Nashville Soccer Club earned its fifth shutout of the season tonight in front of a crowd of 26,999 at GEODIS Park against Toronto FC. Nashville’s five shutouts are tied for the most in MLS this season (also, FC Cincinnati). 

Mighty Joe Willis: Goalkeeper Joe Willis continued his run of sensational, earning three saves in route to his fifth shutout in 2023. Willis leads the league in save percentage at 92.3% and has allowed the fewest goals in the league in route to his 54th career save.  

Panamanian Presence: Nashville SC has maintained a steady hand with midfielder Aníbal Godoy on the pitch. The club owns a 12W-6L-5D record in his appearances since 2022. Tonight, Godoy led the team in passes with 62 and has now made two straight starts since returning from injury.  

Next Match: Nashville SC takes on New York City FC on Saturday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will be televised on the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV App, and available on radio at 104.5 The Zone.   

Notes:   

  • Nashville SC:          
    • has posted shutouts in back-to-back matches 
    • has not allowed a first-half goal all season  
    • has allowed just one goal at GEODIS Park this season  
    • recorded its 14th scoreless draw in club history 
    • held Toronto FC to its second-lowest number of shots on target this season (3) 
    • owns an all-time record of 2W-2L-2D against Toronto FC 
  • vs. next opponent: New York City FC 
    • will face New York City FC for the second and final time this season next week 
    • defeated New York City FC 2-0 on Opening Day at GEODIS Park  
    • has never lost a match to New York City FC 
  • Teal Bunbury made his 344th career regular season appearance   
  • Dan Lovitz led the defense with four clearances 
  • Dax McCarty made his 445th career regular season appearance
  • Shaq Moore led the defense with four interceptions
  • Hany Mukhtar led the team with four shots
  • Alex Muyl made his 197th career regular season appearance, just three appearances shy of 200
  • Fafà Picault led the team in duels with 16 with a rate of 56% duels won on the night
  • Jacob Shaffelburg faced his old side for the first time since being acquired by Nashville SC on Aug. 2, 2022
  • Joe Willis is now four regular season starts shy of becoming the first Nashville SC player to reach 100 MLS appearances

Box Score:   

Nashville SC (3W-2L-2D, 11 pts.) vs. Toronto FC (1W-1L-5D, 8 pts.) 

April 8, 2023 – GEODIS Park 

Final Score  NSH: 0TOR: 0Scoring Summary   

N/A 

Discipline  

NSH: Fafà Picault (caution) 34’ 

TOR: Raoul Petretta (caution) 37’ 

TOR: Jonathan Osorio (caution) 44’ 

Lineups:  NSH Starters: Joe Willis; Daniel Lovitz, Jack Maher, Shaq Moore, Walker Zimmerman (C); Hany Mukhtar, Jacob Shaffelburg (Alex Muyl,75’), Aníbal Godoy, Sean Davis (Dax McCarty 68’); Fafà Picault, CJ Sapong (Teal Bunbury 68’)

Substitutes: Josh Bauer, Taylor Washington, Ján Greguš, Luke Haakenson, Tah Brian Anunga, Elliot Panicco 

TOR Starters: Sean Johnson; Matt Hedges (Lukas MacNaughton 45’), Sigurd Rosted, Richie Laryea, Raoul Petretta; Michael Bradley (C), Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jonathan Osorio, Brandon Servania (Alonso Coello 63’), Deandre Kerr (Ayo Akinola 63’); Federico Bernardeschi

Substitutes: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Kobe Franklin, Shane O’Neill, Tomas Romero, Kosi Thompson, Jordan Perruzza

Referee: Guido Gonzales JR 

Ar1: Jeremy Kieso 

Ar2: Diego Blas 

4th Official: Thomas Snyder 

VAR: Sorin Stoica 

AVAR: Jonathan Johnson 

Attendance: 26,999 

Weather: Misty, 52 degrees   

Nashville SC joined Major League Soccer on Feb. 29, 2020 in front of the largest attendance ever recorded for a soccer match in the State of Tennessee. In its inaugural MLS season, Nashville SC defeated expectations by becoming the second MLS expansion side to win and advance to the Conference Semifinals in the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Nashville SC returned to the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in its sophomore season after becoming just the seventh team in MLS history to go unbeaten at home in a season. Nashville SC inaugurated GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, in front of a 30,109-sellout crowd on May 1, 2022. For more information, visit NashvilleSC.com and follow the club at @NashvilleSC on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify.   Â