Preview: DC United at Nashville SC

DC faces off against Ally Mackay's former employer

Before we get to this game, I was listening to the most recent RFK Refugees podcast and they talked about Gabriel Pirani and Kristian Fletcher being absent from the NYCFC gameday lineup as an indication that they are not in the team’s plans (or in Fletcher’s case, maybe the team isn’t in his plans).

These are reasonable speculations given DC United doesn’t provide clear injury reporting, and DC not providing clear injury reporting is a small bit of gamesmanship that makes sense given MLS doesn’t force its teams to provide clear information (and yes, in this one case I blame the league, not the team, since as long as teams can get a small advantage by being opaque they will).

So it’s dumb you’re having to hear this from me, but they are both injured and unable to play.

How do I know? After games at Audi Field, the team and staff all assemble for a little on-field team meeting near the center of the pitch, then walk over to the supporter’s section. Players who weren’t selected for the gameday roster are often present in their street clothes and easy to spot from the stands. I’ve kept tabs on Conner Antley’s recovery going back into last year and then early this year because I’d see him on the field after games, for example.

Anyway, after the game against Colorado, both Peglow and Pirani came on to the field for the team huddle. Peglow was only a week out from scoring his brace against the Red Bulls and then suffering whatever injury he suffered in training, but he walked easily and seemed cheerful. Pirani was limping horribly and had a huge brace on his knee. That was how I learned he was injured at all, but the notable thing is he looked much worse off than Peglow. Peglow has been back in training and hopefully will play against Nashville. I’m not a doctor but given the timeline I’d guess Pirani has a knee sprain of some kind and I think will be out for longer.

Meanwhile, since his return from his loan I’ve seen Kristian Fletcher on the field after every home game and he looked fine. After the NYCFC game, he was there again…but walking gingerly with his ankle in a boot. Sometimes these things are precautionary so I hope it’s not very serious, but I’m not expecting to see him against Nashville.

The Lineup

So who are we going to see? Let’s cross our fingers and just try to will Peglow back into the starting lineup, though even if he’s back he might not be able to start.

Backup goalkeeper: Kim Joon Hong

Backup attackers: Randall Leal, Fidel Barajas, Rida Zouhir,

Backup defenders: David Schnegg, Boris Enow, Matti Peltola, Garrison Tubbs, Jackson Hopkins

Not selected: Hakim Karamoko, Gavin Turner, Jordan Farr

Injured: Kristian Fletcher, Gabriel Pirani, Dominique Badji, Lukas MacNaughton

Just going off the eye test, it seems like David Schnegg needs rest more than Aaron Herrera right now even though they’ve played similar minutes. Also, whoever is on that side needs to deal with Andy Najar, so putting a, uh, defensive specialist there to start might make more sense. Conner Antley could also play there instead of Derek Dodson, or also rest Herrera and in either case be replaced by Garrison Tubbs.

As a side note, if DC comes out with Schnegg and Herrera being rested then they really are committing to trying to beat Charlotte in the Open Cup. I doubt that happens, but we’ll see.

Beyond that, central midfield is a grab bag. I would rather Peltola get another start and then use Hosei Kijima as a sub at winger, but I’m guessing Lesesne will want to get back to his preferred pairing if Peglow is starting.

The Opposition: Nashville SC

Last season Nashville finished 13th in the East, four points behind DC. You might remember that in this equivalent fixture late last season (i.e. at Nashville), DC was down 3-2 going into stoppage time but then won after Gabriel Pirani scored twice, all but ending Nashville’s playoff hopes and putting DC in control of its destiny.

This season, however, Nashville seems completely rejuvenated despite entering the season without the fanfare attracted by, say, Atlanta United. Fans seem to credit it to their new Norwegian midfield. In last season’s midseason window they paid 3.2 million for then-22-year-old Patrick Yazbek, fitting him in a U22 slot. Then, after the season, they signed Edvard Tagseth as a free agent. This season they are apparently really doing well.

Fixing the midfield has paid dividends for Nashville’s two attacking DPs. Hany Muktar’s production had dropped off last season but now he’s putting up top 10 numbers again with 6 goals and 3 assists. And their DP forward, Sam Surridge, a guy I dismissed as mediocre after watching him play in the past against DC…well, I still think he’s kind of mediocre, but his strike rate is up and he’s scored a couple really impressive solo goals.

It’s a bit frustrating to see this because Ally Mackay, of course, comes from the Nashville front office, and just like they did, he bolstered central midfield with a Scandinavian free agent (Matti Peltola) and a player he paid a decent-sized transfer fee for (Boris Enow). The Yazbek and Enow signings were even announced on the same day. I can’t say I’ve watched much of Nashville, but Nashville fans think their guys are making a huge difference. I know how many DC fans would say Peltola and Enow are doing great: zero. Anyway, in fairness to Mackay, Peltola is a year younger than Yazbek, and Enow’s transfer fee was almost a million dollars cheaper at “only” 2.2 million…but still.

A more familiar face on Nashville is Andy Najar. I wonder if he’s going to start after starting on Wednesday and the previous Saturday, but one way or another he should play. He’s doing great and getting close already to his total minutes in his final DC season. He’s also got 1 goal and 4 assists. Three of those assists came in a single game, but this is still his best season on the scoresheet since 2014 in Belgium. Even at 31 he can still leave opposing players for dead in the open field.

Longtime DC fans will also remember Nashville’s goalkeeper Joe Willis, who started 22 games across three seasons for DC United in the early 2010s when he was first out of college and backing up the even younger Bill Hamid. He went on to be a longtime starter at Houston before getting traded to Nashville a few years ago. He’s been an good shotstopper since the stat was first collected, and while his form dipped last year, he’s back in the positives again this season.

What I’m Looking For

After the dismal game against NYCFC, I think it’s reasonable to say there will be a lot more verve and creativity on display in this Nashville game. The only question will be if it’s all going to come from Hany Muktar and Andy Najar or if DC United can muster any themselves.

Nashville is clearly the better team, but seeing as they are on short rest and have an Open Cup match against Orlando City on Wednesday, their coach BJ Callahan might be tempted to rest some key starters. Even if Muktar, Surridge, and Najar just play thirty minutes getting a result might be a tough task for DC.

For DC, assuming Peglow is back, it will be interesting to see if he can spark anything on his own or if he really is just a better version of Jared Stroud and really is only successful when he can be a complement to Benteke. Then there’s Randall Leal, who had about ten minutes of extremely good play against both Charleston and NYCFC but has yet to sustain it. Maybe against his old team he will find another level?