Union hoping home field can truly be an advantage with evenly matched Nashville

Nothing separated the Union and Nashville SC in the final MLS standings. Meetings at each team’s home stadium ended in 1-0 results, early goals giving way to defensive stalemates.

The similarities between the clubs added import to the quest for home-field advantage in the MLS Cup playoffs. And the payoff for the Union’s efforts down the stretch of the regular season comes Sunday, when Nashville visits Chester for an Eastern Conference semifinal.

The second-seeded Union, who earned the home field advantage via the tiebreaker of most wins, have plenty on the line against Nashville upon kickoff Sunday (5:30 p.m., ESPN). Foremost is a chance to win two playoff games in the same season for the first time in franchise history. A first trip to a conference final would mark progress for a club that under Jim Curtin has prided itself on incremental, year-over-year growth.

“Those are the most fun games to play in, the chance to get to a final, and that is the next step for this club,” Curtin said Friday via Zoom. “Little by little, we’ve advanced as a club. We haven’t done it in a flashy, loud, obnoxious way. We’ve done our talking on the field. The players deserve all the credit for consistently improving and being a team that continually punches above our weight.”

That ethos describes third-seeded Nashville well. The club has won two playoff games in two seasons, matching the Union’s 11-year output. Nashville tied MLS records in 2021 for the fewest losses (four) and most draws (18) in a season. The inability to finish games at home, where it went 8-0-9, cost it the second seed and a chance to host the Union on a football-lined Nissan Stadium. But with a 4-4-9 record, Gary Smith’s team has often replicated away from home what the club is all about.

They showed that in the 3-1 win over No. 6 Orlando City Tuesday night in the first round. MVP finalist Hany Mukhtar scored twice in overturning an early deficit. They were able to build out of possession and counter effectively, using their combative midfield to create turnovers in dangerous areas and flip quickly to offense. With Mukhtar, who led MLS in combined goals and assists (16 and 12), and former Union striker CJ Sapong, they don’t need much space to create dangerous chances.

Smith, who won MLS Cup with Colorado in 2008, has built Nashville in a similarly effective if not flashy way. The defense is marshalled by U.S. national teamer Walker Zimmerman ahead of Joe Willis, a goalkeeper of the year finalist. Well-traveled captain Dax McCarty patrols midfield along with Panama stalwart Anibal Godoy. That’s the recipe for a team that allowed the fewest goals in MLS at 33.

“We know what Nashville is all about,” Union captain Alejandro Bedoya said. “They’re a very organized team, tough to break down defensively and we have to be cautious about their transition moments.”

The Union will get at least one boost this week, with Jamiro Monteiro free of COVID-19 protocols after international duty. Curtin said the midfielder trained fully Friday and is good to go. He’ll likely start in place of Paxten Aaronson, assuming the Union continue the 4-3-2-1 formation that has worked recently. That setup produced plenty of chances in last week’s 1-0 win after extra time over the New York Red Bulls, though the likes of Kacper Przybylko, Sergio Santos and Cory Burke need to be more clinical against a Nashville team that relents precious little space in the final third.

A question still remains over Olivier Mbaizo, the right back who was also in COVID protocols. He was not cleared as of Friday but is listed as questionable on the injury report, which leaves open the possibility of a return.

If Mbaizo can’t go, Curtin will likely opt again for Alvas Powell, who was outstanding against the Red Bulls. Despite being short on fitness, he drew on the experience of winning MLS Cup in 2015 with Portland to be part of a defense that effectively muted the Red Bulls.

“It’s incredible to have a player like Alvas on the bench,” Curtin said. “He has a ton of experience, and he’s still young, and he brings international experience where he’s played in the biggest moments for Jamaica, against Mexico, against the U.S. in the big spots. He knows what pressure is.”

The underlying numbers suggest that Nashville had the better and more even season. It finished with more goals scored (55 to 48) and fewer conceded (33 to 35) than the Union. In Mukhtar, Nashville has the most explosive player on the field. But where the Union finished the regular season on a 6-1-4 run, Nashville was just 1-1-7 in their final nine games. The loss was at Subaru Park, albeit with Smith heavily rotating his squad for a midweek game and with Mukhtar suspended.

Both sides will be more or less whole on Sunday, with a chance to take on the winner of New England and New York City FC in the conference final. Much like the Union’s playoff opener, attractive soccer is unlikely to be in the cards, though that’s not the objective.

“It’ll be a battle,” Bedoya said. “It’s the playoffs. I don’t expect it to be pretty soccer, but Nashville does what it needs to do. There’s a reason they had so many draws. They’re tough to break down.”