Nashville Throw Supporters Shield Chances out the Window

The last four weeks for Nashville SC have been pretty terrible. The chances of winning a first Supporters Shield in franchise history have taken body blows, none greater than a 1 - 0 defeat at home to Atlanta United last weekend.

Atlanta came into the game at Geodis Park without an away win this season, and not only came away with all three points, but also a clean sheet against a Nashville side that looked uncomfortable on their own patch.

So just how bad is the decline Nashville are going through and will it derail their season altogether?

July dreams

Nashville spent much of July thinking "what if?" as they flew towards the summit. After beating Toronto FC 1 - 0 on 20th July, Nashville had only one defeat in 17 regular season games, which to a Lionel Messi brace for Inter Miami.

The ten wins between 27th April and 20th July eclipsed their total for the entirety of the 34-game 2024 MLS season.

After the victory over Toronto, goalkeeper Joe Willis said:

"We're obviously aware of where we are in the standings, and we have goals of winning the Supporters Shield, winning the MLS Cup, and winning everything that we compete in."

After that victory, Nashville were just one point behind leaders Cincinnati, but a fairly disastrous run of form since then has somewhat derailed their title charge with five games to play.

Costly defeats

After that fantastic run of results between April and mid-July, Nashville have won just one of their last five games, losing three.

The first of these five games saw them lose 1 - 0 to fellow contenders San Diego at the end of July, starting Nashville on this downward trajectory.

Even during their blistering run of form, their solitary defeat came at the hands of Inter Miami, who despite being 11 points off the pace of leaders Philadelphia Union, are well in the fight, as they have four games in hand.

On the final weekend of the regular season, Inter Miami make the trip to GEODIS Park for a potentially seismic clash with Nashville. Regardless of what happens over the next few weeks there will be play-off seedings to determine, but it might just be a crucial game in the race for the Supporters Shield too.

Turn of fortunes

After a sensational run from April to July, it all fell apart pretty quickly for Nashville after what was a respectable defeat to San Diego. A 1 - 0 defeat to a title contending team is nothing to be ashamed of, but it clearly affected the mentality of the Boys in Gold.

A 2 - 2 draw with Aston Villa in a friendly was followed up by defeats to St. Louis City and New York City, knocking Nashville down the pecking order.

A 5 - 1 victory over play-off rivals Orlando City restored some hope of a title charge, but the 1 - 0 defeat to Atlanta United restored the glum mood at GEODIS Park.

The final stretch

Nashville's destiny isn't directly in their own hands in terms of the Supporters Shield, but they do face three contenders in their final five matches.

Either side of their US Open Cup semi-final against Philadelphia, Nashville take on Cincinnati and Orlando City away from home. They then have what should be more straightforward clashes with Houston Dynamo and Montreal Impact, before finishing the season at home to Inter Miami.

Nashville will need a little bit of luck but if they can win four or five of these games, they'll take positive momentum into the postseason, regardless of what happens on the final day of the regular season on 18th October.