LAFC vs. Nashville SC
Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm PT
Location: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
Radio: ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera
In-stadium fan deal: 50% off Food and N/A Beverages ONLY between 5:30pm-6:30pm. Excludes King's Hawaiian Grill & Fields LA.
After a 2-0 loss on the road to Minnesota United FC last Saturday, LAFC now takes on Nashville SC on Saturday, March 23, at BMO Stadium.
The Loons jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 16th minute then sealed the match with a second goal in the 88th minute, sending the Black & Gold home scoreless in its last three matches.
The loss drops LAFC to 10th place in the Western Conference standings, with four points through four matches played.
Saturday’s matchup against Nashville will feature the last two MLS Golden Boot winners in Hany Mukhtar (2022) and Denis Bouanga (2023).
The Black & Gold have an all-time record of 1W-1L-1D in the series, in all competitions. The clubs exchanged road wins in 2022 before playing to a 1-1 draw in Nashville in 2023.
Nashville SC in-depth
Led by head coach Gary Smith, Nashville is looking to remain undefeated in MLS regular-season play in 2024 (1W-0L-3D).
After being knocked out of the Concacaf Champions Cup by Inter Miami last Wednesday, Nashville picked up its first league win by defeating Charlotte FC 2-1 on Saturday at Geodis Park.
Mukhtar, who contributed 15 goals and 11 assists in the 2023 regular season, has yet to find the back of the net in two league appearances this year while dealing with hamstring issues.
Newcomer Tyler Boyd, who spent 2023 with the Galaxy, is no stranger to facing LAFC, having recorded three goals and two assists in all competitions last year against the Black & Gold.
Nashville is expected to be without defender Walker Zimmerman, who is dealing with a knee injury.
The Black & Gold Will Win If:
It can build momentum in front of its home crowd. Going scoreless in three straight matches isn’t an ideal way to start the season but the club experienced two stretches of four games each in 2023 in which it failed to score a goal. “I think due to the success we've had in this club, we are very eager and almost too eager to go forward when we're not really prepared,” assistant coach Ante Razov said of his attackers on Thursday. “We have two very fast wingers that at times outrun their coverage. And so we're trying to find ways to enter the field of play with control.” Part of LAFC’s game model is to try and get on the scoreboard first. Doing so at home on Saturday would be particularly valuable.
Nashville SC Can Win If:
It can prolong LAFC’s goal shortage. The absence of Zimmerman, one of the league’s best center backs, leaves Nashville vulnerable on its back line, but if DP attackers Sam Surridge and Mukhtar can create an early goal, especially with LAFC defender Omar Campos missing due to international duty, Nashville can shift to a more defensive posture and try to steal three points on the road.
