Nashville SC U23 hang a touchdown on Memphis City FC in Saturday night friendly


On Saturday night, Nashville SC U23 got back to playing beautiful soccer.

After a five-game road swing that saw the Boys In Gold take just six points from five games in the Premier Development League, they returned the to Music City to thump Memphis City FC's second team 7-0 in a friendly match at Dudley Field before an NSC-record crowd of 1,151.

Now, caveats abound, because Nashville completely turned over its starting eleven with substitutions over the course of the game and, with MCFC hosting an NPSL match against New Orleans on Saturday night, they only sent 14 total players  – and many of those players appeared to be the size of 12-year-olds. But after Nashville lost its way a bit on the road trip as Kyle Roelke was forced to rotate heavily rotate the lineup, it was important that NSC use this friendly to get back to playing its brand of soccer. Mission accomplished.
Nashville started with pretty close to its first-choice lineup, and Martim Galvao was running the show from midfield, as ever. The Portuguese No. 10 was pulled from the game midway through the first half, but his impact was heavily felt. When Galvao is really cooking, it feels like you're watching the Bugs Bunny cartoon where he's somehow playing every position on the field, linking defense and attack, finding runners on through balls, making incisive runs of his own, turning the opponent over, and kickstarting the counterattack. Despite not registering a goal or an assist, Saturday was one of those nights for Galvao.

Another player who had a strong game was right back Joseph Kerridge, who made his debut for NSC in breathtaking style.
Kerridge was solid defensively and combined well with Logan Paynter on the right wing to provide an attacking threat going forward.

Paynter, Galvao, and Tanner Dietrich linked together for some beautifully intricate passing during the brief period of the match when they were all on the field, but – apart from an Ivan Alvarado cross from the left wing in the seventh minute, headed in by Blake Wilson – it wasn't really leading to goals.

Then around the 30th minute or so, things started to get silly. Nashville were already a class above Memphis City, but then the Boys In Gold started sending on substitutions left and right. And there are only so many meaningful conclusions you can draw from a PDL team with fresh legs running roughshod over an overmatched and undermanned opponent.

Nashville have fallen a point behind Charlotte Eagles in the South Atlantic Division but remain four points clear of North Carolina FC U23. Both teams have a game in hand on NSC.

Nashville get back to PDL action on Wednesday when welcome Peachtree City MOBA to Dudley Field – which, by the way, was a vast improvement upon watching games at Vanderbilt's football stadium. NSC's fourth and final regular season match against the MOBA kicks off at 7 p.m. CDT.

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