Atlanta United at Nashville SC: 3 questions about Nashville with Ben Wright

After nearly two months, Atlanta United returns to the pitch as MLS’s World Cup break comes to a close. And they will have their work cut out for them out of the gate: Nashville SC, the Supporters’ Shield leaders and a team that beat them 2-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 18, is on tap for Friday night at GEODIS Park.

Considering the way the Boys In Gold have been attacking and defending, and how Atlanta has played so far this season, this could go poorly. (Or, the break will be just what the Five Stripes needed.)

For more on Nashville, I connected with Ben Wright (X, Bsky) from SixOneFive Soccer (X, Bsky).

Nashville entered the break atop the Supporters’ Shield standings. How sustainable do you think this run of play will be for it over the final 20 matches of the season? Any concerns about rust having been off for so long?

I think it’s very sustainable.

Obviously, we all have questions about momentum and what the second half of the year looks like after an unprecedented World Cup break, but every team is in the same boat. I generally think the teams that were in good shape before the break will still be good after. Nashville’s underlying numbers really started to slip heading into the break, but they managed to keep a ridiculously high points per game threshold.

Maybe this signifies the type of overperformance that is unsustainable. I’m a bit more bullish, and think the fact that they were able to grind out results in those matches during a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals and with some really key injuries bodes well for the rest of the year. Their schedule won’t be as demanding and they’ll have a lot of key guys returning from injury. I think they’re in good shape.

Nashville’s attack has been solid, but its defense is also remarkably stingy (11 goals allowed, tied for the fewest in MLS). Brian Schwake has kept six clean sheets. How has B.J. Callaghan gotten the most out of that unit?

Schwake has been great when called on, but he hasn’t been tested that much. He averages 2.43 saves per match, the fourth-lowest in MLS. A lot of this comes down to a team ethos from BJ Callaghan – “everybody attacks, everybody defends”. The entire team gets in on defending, particularly their midfielders, who do a great job at limiting shots. Maxwell Woledzi and Jeisson Palacios look like maybe the best CB duo in MLS.

I’ve been super impressed with their defense. It’s going a bit under the radar with how good their attack has been, but the defense is what keeps their floor so high.

We are, of course, in the summer transfer window. Do you anticipate Nashville being relatively active, or will an already strong team stay put?

Yeah, they’ll be active. They already announced the signing of Tunisian international winger Elias Saad on loan from FC Augsburg in Germany. He’s an interesting profile and should be a more goal-dangerous option on the left side of their attack. They’re also in the process of signing Senegal U20 midfielder Famara Camara from the Norwegian second tier. His transfer fee could reach $2.5 million, and a lot of bigger teams were interested in him. He’s a fascinating addition to this group and gives them a more natural No. 6 than they currently have.