Nashville SC's postseason ends with thud in another shutout loss

Nashville SC’s brief MLS playoff run ended in all too familiar fashion on Tuesday, as Orlando City SC downed the Boys in Gold 1-0 in the first postseason contest played at Geodis Park.

Orlando City swept the first-round, best-of-three series 2-0, earning 1-0 victories in each of the contests.

The loss will no doubt lead to plenty of offseason questions for Nashville, which ran out of gas following a thrilling run to the final of the Leagues Cup tournament in August.

Since falling to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in that Aug. 19 contest, Nashville went 1-6-5 in its final 12 games. The Boys in Gold were shut out in six of their last seven contests, including their last seven halves spanning four games.

“The full story is that I think the season had caught up with us,” Nashville coach Gary Smith said afterward. “We can now look back and say that we peaked in the [Leagues Cup] final. There have been some very, very good things to go on throughout the year that I think we’re all gonna look back on and be very proud of.

“But there is no two ways about it. That’s painful. It was a bitterly disappointing way to go out of the playoffs.”

Smith had warned beforehand that his team couldn’t win the game in the first 15-20 minutes against Orlando, but could go a long way toward losing it.

Those words were unfortunately prophetic for the home team, which surrendered the contest’s lone score in the sixth minute.

Bothered by Orlando’s press, Nashville midfielder Dax McCarty sent a short pass back toward central defender Walker Zimmerman. But the pass didn’t have enough zip on it. Orlando’s Ivan Angulo secured the ensuing deflection, spun and hit a shot that deflected off McCarty’s cleat before looping over the head of Nashville goalie Joe Willis.

It was the only goal Orlando would need on a night that saw Nashville muster only four shots on goal, none particularly dangerous. The Boys in Goal posted an expected goal total of 0.4, per MLS.com, compared to Orlando’s 1.2.

Nashville midfielder Hany Mukhtar, the league’s reigning MVP, wound up with zero goals and two assists in his last eight games after totaling 15 goals and nine assists in his first 28 regular-season games.

“We only have to look at our output in front of goal,” Smith said. “Our talisman and individual who’s really dragged this team along in terms of goals for a long time has not been anywhere near as effective. I don’t know the reason for that.”

There were highlights in Nashville’s season: The team put together a 10-game unbeaten streak in MLS games that ended in June, then captured a string of Leagues Cup victories that included two penalty-kick triumphs and back-to-back shutouts at Geodis.

The Leagues Cup ended in an 11-round shootout loss, as Messi scored in regulation and on a penalty kick for Inter Miami.

But it was a slog for most of the way thereafter for Nashville. The Boys in Gold raised some hopes with a 3-2 win over the New England Revolution on Oct. 14, but the three goals Nashville scored in the first half of that contest marked the final times the team found the back of the net this season.

Nashville finished seventh in MLS’ 15-team Eastern Conference and advanced to the playoffs for the fourth time in as many seasons. But the Boys in Gold were knocked out in the first round for a second straight year.

“There were many, many facets of our game that were not close to the standards or levels that we’ve achieved and attained here for sure, and I think it will leave a very bitter taste in our mouths as we go into the offseason,” Smith said. “Sadly, [it’s] 12 games beyond what was an exceptional [Leagues Cup final against Miami]. But that seems like it was a lifetime ago and certainly feels maybe two lifetimes ago after being bounced out today.”