First impressions of Nashville SC and Inter Miami after MLS debuts

Over the weekend, two new teams kicked off their inaugural MLS seasons. What did we learn about Nashville SC and Inter Miami?

On the opening weekend of the 25th MLS season, the league welcomed two new teams: Nashville SC and Inter Miami.

They both kicked off their inaugural campaigns with tough opponents. Nashville SC opened their season at home against Atlanta United, who won MLS Cup in 2018, while Inter Miami opened their season on the road against LAFC, who won the Supporters’ Shield in 2019 and rewrote the league record books.

It is not surprising that both newcomers lost their opening games, but what can we take away from their performances?

Nashville SC

Nashville SC did the one thing all new teams fear in their first game of the season: they went down early. In the ninth minute, a beautiful string of passes by Atlanta United just got away from Nashville, and Ezequiel Barco finished off the play by sending the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

They hadn’t even played their first fifteen minutes in MLS, but Nashville was already down.

But the home side didn’t let the game get away from them and in the 28th minute, they found their equalizer at the feet of Walker Zimmerman. Hany Mukthar sent a free kick into the penalty box and Zimmerman headed it down before slotting the ball past Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Emerson Hyndman would walk away with the game-winning goal for Atlanta. In the 37th minute, he used his chest to bring down a clearance attempt and then hit an insane volley that seemed impossible to stop.

The scoreline alone tells us one important thing: Nashville SC can compete. They were taking on a tough team and they kept the game competitive. They outdid Atlanta in total shots and shots on target, possession was close to even, and Nashville had a few chances for an equalizer in the second half. Nashville might have a lot left to learn, but they showed that they won’t be steamrolled.

Nashville SC also showed that they know how to host a party. Nearly 60,000 fans came out to see the team’s home opener, a record-setting soccer crowd in Tennessee. The crowd was loud and rowdy and fun — exactly the type of atmosphere you want to see for a home opener. Hopefully, they can sustain at least some of that support throughout the year and reward those fans with solid results.

Inter Miami

Like their counterparts in Tennessee, Inter Miami also opened their season by staying competitive with a difficult opponent. The lone goal in the meeting between Inter Miami and LAFC came at the end of the first half, when Carlos Vela hit an outrageous chip that Inter Miami goalkeeper Luis Robles had no chance of stopping.

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For the first fifteen minutes, LAFC dominated Inter Miami. But the South Florida club didn’t allow any goals and settled into the game. They played a physical game (as is evident by their three yellow cards) and finished the night with 15 total shots. Rodolfo Pizzaro, who had four shots including two shots on goal, looked particularly dangerous.

Like Nashville, Inter Miami never let this game get away from them. They may have lost, but they showed they can stay competitive with one of the best teams in the league.

The player that will inevitably prove to be one of the most important in the coming weeks is goalkeeper Luis Robles, who spent eight years with the New York Red Bulls before joining Inter Miami in the offseason. He had eight saves Sunday, some of which were pretty spectacular. He kept his team in this game and he will likely be called upon to do that as this new team settles into the league.

Both of the new teams hit stumbling blocks in their season openers. But those nerves are expected when a team is taking to the pitch for the first time. Nashville SC and Inter Miami proved this weekend that they can stay competitive in MLS. You shouldn’t write them off. Once they find their footing, they could both be dangerous sides.