FC Dallas looks to advance to the next round of the 2023 US Open Cup on Wednesday when they travel to Tennessee to face Nashville SC.
Nashville advanced to the Round of 32 a couple of weeks ago with a 1-0 win over USL-Championship side San Antonio FC.
Here is our preview of Nashville, what we might expect out of them and what FC Dallas needs to do to advance to the Round of 16.
Key Player: Hany Mukhtar
The reigning MLS MVP had a hat trick this past weekend against the Chicago Fire. Even if he doesnât play the full 90 in this one, heâll be a threat that FC Dallas has to find a way to neutralize.
Key Matchup: Fafa Picault vs Marco Farfan
The rotation of both squads may depend on this potential matchup, but Picault always enjoyed playing against FC Dallas during his days in Houston. His speed will be a big asset for Nashville as Dallas will need to counter it with speed of their own.
Quick Notes:
Stout defense continues - Through 11 games in MLS, Nashville has only given up six goals. Theyâre on a historical pace at the moment in that department, one that could rival last yearâs Philadelphia Union squad that only gave up 26 goals in a 34-game season.
Possession wonât kill you - Nashville averages between 35-40% of the possession in a game this season in games they win. Historically, in their 102 regular season matches in MLS, theyâve only won the possession battle 29 times. And of those 29 matches, theyâve won only nine games.
Availability Report:
Suspended: none
Out: Nick DePuy (Lower Body Injury)
Questionable: Randall Leal (Lower Body Injury), Sean Davis (Lower Body Injury), Teal Bunbury (Lower Body Injury), Walker Zimmerman (groin strain)
Potential Lineup:
Rotation could be the name of the game for Nashville, but they typically use a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1. In their previous round win over San Antonio, Gary Smith used a 3-5-2 look.
Joe Willis; Dan Lovitz, Jack Maher, Lukas MacNaughton, Laurence Wyke; Jan Gregous, Dax McCarty; Hany Mukhtar, Alex Muyl, FafĂ Picault; Jacob Shaffleburg
Keys To Advance
- Avoid stupid mistakes - Since Nashville isnât a team that controls the possession in most games, they do a good job of forcing teams to make simple mistakes in the midfield and use their speed along the wings to attack against you. Dallas will want to avoid costly turnovers in the middle third of the field.
- Play wide - The one or two brief moments of decent play against St. Louis last weekend for FC Dallas before the thunderstorms hit were when FC Dallas got wide with the ball. Either it was Marco Farfan or Geovane Jesus getting up into the attack. You can find success against this Nashville defense if you spread them out and play some smart crosses into the penalty box directly to Jesus Ferreira. Youâre not going to win a game in the air against this defense either, so the low, hard-hit crosses will need to be used to test this defense.
- Do it for Uncle Lamar - The USOC always holds a special place in the front office since it is named after founder Lamar Hunt. While advancing adds more congestion to the schedule, the USOC is always the clearest path to adding to the trophy case in any given season.
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