About a week ago, this match looked like it could be one of the best in the MLS regular season. Nashville were cruising on top of the table, on their way to their first ever Supporters’ Shield. Philadelphia Union were surging up the standings thanks to a 15 game unbeaten run. The hosts finally clinched the shield over the weekend, but the Union faltered. Their historic streak came to an end at the hands of New England Revolution. All of a sudden, pretty much their entire attack is out. What could have been a huge statement of intent could now turn ugly for the visitors.
Match Details
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: GEODIS Park, Nashville, Tennessee
When: Wednesday October 28, 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT
Watch: Apple TV
Nashville SC Targeting Points Record
Winning the Supporters’ Shield has been a foregone conclusion for months in the Music City. Currently sitting 15 points clear at the top of the MLS table with only three losses all season, it has been clear for a while who the best team in the league is. Now that they’ve finally made it official, B.J. Callaghan’s men can set their sights on the real goal – the MLS points record.
The current single-season points record is held by Inter Miami, set in 2024. They earned 74 points in Lionel Messi’s first full season stateside. Nashville have picked up 70 and still have three games to go, starting with this midweek clash against Philadelphia. They either need at least two wins or a win and two draws across those fixtures to eclipse Miami’s 2024 total. A victory Wednesday night would go a long way. Luckily for Nashville, they’re coming into the match on fire.
Last Saturday’s shield-clinching 2-0 win over Montréal made it five wins in their last six games for Nashville. All five of those wins were by multiple goals. At the center of it has been club legend Hany Mukhtar. His six game scoring streak directly coincides with that hot run of form. The 2022 MLS MVP is staking a major claim for the award once again. He has 17 goals and eight assists in league play this season for potentially the best team MLS has ever seen when it’s all said and done. Continuing his goalscoring run would only help Mukhtar’s case and he gets the chance to make it seven in a row against a defense that looked extremely vulnerable in their last two matches.
Union Facing Reality Check After Unbeaten Run Snapped
Everything was going so well for Philadelphia Union. Last Wednesday, they had just made it 14 unbeaten and eight wins on the bounce with a 3-1 away result over a very good Chicago Fire team. The push for a top four seed and home field advantage in the first round was well and truly on. Just a week later, it looks like the Union will be limping their way into the postseason.
The main reason for all the Union’s second half of the season success was the reinvention of their attack. Milan Iloski and Bruno Damiani have turned into a formidable strike partnership, with the former now third in the Golden Boot race and the latter finally finding his feet in MLS after a rough start. Quinn Sullivan’s return from injury has boosted the bench and his brother Cavan has been the X-factor. The younger Sullivan is tied for second in the league in assists while adding seven goals. He is the catalyst for Ryan Richter and when he went down with a knock, the team fell apart. Cavan was forced to miss the match against New England in which Philly looked the worst they had since May. He is once again sidelined against Nashville. To make matters worse, both starting strikers are also out. Iloski picked up a hamstring injury over the weekend and Damiani is suspended thanks to yellow card accumulation.
Richter is now in a tough spot. Indiana Vassilev and Quinn Sullivan will slot in as the attacking midfielders. That’s the easy part. Deciding who will lead the line is a little trickier. The main candidate is 17 year old homegrown Malik Jakupovic. He has come off the bench in seven of the last eight matches he’s been available for and even scored his first MLS goal against San Diego in September. The Bosnian-American will fill one spot. If Richter elects to stick with his system that has gotten Philadelphia this far, that leaves another striker position open. It will either be Ezekiel Alladoh or AgustÃn Anello. Alladoh is the Union’s record signing but hasn’t lived up to the price tag, only scoring one MLS goal back in August. Anello was also brought in last winter and has only started three matches, scoring his lone MLS goal in March. Regardless of which pairing Richter chooses, Philadelphia’s strikers will have combined for two MLS goals. Not an ideal situation against the best defensive team in the league.
Match Prediction
If everyone was available for the Union, this would have been a very difficult game to predict. Unfortunately for the Philadelphia faithful, that is not the case. It’s hard to see an inexperienced front line finding any success against the brick wall that is Nashville’s defense, especially at GEODIS Park. Nashville march onward towards the points record and Philadelphia’s chances at a top four seed disappear.
Prediction: Nashville SC 3-0 Philadelphia Union
Braden Hines is a writer and data analyst with a passion for U.S. Soccer. Runs American Ultras Talk on YouTube and X. Works for Carolina Ascent FC and Syracuse Men’s Soccer.
