Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT, Saturday’s Match Can Be Followed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app and on 104.5 The Zone 

Nashville Soccer Club (11W-5L-5D, 35 pts.) will travel to Soldier Field to take on Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Earlier today, Nashville SC Head Coach Gary Smith and midfielder Dax McCarty addressed the media to preview the match. Smith spoke about the versatility of Nashville SC’s backline and the return of Teal Bunbury from injury ahead of last week’s match paired with Fafà Picault returning to market after his international performance for Haiti in the Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage. Smith also praised Chicago Fire FC’s Frank Klopas for his performance as current interim head coach as he is managing the talent on the Chicago side mid-season.

McCarty, who played for Chicago Fire FC from 2017 to 2019, talked about returning to Chicago and the emotions that accompany playing a former team. McCarty praised Nashville’s current diamond formation, stating that it suits Nashville’s player personnel, requires great physicality from the midfield and has lent itself to positive results for the Boys in Gold as of late. McCarty also discussed how to turn Nashville’s stellar home form into a positive performance as it travels to Chicago.

Saturday night will mark the second and final meeting between the sides in the regular season. Just this past May 6, Hany Mukhtar recorded his third of four career hat tricks against Chicago as they visit GEODIS Park for the first time in series history.

The Boys in Gold have never lost to the Fire (2W-0L-2D) and have outscored them 9-2 in four all-time meetings. Nashville SC has not allowed a goal to the Fire since July 17, 2021.

As Nashville prepares to take on Chicago Fire FC, it will look to Randall Leal and Mukhtar to continue their attacking hot streaks.

Leal was named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire for Matchday 22 after his two-goal performance against D.C. United on July 1. This brace tied Leal’s career-high for goals scored in a match at two, which he also accomplished on Oct. 27, 2021 at FC Cincinnati. Nine of Leal’s 16 career MLS goals have come in Music City, with his Matchday 22 brace occurring in GEODIS Park. Leal is now the second player in Nashville history to be named player of the Matchday, joining Mukhtar, who has received this honor eight times. Leal has 16 goals and 20 assists in his 89 career matches for Nashville SC.

Reigning MLS MVP Mukhtar registered an assist over the weekend, moving his goal contribution up to 21 this season (13 goals + 8 assists). Mukhtar leads the league with his 21 contributions and is the Golden Boot race leader with 13 goals. He has recorded a goal or an assist in 12 of his last 17 matches. Since 2022, the German has scored 36 goals and tallied 20 assists, which is the most of any MLS player.

In his career appearances against the Fire, Mukhtar has devoured his competition, scoring a total of six goals in two hat tricks on July 17, 2021 and May 6, 2023. His July 17, 2021 hat trick marked the fastest hat trick in MLS history in a span of six minutes (10’, 13’, 16’) as he led Nashville SC to a 5-1 home victory.

Nashville SC will look to strike fast and first against Chicago. With the opening goal against D.C. United, Nashville SC has lost a match when scoring first since Aug. 8, 2021. The club is 9W-0L-2D this season when scoring the first goal of the match, and 39W-4L-16D all-time when scoring first.         

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

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.