It’s another weekend on the road for FC Cincinnati, as the Orange and Blue meet Nashville SC on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT. Saturday marks the first matchup between the sides at GEODIS Park.
Let’s break down this matchup by the numbers, presented by CTI.
2
Cincinnati and Nashville are separated by just a few hours, but this matchup has taken on many different forms. The two clubs’ USL predecessors met four times in 2018, with all four fixtures ending in a draw, including notably in the USL Cup Playoffs when the Orange and Blue advanced on penalty kicks.
The two sides were intraconference foes in 2021, interconference foes last season when Nashville SC competed in the Western Conference, and now once again in the Eastern Conference together.
Regardless of the past, Nashville SC are one of just two Eastern Conference opponents FC Cincinnati have never defeated, alongside New York City FC.
5
In the fifth all-time meeting between FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC in MLS competition, there have been plenty of notable moments and statistics, including goalkeeper Przemysław Tytoń’s club-record 11 saves in the 2-2 draw in the 2021 season opener. Another notable stat came in the October 2021 matchup, it saw a combined two corner kicks, a still-standing lowest two-team total in FCC history.
But in the regional rivalry’s potential heat, last season’s matchup saw the Orange and Blue suffer just five fouls from Nashville, which set a club-record fewest-ever FC Cincinnati suffered.
8
Last Saturday’s comeback draw in Chicago not only extended FC Cincinnati’s unbeaten start to the 2023 season, it extended Major League Soccer's longest active regular season road unbeaten streak. The Orange and Blue are unbeaten in eight straight road games, dating back to the 4-4 tie with Inter Miami CF on July 30, 2022.
Nashville SC had the next-closest such streak, one behind the Orange and Blue, but it was snapped with their 1-0 loss away to the New England Revolution last Saturday. LAFC have the second-longest active MLS road unbeaten streak, at three.
150
Nashville SC Head Coach Gary Smith is a veteran manager in MLS. In Matchday 3 against CF Montréal, the former English player earned his 150th MLS win. He managed the Colorado Rapids from 2008-11, leading the Western Conference side to their lone MLS Cup title in 2010. Smith has led Nashville since their USL days in 2018.
300
FC Cincinnati veteran defender Santiago Arias returned to game action last Saturday at Chicago Fire FC as a second half substitute. Per Transfermarkt, his latest appearance was the 299th of his club career, meaning the Colombian could hit 300 career club appearances this Saturday in the Music City.
400
With FC Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund and Ray Gaddis each chasing down appearance milestones, so too is Nashville SC ironman midfielder Dax McCarty. The midfielder sits at 398 MLS career regular season starts, two away from becoming just the fifth player in MLS history to reach the 400 plateau (Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, Kevin Hartman, Chad Marshall).
Hagglund (100 career appearances for FC Cincinnati), Gaddis (250 MLS regular season appearances) and McCarty could all hit their milestones next weekend in Matchday 6.
By The Numbers is presented by CTI.
