NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Playing its first regular season home match at First Tennessee Park on Saturday night, Nashville SC made that advantage count in a 2-0 win against the Charlotte Independence in front of a boisterous crowd of 7,487 fans. The win marked a second in a row for the expansion side that appears to have started to shape its playing identity.

“The focal point for the group really coming into this game was to be as positive, to be as purposeful and to try and start to create and form some foundations for home advantage. That thought was prevalent in the first 45 minutes. The team was very bright. We pressed the Charlotte group very well. I thought we won the ball in some nice areas and certainly created some opportunities. The goal was a terrific effort from Alan Winn,” said Nashville Head Coach Gary Smith. “I’m absolutely delighted with the way the players have attacked the game. The mindset and some of the quality, more so in the first period, but we’ve also shown a different quality today which is when we’re under pressure, we’ve shown some great resilience, some very determined defending and that in itself starts to form good camaraderie and an appreciation in that when you’re in front, you’re going to be difficult to beat. That’s not a bad quality to have, so I’m very pleased.”

The victory also marked a third straight shutout for Nashville goalkeeper Matt Pickens, who put in another strong performance that included an impressive save on a free kick by Independence marksman Jorge Herrera midway through the second half to keep a strong Charlotte attack at bay.

“Matt Pickens has been terrific again. His save from the free kick was absolutely world class,” said Smith. “And it’s a combination of factors in the end. A resilient group, some good individual defending, some bravery, the goalkeeper is extremely talented, but that’s his job. That’s why he’s here. His job to keep that goal intact. I’ve been with Matt a number of years now and he’s does that as well as anyone.”

Winn's first professional goal also grabbed the spotlight as the former Premier Development League standout sharpened up after missing out on chances against Bethlehem Steel FC last week. Earning his second consecutive start, Winn kept working during training in the buildup to Saturday's game and finally got his reward.

“You just need to have a short-term memory and keep going. You’re not going to make every one, and I was very blessed to get this opportunity to get it in the back of the net,” said Winn. “It’s one of those things when you do hit it in the back of the net, it’s a rhythm. You can never settle for what happened in the past, you got to go to the next game.”

O'CONNOR LAUDS LOUISVILLE DISPLAY: After a derby win on the road against FC Cincinnati in the River Cities Cup on Saturday night, Louisville City FC is the only team with a perfect record in the USL Eastern Conference, and while there were some things that Head Coach James O’Connor would still like to be improved in the weeks ahead, City's leader praised the work of his side to take all three points in front of a crowd of 25,667 at Nippert Stadium.

“I thought in the first half, we played some really excellent football. I thought that we were a little unlucky not to go in more than one-up,” said O’Connor. “At times, there was some lovely football so we can be pleased with that. Still, there's a little bit more understanding we need to work on. But we have to be happy. Winning one-nil is really, really pleasing. I'm very proud of the players tonight because I thought they were exceptional at times.”

As FCC came out with plenty of jump in the opening stages, it was looking like it could be a tight and difficult night for Louisville, but a 13th-minute goal from Cameron Lancaster put the visitors on top and from there they never looked back.

“I think [FCC] started in the first five minutes coming to attack, but I always felt, after that once we started to get on the ball and keep it, I thought we caused them some real problems,” said O’Connor. “As I said, I think on another night we maybe would've gone ahead further than 1-0 at halftime.”

Like any derby win, the result is for the fans, with a strong contingent of Louisville supporters making the trip up the Ohio River to support their team in some difficult weather. With the side still yet to concede this season while having defeated two of its biggest rivals among the Eastern Conference's contenders in back-to-back outings, a strong feeling of enthusiasm is running through everyone associated with the club.

“We're delighted with three points here and really pleased for the supporters who made the trip up tonight,” said O’Connor. “It was a cold evening and I just want to thank everyone who made the trip tonight, it was fantastic to see so many here this evening. Big thank you to our supporters who helped us tonight."

KICKERS KEEP MOMENTUM: The Richmond Kickers had needed to get some momentum going after dropping their first two games of the season, and while disappointed to give up a first-half lead against a strong New York Red Bulls II side on Saturday evening in soggy conditions the signs were promising as they held on well to take a 1-1 draw at City Stadium.

“We knew their style, with [Stefano] Bonomo in the lineup, which was a little bit of a surprise. [It was a] difficult challenge for us they had a six-foot-two target,” said Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. “Typically, they had not had a lot of size in the team. It did not make it easy for us, now that they had an outlet and he is a very good player. We tried to press. We tried to put them under pressure as much as we could. We had some moments, but not enough.”

Brian Shriver's goal to open the scoring came in the 17th minute, the earliest the Kickers had scored this season, but the hosts were stifled as they tried to add to their lead as the goal stood as the only shot in the first half. Ceding the majority of possession to New York while looking to hit on the break, the Kickers couldn't find the right connection at times to add to their early advantage.  

“It’s always important to get your nose in front. Nothing really changed with the tactics of the game,” said Cowlishaw. “We were always going to continue to try to keep numbers forward and try to get them as quickly as we could on the counter. We really didn’t lock down the field.”

Despite picking up only one point for the draw, though, the result did give the Kickers four points from its past two outings, a positive sign for a side that struggled to string together results in 2017. With a visit to Louisville City FC up next this Saturday, restricting an attacking team like the Red Bulls II to just one goal could also see Richmond grow in confidence ahead of the massive test ahead.

“Obviously, we had to deal with them. They threw a lot of guys forward, putting us under a lot of pressure. I think we dealt with it pretty well,” said Shriver. “We would have like to have got all of the three points there. I think we defended well as a unit, stuck together. Overall, I think it was a good result for us.”