Nashville SC vs. Columbus Crew: Score prediction, scouting report vs. defending MLS champions

Jacob Shames, Nashville Tennessean

Fri, Mar 29, 2024, 8:02 AM·4 min read

The road doesn't get any easier for Nashville SC after its worst loss in history.

Nashville (1-1-3, six points, T-8th Eastern Conference) hosts the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew (3-1-1, 10 points, T-2nd Eastern) at Geodis Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It will be Nashville's first game since a 5-0 loss at Los Angeles FC on March 23.

Last season, Nashville beat the Crew 3-1 at home and lost 2-0 in Columbus. All-time, Nashville is 2-3-2 against the Crew, including a loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2020.

Here's our scouting report and score prediction:

Nashville's injuries, defensive issues come to a head

It once seemed innocuous that Nashville allowed at least one goal in all of its preseason games.

"We've given away some very, very cheap goals in preseason," coach Gary Smith said in February. "I know we're better than that."

It might be time to revisit that last part. Nashville's five-goal thrashing at the hands of LAFC was the most goals it's ever given up, and it came 10 days after Inter Miami scored three in the second leg of the teams' CONCACAF Champions Cup series.

All this comes with the caveat that Nashville's best defender hasn't seen the pitch much. In the 232 minutes that Walker Zimmerman has played, Nashville's allowed two goals, and one was an own goal. But it's allowed 12 goals in 578 minutes without the United States international, who injured his knee three weeks ago.

Zimmerman will miss Saturday's game and so might Lukas MacNaughton, who picked up a hip injury in training last week.

"We've been unable, on many occasions, to field what I would class as a fluid back line," Smith said. "... I'm not making that as an excuse as to what happened (against LAFC), but it certainly plays into the fact that there were some breakdowns."

Shaffelburg, Godoy return from international play

While Nashville may not have its top two center backs, it will get a boost from the return of forward Jacob Shaffelburg and midfielder Anibal Godoy, who were with their respective national teams last week.

Godoy captained Panama in its two games in the CONCACAF Nations League, a 3-0 semifinal loss to Mexico in the semifinal and a 1-0 loss to Jamaica in the third-place game. Shaffelburg came on as a 70th-minute substitute for Canada in its Copa America qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago, and scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win.

"Being with the national team, with the best players from Canada ... seeing that I can stick around with them helps me bring some confidence back here," Shaffelburg said.

Mar 16, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC forward Jacob Shaffelburg (14) receives a pass during the second half against Charlotte FC at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Shaffelburg is tied as Nashville's leading goalscorer with three in eight matches. His explosive, counterattack-suited playing style might be critical against a Crew side that likes to possess the ball.

"A team like this is helpful, but they also play a back three, so it's also difficult to make those runs," Shaffelburg said. "... But I do prefer a team that plays higher up with more space in behind."

Columbus still alive in Champions Cup

The Crew are the first team Nashville has faced during the regular season that's also in this season's Champions Cup. They defeated the Houston Dynamo in the round of 16 and will face UANL in the quarterfinals starting April 2.

Columbus' schedule hasn't been as congested as Nashville's, since it had a first-round bye. However, it's played more games than any of Nashville's other opponents.

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While navigating multiple competitions has been at the heart of Nashville's uneven start to 2024, Smith doesn't know if Columbus, being more experienced and coming off a title-winning season, is feeling quite the same pressure. The Crew also haven't dealt with the availability issues Nashville has — stars Cucho Hernandez, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe and Diego Rossi have missed only one game combined.

"I think they look at their roster and say 'You know what, we won MLS Cup last year,' " Smith said. "Part of (their) process is the Shield and MLS Cup. They'll be looking on all fronts here. They'll believe they can certainly do well in every competition they're in, and why would they not? They're a talented group."