I made it to my destination in time to watch the game... only to find out my hotel room doesn't get Fox. What? So I had to find a (definitely totally legal) internet stream. Zimmerman is an absolute beast. He absolutely shut down several promising Atlanta attacks. As good as Josef is in the air, I'm not sure having him mark Zimmerman on a set piece was a wise decision. Also, Dax McCarty freaking owned our midfield. Several times guys tried to pass around him or dribble around him, and I don't know if they were successful even once. Nashville is going to have some serious trouble scoring, though. None of their attacking players looked even decent. Atlanta looked tired in the second half. Even when we were dominating possession for stretches, we looked slow and lazy. I hope Josef and Escobar are just nursing strains that won't keep them out for long. Josef's knee definitely bent in the horizontal axis on that slo-mo replay. But... we finally won an opener! And we looked pretty dominant for about 75% of the game doing it, too. I know Nashville is an expansion side, but I hope that dominance continues for the season. Also, Hyndman's goal made the SportsCenter top 10 plays of the day. They did call him "Hin-man" though.
Best guess for an at-peak ration would put Atlanta at about 30%. Sound wise from the upper deck it seemed more 50/50 but I think that was because we couldn't hear squat from the NSC supporters end at the opposite side of the venue and 5 stories beneath us. But checking with friends through the venue there were loads of AU fans throughout the place. Seemed to have another whole cluster in one lower corner directly across from us. But the Nashville goal was the loudest roar of the night.
I’m kind of hoping that Nashville (and Charlotte and even Miami and Orlando) continue to have stellar crowds.
Was a weird setting tonight. The cold definitely had an impact, if for no other reason but clapping was muted by all the gloves. And even though the AU supporters end was busy throughout a lot of chants ended up out of sync quickly because of how we were dispersed. Meanwhile I have no idea what the NSC chants were cause we literally could.pnly hear their drums and applause. I'm sure the players were affected by the cold, too, and Atlanta looked like they'd played a midweek match.
I got to the metro area with plenty of time and then spent almost an hour in traffic I wasn't expecting. That's on me- I've been coming in and out of ATL since I was 17 and I know my way around SW still, but I do not really know Nashville at all. I felt fine- was expecting it to be a lot colder, or to feel a lot colder. So prepared with long johns and a skull cap (Am I the only one here who calls this cap and the sled a toboggan?). The $20 Titan burger sucked, and the N-branded lager that came with it wasn't much better. Next time, I'll bring my own damn burger and beer. It's not like they pat you down or anything. I should have kept the can, tho, as a memento of my first road game. Nashville is capable of all kinds of thuggery when they get frustrated. Ref called very little early on and it got out of hand. I got to move closer to the upper corner after the break, where the plurality of our fans were seated. They stood the whole second half, and I assume they did the same for the first. Needed help getting back on the interstate afterward. Stopped at a convenience store and the clerk didn't get what I was asking him, so I walked up to a car in the lot. Dude looked up from rolling his blunt like I was a cop. I put both hands where he could see them and said, "Bruh, I'm just trying to go home. Can you tell me how to get to 65 South?" His girl rolled up the window and I was on my own again. Finally, I found help and got out of there. We were freakin' everywhere. I'd say 3-1 NSC at best. And they had the gall to announce the largest soccer crowd in TN history (IIRC, they said, 56K something), when they never had a club worthy of mention before and the NT games didn't sell out. They were nowhere close to a full house. The middle section on the other side was easily 3/4 empty for most of the second half, and I have no reason to think it was any fuller below me. In general: The stadium is really pretty when it's lit up (I saw Jozy's hat trick v. T&T there in 2009, but I was in the 100s for that one), but the turf looked like more had been added to the sides.
I don't think they had a drum for the Viking Clap, either. Did you hear the four of five guys shouting You Are Wel-come <clap clap clapclapclap> when they announced the attendance? I was one of them. Nashville's new at this. They'll get it together. Nice folks. When I saw opposing fans at the Benz, I'd always say, "Good game" afterward, or "Good luck" before.
They played a friendly at Legion Field in either 2000 or 2001. That was my first time watching them. I don't know why, but I found it hilarious that I had to tell folks how to get to LF.
Just catching up, I was incommunicado for the match so I just finished watching Sunday morning. Bleary eyed, but here are some initial comments. Happy with the outcome (we finally get points on opening day, Hip, Hip, Hoorah!) but concerned about Josef and Franco. Thanks to GunnerJacket and Auria (and anyone else from the board that was there) for representing. From the TV it looked like the 17's were out in force... guessing 40% ATL based on the visuals, 50% based on the audio. It was hard to tell because from the camera angles but it looked like Red&Blacks were dispersed throughout the crowd and everyone was dressed like eskimos, but I can say you two were "LOUD and PROUD". Was it really cold? Players and coaches looked pretty red nosed in the interviews. To tired for tactical commentary. Still wading through the posts.
Regarding record crowds, I just want to say that at the height of my playing "career" I played in Neyland Stadium in front of 100,000 empty seats. That is a record that will never be broken.
https://www.ajc.com/sports/some-atl...H1ZwDecKJWv3kaH7IrRtJz3gCwlyO2ryc88Xd4TjoibpQ Our options per Josef, if it's real bad.
It’s a still a matter of what are we doing with all that cash we’re sitting on... We sent out: Villalba Kratz Ambrose Gallagher (loaned out) Carleton (loaned out) - Called in Wyke Parkhurst (retired) - Upgraded Emo Vasquez - Jahn Pereira - Castro Goslin - Campbell Nagbe - Rossetto Meram - Castillo (bad trade, IMO) Pogba - Walkes Gressel/Shea- Lennon/Mulraney ? LGP - Meza Even if we used Kratz & Ambrose for upgrading player’s salaries... there’s still Villalba’s salary chunk that we’re just sitting on. Plus whatever spaced we obtained from the CBA. Let’s get on it, FO!
Wow. We've had Josef, Bello, Esco and Miles go down with injuries in the last three weeks, and we're one game into the season. Holding out hope that the law of averages will kick in and we go the rest of the season with fewer knocks (or worse) than the other teams.
I was at that game, it was against Ecuador. It was the first match took my 5 year old son to. There were about 10k at the match, all from the ATL, and half were wearing Ecuadorian kits. Legion Field is a cathedral of southern football. I have seen 2 football games at there (the other a USA v Argentina Olympic match) and both times they were playing soccer. The place is a dump.
But, like, one of those cathedrals from the 1800s in Central America that hasn't been maintained since the 1800s. I watched Mexico and Nigeria in Legion Field during those Olympics. Technically I guess the USMT was closer to me during that tournament, but my driver's license was still hot off the press that summer, and my job bagging groceries wouldn't cover the cost of gas and a ticket.
ACL. Pity's going to have to earn his money this year for us to have a realistic shot, no matter who we get.