March 22, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Nashville SC News Release
The Boys in Gold travel to the Golden State to take on LAFC in a cross-conference matchup. Coming off their first MLS win of the season, Nashville SC will look to take three points off one of the most successful teams of the last few years in MLS. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT.
Key Storylines
A first win of the season for NSC – Nashville SC picked up its first win of the season in league play against Charlotte Saturday. The win provided a much-needed boost for the team, which is undefeated in league play but has struggled to see out matches. Now with less schedule congestion, the Boys in Gold will look to build momentum in the league.
Goalscoring trouble in LA – The Black and Gold has gone three matches without scoring a goal. They suffered a 3-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, drew 2-0 with Sporting KC, and lost 2-0 to Minnesota United. It’s early days in league play, but LAFC sits in 10th in the Western Conference and has a -4 goal differential. The Boys in Gold seek their first clean sheet since a 4-0 win over Moca FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup, so this is a golden opportunity for the team to get back to their stout defensive ways against a struggling attack.
LAFC’s 2024 Squad – LAFC always seems to undergo heavy changes during the offseason, but this current iteration of LAFC is particularly different from years past. Club legend Carlos Vela is no longer with the team, Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini retired, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau is now with the Portland Timbers, and others have left the club.
2018 World Cup winner and former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is between the sticks for LAFC now. Christian Olivera and Omar Campos are two more new signings that have slotted in as a right winger and left back respectively.
Opposition Player To Watch
LAFC has numerous players to be aware of, but Denis Bouanga was among the most dangerous attackers in MLS last season. The Gabonese forward finished the 2023 regular season with 20 goals and seven assists, earning him the Golden Boot. He then propelled LAFC to the MLS Cup Final with five more goals in the post season, where the Black and Gold fell to the Columbus Crew.
Bouanga tends to drift to the middle off the left side and finds most of his joy on the counter-attack. Nashville’s right side will need to keep him quiet during transition moments.
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