Nashville SC Clinch Playoff Berth For Third Straight Season, Lose 2-1 To Houston

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Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Nashville SC is back in the MLS Cup Playoffs, making history yet again by being one of four clubs to go to three-straight MLS playoffs in its first three years of existence.

They officially punched their ticket when the Portland Timbers lost 2-1 to LAFC on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 2). The Boys in Gold had a great opportunity to slide into third place in the conference, but lost to Houston 2-1 in their final home game of the regular season.

“Being able to advance to the playoffs for a third consecutive year is something we are all so proud of, and know it puts our club in exclusive company,” says Nashville SC General Manager Mike Jacobs. “The players and staff have worked so hard to put our club in this position, and can now press along with trying to achieve the best seed possible as we prepare for the postseason.”

Nashville’s road to a playoff berth in 2022 has been far from easy. In the summer, the club was struggling to produce goals and was piling up draws and losses, notably failing to pick up wins at home. The club had an impressive start, beginning the season with eight consecutive road matches before opening GEODIS Park. Nashville SC finished the stretch with more points per game (1.38) than any other team in league history to start a season with eight or more matches on the road.

In August and September, Hany Mukhtar exploded by leading the team to six straight games with a point, four of which were wins. In that stretch, Mukhtar scored nine goals and two assists. The German international is currently the MLS MVP frontrunner as he leads the league in goals with 23 and goals+assists ratio with 34.

NSC currently sits in fifth place with 47 points in the Western Conference with just one game remaining against Supporters Shield winner LAFC. Nashville hosted LAFC on July 17 and lost 2-1. A win against LA would be a huge momentum boost and could push them into third place, which would guarantee at least one home playoff game.

The Boys in Gold play LAFC on Sunday, Oct. 9. at 4 p.m. CT.

Steven Boero
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