlando, while Maxime Crepeau and Javier Otero have split time in goal.
–Field Level Media
