NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With a goal apiece in both league action this past Wednesday night, and in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup the previous week, the early reviews on Brandon Allen’s move to Nashville SC are certainly all positive.

Returning home to face Penn FC on Saturday night at First Tennessee Park (8:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+), a contest that kicks off an important stretch that concludes the following weekend with a trip to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Allen is delighted to have already delivered at his new club.

“It’s actually funny, because coach said that exact thing when I came off the field tonight,” Allen said after scoring the game-winner in Nashville’s 1-0 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. “It’s nice to get rewarded for my hard work, but we need to keep working hard to get three points Saturday and the game after that.”

Allen had scored 24 goals in a season-and-a-half for the New York Red Bulls II before going on loan to Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer from the Red Bulls for the second half of the season. This offseason saw a move to Bethlehem Steel FC, but things didn’t quite go as planned after Allen scored twice on his debut for the club on the opening day of the regular season against the Richmond Kickers. Allen made only four starts for Steel FC in seven appearances for the side, which precipitated his transfer to Nashville.

Now adding another element to the club’s attacking alongside leading scorer Ropapa Mensah and playmaker Lebo Moloto, Allen is a welcome addition to the club as it looks to push up the Eastern Conference, with his finish against the Hounds indicative of what the 2016 USL Rookie of the Year and USL Cup Most Valuable Player can bring.

“That’s exactly what you want to see,” said Nashville Head Coach Gary Smith of Allen’s finish in Pittsburgh. “It’s an instinct play. It’s a poacher’s goal. It’s sensing where the ball is going to be, and that’s what good goalscorers do. They have a mindset that is so linked in to scoring goals. I am absolutely thrilled to see him score tonight.”

With a game against the Colorado Rapids, whom Smith led to the MLS Cup in 2010, coming on Wednesday night in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup there’s a major sense of anticipation building in Nashville’s camp for the week ahead. Before that game arrives, though, the side want to make sure it takes care of business against Penn, which could potentially send the side into the playoff positions.

“I am very happy with where the group’s at,” said Smith. “London [Woodberry] and Ryan [James] were very terrific. The guys that came in did a sterling job. Quite honestly, the depth of group will be tested on Saturday and then the big game midweek next week.”