Saturday will feature a matchup between one unbeaten team and another one who have yet to earn a point on the current MLS campaign as Nashville SC play host to CF Montreal at GEODIS Park.
The Boys in Gold have not conceded so far in two regular season encounters, drawing the New York Red Bulls 0-0 last weekend, while Montreal are goalless to this point of the campaign, losing 1-0 at Austin FC in their previous contest.
Match preview
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After two matches this season, it looks like Nashville have returned to playing sound defensive football, an approach which made them a successful club when entering the league in 2020.
We saw that defensive approach in abundance at Red Bull Arena as they failed to register a shot on target, and the Boys in Gold had fewer than 50% possession for the second time this season.
Nashville have only lost one regular season home fixture versus a Canadian team in its three-plus years in Major League Soccer, narrowly falling 4-3 versus Toronto in August 2022.
Staying composed and organised at the back has rarely been an issue for them, although Gary Smith is still seeking more fluidity in transition to unlock opposing defences.
They made it a point to add some strong, wide players during the offseason, but adapting to that quick counterattacking approach has been challenging for those newcomers.
Not only have they shown their defensive prowess early on, but Nashville have also done well to protect leads or preserve points when needed, conceding just one second-half strike in its last six regular season encounters at home.
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An outstanding late counter by the Verde and Black last Saturday ruined a solid road outing for Montreal, who have started an MLS season 0-2 for a second successive campaign.
A year ago, they began with three consecutive losses but only went pointless in five regular-season encounters the rest of the way, and the team will be looking to that for motivation in the weeks to come.
While some proven goalscorers are still on this roster, the service to those scoring threats has not been great so far, as they only managed two efforts on target in Austin.
Montreal are one of only three teams who have yet to find the back of the net after two regular season encounters, the longest goalless drought for the club since 2021 (two), while they have not gone more than two consecutive matches without scoring in this competition since 2018 (four).
Hernan Losada has vowed to have his side play with more verticality and organisation when out of possession, but so far, that has provided their opponents with too many quality scoring chances the other way.
In three previous trips to the Music City, Montreal have never picked up three points, squandering a second-half advantage on two occasions in 2021 when Nashville played at Nissan Stadium.
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Team News
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Anibal Godoy will be a question mark for Nashville this weekend because of a sore shoulder, and Nick DePuy is nursing a lower leg issue.
Sean Davis and Alex Muyl returned to Red Bull Arena for the first time to face their former club last Saturday, Dax McCarty is four starts away from reaching 400 for his MLS career, Taylor Washington made his season debut as a second-half substitute, Walker Zimmerman served as captain for a second successive encounter and Joe Willis has yet to concede a goal this year.
Hany Mukhtar and Muyl scored in this exact fixture last season, while CJ Sapong assisted on the game-winner as Nashville beat Montreal 2-1.
James Pantemis missed the previous encounter for Montreal because of a shoulder strain, Matko Miljevic has a problem with his knee and George Campbell is dealing with an ankle strain.
A record four home-grown players were in the starting 11 for the Canadians a week ago, including Jonathan Sirois, Nathan-Dylan Saliba, Sean Rea and Mathieu Choiniere, with Rea and Sirois earning their first career starts in Major League Soccer, while Lassi Lappalainen was in the Montreal opening lineup for the 50th time.
Last week, Montreal signed defender Ousman Jabang who they selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, while Jules-Anthony Vilsaint will be seeking his first appearance since joining them from Royal Antwerp FC in Belgium last month.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Moore, Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz; Muyl, Davis, McCarty, Shaffelburg; Sapong, Mukhtar
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Brault-Guillard, Camacho, Miller; Herrera, Choiniere, Wanyama, Lappalainen; Toye, Quioto, Ibrahim
We say: Nashville SC 2-0 CF Montreal
Nashville have been a tough nut to crack defensively in the early stages of the season, while Montreal are still trying to find someone who can create chances and fill the void left when Djordje Mihailovic departed for AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.
How to watch
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Joel Lefevre
