Nashville seemed down and out untold times, but went through anyway
The Leagues Cup is truly unhinged.
What else can one say after the scenes as Nashville SC got past Club América despite falling behind in second-half stoppage time, then watching las Águilas celebrate an apparent penalty kick shootout win.
Stick with us, we can explain.
For most of the match, things were extremely normal for Nashville. A resolute defensive performance kept América at bay for an hour before the home side went ahead via a powerful Walker Zimmerman header on a corner kick. Yawn, right?
América turned to star playmaker Diego Valdés, playing his first minutes of the tournament, and got a 78th minute equalizer to get level.
Valdés then unleashed an 89th minute thunderbolt that clipped Lukas MacNaughton’s left hand. Despite the clarity of the handball, what followed was a long delay: América crowded referee Selvin Brown, then Nashville did the same, and it took over 90 seconds before Brown got a call from VAR to go to the monitor.
Brown’s check then took an additional 110 seconds — including a stoppage to book Nashville’s Aníbal Godoy for encroaching by the VAR monitor — before further protests and stalling from Nashville.
At long last, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Julián Quiñones stepped to the spot and put las Águilas ahead.
Both teams made substitutions immediately after a goal, Nashville sent Zimmerman forward as a striker, and play was delayed even longer as, per the Apple TV broadcast, a pitch invader wandered the field taking selfies. Play didn’t resume for another two minutes, with the fourth official then at long last revealing the stoppage time total so long after the stadium clock read 90:00 that no one was particularly sure how much time would remain.
The answer? Just enough time for new Nashville Designated Player Sam Surridge, on his debut, to equalize nine minutes into time added on.
Crucially, as Geodis Park went into a full boil, Nashville used their last substitution to bring goalkeeper Elliot Panicco in for Joe Willis, something head coach Gary Smith did in the round of 32 to great effect. Nashville’s path to this game Tuesday night involved ousting FC Cincinnati on penalties, with Panicco’s save on Matt Miazga the difference.
There’s no way to know whether Willis could have matched Panicco, but the choice paid off again. Just after Luis Malagón had denied Hany Mukhtar in the first round, Panicco did the same to slap away Miguel Layún’s shot in the second.
The teams traded seven straight successful takes, going into a sixth round, where it all seemed to be over. Álvaro Fidalgo put his shot away, but Jack Maher (another late substitute Nashville used to allow for Zimmerman to go play up top) couldn’t respond, with Malagón diving left to deny the defender’s low effort.
América celebrated, manager André Jardine sprinted to join them, and it seemed for all the world like the Mexico City giants were off to the quarterfinals. Nashville players shook hands with those from América, several more pitch invaders sought out their América faves — Geodis Park security, what are you doing these days? — and Apple TV showed a post-game highlight package honoring Valdés (who was literally walking random children off the pitch) as man of the match.
Things were settled for so long that Minnesota United, thinking they would host América, literally billed season ticket holders.
Meanwhile, amid all this chaos — a security guard was stretchered off after hurting their leg! — the VAR booth was checking something important: was Malagón’s save, you know, legal?
Nope! Malagón had clearly come off his line before Maher struck the ball, and eventually, with the América goalkeeper irate at Nashville’s bench for unclear reasons and a roughly eight minute VAR check done, Maher shot again.
This time, the 23-year-old finished with ease, and on to round seven this utter madness went. There, Jonathan dos Santos crashed his shot off the crossbar, and Dan Lovitz — only after multiple gestures about where the ball was on the penalty spot — finally put this game to bed.
Intelligent viewers at this point were banking on this game carrying on for some unknown reason, but Nashville really did advance, where the Tennesseans will host Minnesota United on either August 11 or 12.
That is, unless this game somehow is forced to re-start, who knows?
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