GEODIS Preview: Nashville SC Faces Liga MX Giants Club América in Leagues Cup Showcase
September 20, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Nashville SC News Release
The first-ever international match at GEODIS Park is finally here.
Nashville SC is facing off against Liga MX giants Club América in the Leagues Cup Showcase this Wednesday night at GEODIS Park. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT.
The Boys in Gold, who are also preparing for the final two matches of the Major League Soccer regular season, will be put to the test against the leaders of Liga MX. Fans will get a preview of the inter-league action that will constitute the 2023 Leagues Cup, a mid-season tournament between all clubs in MLS and Liga MX.
Tickets are available for Wednesday’s match here.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday’s match:
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 21
Time: 8:00 p.m. CT
Location: GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
TV: ESPN2, Univision, TUDN
What is the Leagues Cup Showcase? – The Leagues Cup Showcase series will serve as a preview to the highly anticipated 2023 Leagues Cup between all MLS and Liga MX Clubs next summer. In addition to the match in Nashville, the Leagues Cup Showcase will also feature matches in Cincinnati and Salt Lake City as they host Club Deportivo Guadalajara and Atlas FC, respectively.
MLS and LIGA MX – which entered a partnership in 2018 rooted in the on-field rivalry as well as the true spirit of collaboration off the field – will pause their respective seasons for one month during the 2023 summer to play Leagues Cup, showcasing the soccer infrastructure and capabilities in the region in the years leading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – the first World Cup to feature 48 countries.
Goalkeeper Joe Willis said he’s looking forward to the inter-league competition.
“It’ll be fun for the fans to see a team that they don’t usually see play live,” said Willis. “It’ll be a good test for us to play against a team from another league, especially Liga MX, a league that we have a budding rivalry with. It’ll be fun, it’ll be competitive and it’ll be interesting to see where we’re at compared to some of the other top teams on the continent.”
State of the Boys in Gold – Wednesday’s match takes place just a few days after Nashville earned a 1-1 draw at Austin FC. Hany Mukhtar scored his league-leading 23rd goal of the season in the match. He’s up to 34 goal contributions in 2022, further cementing his place as the frontrunner for 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP.
Sitting in fourth place with just two matches remaining in the regular season, Nashville SC controls its own destiny for a top-four standings finish and a home playoff match at GEODIS Park. The Boys in Gold are back in MLS action on Sunday, Oct. 2 against Houston Dynamo FC.
Head Coach Gary Smith says he wants to roll out a lineup that will be competitive against Club América.
“We want to be ultra-competitive, and I want to put a team out on field that are going to do their very utmost to win the game,” Smith said. “There are certain restrictions and guidelines that maybe I’m putting in place for the group so we can see the game out in a slightly different fashion to where we started. There’s a lot of guys that would like to experience this stadium and the fanbase, but I see no reason why the guys that are going out there are not going to put on a very good display.”
Scouting Club América – Club América, nicknamed Las Águilas, is one of the most storied clubs in Mexico. Founded in 1916, the club has won more titles than any other Mexican club with 13 league championships. América plays its home matches in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the largest stadium in Latin America.
So far this season in the Liga MX Apertura, Club América is in first place with 35 points (11W-3L-2D). Last weekend, Las Águilas earned a 2-1 win over rivals Chivas. Mexican National Team forward Henry Martín is leading the way in scoring with 10 goals in 16 matches. At the back, América is anchored by El Tri star goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa.
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